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CURRENT PROJECTS
1. To detoxify the Bible.
This project is intimately connected with the rest of my work. It
highlights the aim to make the Bible accessible to a great
number of people who feel alienated from it.
For centuries the Bible has been cast in the role of bully. Women
have been taught that they are inferior 'on biblical grounds'. Lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people have been told that there is
no respectable place for them in the faith community. Again this
message is delivered 'on biblical grounds'. As a result, millions of
spiritual seekers hesitateor refuseto pick up a Bible. They view
it as a source of discrimination and abuse.
I regard this situation as a major tragedy. In my experience the
Bible has been misrepresented. As far as the Hebrew Bible
(Old Testament) has been concerned, the creation story does not
present woman as inferior to man. They were created equal. The
first human being is a gender ambiguous 'earthling', who is both
male and female. To overcome loneliness it becomes divided into
two. The so-called 'fall' illustrates the need for all human beings
to grow up into adulthood and take responsibility for our lives.
No text in the Hebrew Bible deals with the modern notion of 'homosexuality'. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah discusses
the plight of the poor and vulnerable, particularly immigrants.
Leviticus 18 provides a detailed catalogue of incestuous relations
that are prohibited. This includes sexual intimacy with close male
relatives (Lev. 18:22). Judges 1920 describes heterosexual
gang rape made possible through death threats to the victim's
husband. The agenda underlying this story is fiercely
polemical (anti-Saul).
2. To take a leap of faith.
Undertaking my PhD was a leap of faith. It demanded
financial sacrifice but, at the same time, I was enriched
academically. Even more significantly, this long journey with the
Hebrew Bible has provided one of the greatest and happiest
surprises of my life: my low-grade chronic depression has lifted.
I am often reminded of the two NT parables in Matt. 13 which
describe the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value. I firmly
believe that thousands like me can find healing and empowerment
in the pages of the ancient gem called the Bible, when it is
interpreted in life-affirming ways.
This amazing work of art contains a wealth of treasures waiting to
be explored. It is true that understanding the Bible requires patience
and perseverance. But the reward is to be found at the end of the rainbow. The Bible addresses the concerns of all people, although
often in unexpected ways.
It is my desire to share the rich biblical insights into the human
condition that motivates this research ministry.
3. To publish a full-length book in 2011 with a fresh approach
to the Bible/Homosexuality issue.
The Spanish version of this book is currently (May 2011) being
edited at the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica.
4. To share some key aspects of my biblical research.
I am in the process of producing a series of articles in
several languages for various periodicals:
(a) academic journals;
(b) other publications catering to
a wider reading audience.
5. To offer lectures, workshops and seminars.
6. To continue my linguistic enquiries into crucial texts
of the Hebrew Bible.
Several important Bible texts are under-researched from a
linguistic point of view. This is true of the creation story in
Genesis 13; the obscure offence committed by Ham against
his father Noah (Gen. 9); Sodom and Gomorrah; the so-called
prohibition in Leviticus 18:22; the "consecrated ones" in
Deuteronomy 23, and the crime of Gibeah in Judges 1920.
A similar concern applies to the popular phrase "to know in the
biblical sense", which has no philological basis. Very little
attention has been paid so far to the technical role(s) of yada',
"know", in the early Hebrew legal language. The same is true of
the ancient terminology involving betrothal, marriage,
consummation, and sex. | 
