Wil
Biblical scholar in Hebrew and Hebrew Bible: special interest in translation textual plurality, (Septuagint, Dead Seas Scrolls, Samaritan Pentateuch, Aleppo Codex, Leningrad Codex); feminist, womanist and post-colonial biblical interpretation; prophets and prophecy in the Ancient Near East and ancient Israel Episcopal priest, product of the Black Church, author, blogger, preacher, teacher, lecturer, public speaker
The Commemoration of King Kamehameha and Queen Emma ~ 28 November
Today is the commemoration of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, Hawaii’s Holy Sovereigns who brought the Episcopal Church to Hawaii. I had the great pleasure of spending parts of my 2010 sabbatical in Hawaii where I learned about the ali’i, royals....... Read More
Neither Jew or Gentile, Slave or Free, Male or Female: Did Paul REALLY Mean That?
Nehemiah 8:1 All the people gathered as though they were a single person into the square before the Water Gate. They told the Torah-scholar Ezra to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses, which the Holy One of Sinai had commanded to Israel. 2 So, the priest Ezra brought the Torah before the assembly,...... Read More
Wil’s Words of Wisdom for the Womanists Catching Up to Me: You Betta Werk!
AAR/SBL Womanist In-Gathering 2012: Rituals of Wisdom and Healing American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL I’ve learned a lot about being a woman and being a womanist from drag queens. So I’m going to share with you: Wil’s Words of Wisdom for the Womanists Catching Up to Me: You Betta...... Read More
An Army of Preaching Women
Psalm 68:11 The Sovereign-Commander gives an order; the preaching women are a great army. Isaiah 40:9 Woman, go up to a high mountain, you who proclaim good news to Zion. Woman, raise your woman’s voice with power – proclaiming good news to Jerusalem. Raise it woman, do not fear woman; woman, say to the cities...... Read More
St. Publia the Confessor: a Patrona for Public Theology
The young widow Publia became a deaconess in Antioch in the fourth century. She was commended for raising her son John later Bishop of Antioch, in the faith. She was sainted for her own confession and defense of the faith. She was a public theologian who used the scriptures of the First Testament to articulate...... Read More
Drag Queens and Did Jesus Just Call that Woman a B—-?
(Listen to or download the sermon as recorded in chapel – mp3 format) [Dons feather boa.] I love drag queens. I love the way they make me think about gender, its construction and its performance. Drag queens like RuPaul, Sharon Needles and Latrice Royale are some of my favorite critical gender theorists and theologians. Now drag...... Read More
Solomon’s Theology, Solomon’s Catechism
Solomon’s prayer tells us what he believes. Today I’d like to share with you Solomon’s Theology, Solomon’s Catechism. 1Kings 8:41 And, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, when such a one comes from a faraway land because of your Name— 42 For they shall hear of your great Name, and your...... Read More
Restoring Bathsheba
Our first lesson says, “Solomon’s throne was firmly established…” And, “Solomon loved the Lord…” In so doing the text jumps from 1 Kings 2:12 to 1 Kings 3:3. There is a gap in the text. The story as we have it framed by the lectionary presents a smooth transition from David to Solomon. But it...... Read More
Mourning the Temple of Our Ancestors: A Tisha B’Av Sermon
You've probably noticed that there's something different about our readings today. (See collect and lessons) Our propers commemorate the destruction of the Temple observed on Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the summer month of Av in the Jewish calendar. That day is today. Let us remember. The Israelite monarchy was a mess. A...... Read More
Scandalized By Jesus: Some Lessons for Vocation
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Miriam called Mary and brother of Ya‘akov called James and Yosef called Joses and Yehudah called Judas and Shimon called Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they were scandalized by him. Jesus is simply scandalous. More than notorious or shocking, eskandalizonto in Greek means to...... Read More