Welcome to the website of Jo Henderson-Merrygold.
I hold a PhD in Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield, where I was supervised by Casey Strine. I developed a hermeneutic of suspicion to challenge cisnormativity. I then applied that hermeneutic to the stories of Sarai/h and Esau in the ancestral narratives of Genesis.
I am also interested in religion and the Bible in Public, religion and popular culture, and LGBT Studies and queer theory. I regularly write about the intersection between LGBT+ people, queer politics, and religion and the Bible.
My professional role is as Head of Lay Ministries in the Church of England. I have an enduring interest in mentoring and supporting learning throughout the whole of life, which drives me in that role. That also inspires me to consider further the theology of lay ministry, something emerging as a new area for research and publication. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (since 2016) and continue to enjoy further opportunities for research and teaching in Higher Education.
I am available for public speaking and workshops about lay ministry, religion, the Bible or gender, sexuality and queerness. I can be contacted via twitter: @Jo_H_M or by email: jo.hendersonmerrygold@gmail.com.