God's Beauty Parlor: And Other Queer Spaces in and Around the Bible

“Too often the debate about the Bible and homosexuality is reduced to a dull episode of Crossfire. On the right, the Book of Romans condemns queers! On the left, the Book of Romans celebrates queers! In four essays Moore queers the debate for both sides, discussing the gay iconography of Jesus, the Song of Solomon, and the masculinity of the apostles as well as his own travels through the study of the good book. Deftly combining easy humor with academic theory, Moore turns up the disco music and hangs a mirror ball over the debate.”—Out Magazine
“For well over a decade Stephen D. Moore has served as a powerful advocate for the intercourse between biblical interpretation and contemporary critical theories. His latest book, God’s Beauty Parlor, shares many of the characteristics that Moore’s readers have come to expect from his work: a solid if often irreverent grounding in biblical scholarship; a penetrating awareness of the possible implications of utilizing those methods and theories as resources for reading the Bible; and a prose style that is engaging, frequently humorous, and clear but seldom simplistic.”—Ken Stone, Chicago Theological Seminary

God’s Beauty Parlor opens the Bible to the contested body of critical commentary on sex and sexuality known as queer theory and to masculinity studies. The author pursues the themes of homoeroticism, masculinity, beauty, and violence through such texts as the Song of Songs, the Gospels, the Letter to the Romans, and the Book of Revelation.

Stephen D. Moore is Professor of New Testament at Drew University Theological School. His most recent book is God’s Gym: Divine Male Bodies of the Bible.