A New Sense of Self-Confidence – Insights into the Theory and Practice of Queer-Sensitive Biblical Hermeneutics

Abstract

The 2025 empirica study on sexuality highlights how Christian queer people are discriminated against in theology and the church based on Bible passages that have a long history of being interpreted in a queer-hostile manner (e.g., Lev 18:22). Queer theology therefore seeks to counter this with queer-friendly and more creative interpretations of the Bible. This reveals that there are various ways to examine the relationship between queerness and the Bible. However, historical-critical approaches and more creative approaches are often viewed as contradictory. This essay aims to demonstrate how a synthesis of these different approaches is possible and to highlight the significance of the potential target audience in queer-sensitive biblical interpretation.