Bishop Johnson Contributes to Groundbreaking New Book: A Queer Lectionary
A powerful new preaching resource, A Queer Lectionary, has just been released, and among its distinguished contributors is Bishop Deon K. Johnson. This timely volume brings together an interdenominational group of preachers and scholars to offer queer-centered interpretations of Scripture that uplift, liberate, and challenge systems of oppression.
Written for every Sunday and feast day in the Revised Common Lectionary, A Queer Lectionary supports pastors, preachers, and readers in crafting sermons that reflect God’s radical love and justice. It serves as a bold theological response in an era where LGBTQ+ rights and lives are increasingly under attack.
The book features voices from across Christian denominations, including the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, AME Church, ELCA, and Metropolitan Community Churches. Each contributor brings rich theological insight and lived experience to the text, helping readers encounter Scripture in new and transformative ways.
Bishop Johnson’s contribution to this volume continues his faithful commitment to inclusion, equity, and the full dignity of every human being. His leadership in the Episcopal Church and beyond continues to inspire and challenge us to live more fully into the Gospel call to love.
We celebrate Bishop Deon’s role in this important work and encourage everyone to purchase a copy of A Queer Lectionary. Let us support and amplify voices that speak boldly for justice, compassion, and the sacred worth of all people.
To purchase the book, click on the link below.
Reviews
“In an era when pulpits pander to power and scrub sermons clean of danger and grit, A Queer Lectionary dares real life—where our bodies bleed, laugh, grieve, resist, and rise. The authors refuse to water down what’s holy or middle-of-the-road what makes us tremble… We need these voices. We need this witness. Pick it up. But be warned: your days of polite nods and ‘nice sermon, Pastor’ at the church door are numbered.”
The Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
“The authors provide a constructive criticism of where we have been in terms of the place and presence of those who were brought up to live our lives on the margins of the predominant white, male cisgender, heterosexual, middle-class able-bodied culture of the 20th century. From a context of Otherness/Queerfolx-ness, Carlson et. al are critical voices who are reading and telling Gospel-stories from the so-called margins, embracing their and our ‘otherness,’ and providing fresh, bracing takes on ancient, universal stories of faith.”
Rev. Dr. Brett Mitchell, Pastor, La Mesa Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque, NM, Author of Practicing Pilgrimage
“A Queer Lectionary offers a liminal space for queer Christians to journey inward, where we encounter the warm and welcoming embrace of God. These pages are filled with stories and queer reflections—at once familiar, strange, and surprising—that remain fiercely rooted in a commitment to proclaim, again and again, the divine invitation to “come and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). So come. Sashay with us through this lectionary. And in every step, expect a visitation from the Queer God who names us—boldly and tenderly—as God’s beloved queers.
Rolf R. Nolasco, Jr., ThD, Rueben P. Job Professor of Spiritual Formation & Pastoral Theology and Director, Job Institute for Spiritual Formation, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
“This sermon collection will make you wonder, ‘How didn't I notice this before?!’ The perspectives that our queer siblings offer in this book helped me perceive new divine messages in the same old scripture readings. This Queer Lectionary is a great addition to any pastor's library, containing multiple sermons that address current U.S. situations and relevant queer issues. Its transgressive nature unsettles the status quo, making it a powerful read. Accessible and colloquial, you don't have to be an academic to appreciate its profound insights.”
Rev. Dr. Lis Valle-Ruiz, Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship and Director of Community Worship Life, McCormick Theological Seminary