University of Auckland

Graduate Student, School of Theology

Thesis Title: Jesus the Bum: Homelessness in Matthew's Gospel

About

My PhD thesis, in the discipline of biblical studies, uses ideological criticism to explore the issues of homelessness and displacement as they relate to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Although at the level of popular discourse and also in much of the scholarly literature there appears a connection between Jesus and homelessness, the topic has eluded any sustained interest from scholars. Many depictions of this apparent connection tend to "romanticize" Jesus’ itinerancy in a way that divorces it from the marginalizing reality of homelessness and the reduced capacity for agency that homeless persons usually possess. As a result, my research involves a re-reading of the Jesus of Matthew’s gospel that is more sensitive to the social and political conditions that cause and construct homelessness as an important but largely misunderstood public issue within both biblical scholarship and contemporary political discourse.

My other areas of interest include the use of critical theory in the interpretation of the Bible (particularly queer and gender theory), the intersection of religion/the Bible and popular culture, and men's studies in religion. These areas of ongoing research are represented by my publication and teaching record, and reflect a broader interest in the ways that the Bible is interpreted and used in its life as a theological and cultural product.

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