About Me

I am a native of Tonga, ordained by the Methodist Church of Tonga, but now living in Australia, learning various cultural modes of thinking, reading and behaving, as those relate to, and are driven and coerced by, biblical and popular texts. I now and then congregate with islanders at Parklea Prison, listening to their stories and giving myself to their experiences. At other time, i enjoy a good laugh with the Fofo‘anga mob over a bowl of kava and a deck of cards.

Teaching Areas

Hebrew Bible - Old Testament

Subjects Taught Recently

THL105: Introduction to Old Testament Studies

This subject is an introductory survey of the content of the Hebrew Bible~Old Testament (HB~OT) and the tools of biblical studies. The primary focus is on developing familiarity with HB~OT literature. This subject also addresses issues of authorship, transmission, literary genre, canonical development, literary exegesis and ideological interpretation.


THL308: The Prophetic Literature

This subject provides a broad introduction to the background and major themes of the prophetic literature, focusing on the power structures and political nature of prophetic texts and of the reading process. Prophetic texts are political in the sense that they influence (inform, alter, aid, hide), so to read them is to be involved in a political act. We must therefore read responsibly. Whether we read as preachers, teachers, scholars or as lay persons, we must be aware of what texts and interpretations say as well as what they do. This subject circles around the following questions: In whose interests were prophetic texts written and (not) read? How do these texts hurt? how do they heal?

BPG452: Reading biblical texts about women

This subject evaluates ways in which women are presented and portrayed in biblical texts and, at the methodological front, furthers students’ understanding of working with biblical texts from critical ideological perspectives. It requires the further skill of critique of the context in which texts were written and recognition of how they have been used for various purposes throughout history.


BPG 439: Sex and the bible

This subject explores human relationships in the bible, focusing on matters of sex and gender, and aims to enable students to demonstrate and articulate an understanding of the connection of biblical ideas about ‘love’ and ‘sex’ to issues of gender relations and responsibilities. It critically analyzes the interaction of gender relations with other cultural factors in the bible, specifically, why the bible presents sexuality in the way it does; it engages the critical perspectives offered by feminist and queer biblical scholarship and develops the arts of creative and critical analysis.

Current Research Activites

• Bible and cultural studies
• Island hermeneutics
• Elusions of home

Current Supervision

• Joeli Qionivoka, ‘Ulu-ni-vanua hermeneutics (PhD, Charles Sturt University)

Publications

• “Reading the bible across cultures: The bible in multiple cultures.” Pp. 266-77 in Helen Richmond and Myong Duk Yang (eds.), Crossing Borders: Shaping Faith, Ministry and Identity in Multicultural Australia. Sydney: UCA Assembly & NSW Board of Mission
• “Whoring Dinah: Poly-nesian-reading Genesis 34.” Pp. 172-84 in Wesley J. Bergen and Armin Siedlecki (eds.), Voyages in Uncharted Waters: Essays on the Theory and Practice of Biblical Interpretation in Honor of David Jobling. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix
• “Violence and biblical interpretation.” In John Squires (ed), Validating Violence/Violating Faith. PaCT and ATF (forthcoming)
• “‘Unu‘unu ki he loloto, shuffle over into the deep, into island-spaced reading.” In R.S. Sugirtharajah (ed), Still at the margins (forthcoming)
• “The vanua is fo‘ohake [lying on its back].” In Jennifer Webb and Kavita Nandan (eds.), South Pacific Anthology (forthcoming)
• “Kenites,” “Ishbaal” and “Shamgar.” In Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (ed), New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon (forthcoming)
• “Biblical Interpretation in Oceania.” In Daniel Patte (ed), Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity. Cambridge (forthcoming)
• “The rejected in Exodus-Deuteronomy.” In Rachel Magdalene (ed), All the Women Went Out After Her: A Retrospective of Feminist Hermeneutics of the Hebrew Bible. Sheffield: Phoenix (forthcoming)
• Out of Place. Co-edit with Clive Pearson. England: Equinox Publications (forthcoming)

Presentations

• “Being aboriginal among the stresses of Australia.” National UAICC, Brisbane, Queensland (Jul 5-7, 2007)
• “The bible on postmodern surfaces.” Faith and Order Commission, National Council of Churches USA, Oberlin, Ohio, USA (Jul 21, 2007)
•  “Lazarus, darling, come out!” Joint session of the Gender Group and the Bible and Cultural Studies Section, SBL, San Diego, CA (Nov 17, 2007)
• “Gender in the Books of Chronicles.” Ezra-Nehemiah-Chronicles section, SBL, San Diego, CA (Nov 17, 2007)
• “Illusions of home: Diaspora, language and storytelling.” Epiphany Explorations, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Jan 17, 2008)
• “The Bible in Island space.” Epiphany Explorations, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Jan 18, 2008)

Conferences

• Society of Biblical Literature
• Bible and Critical Theory
• Society of Asian Biblical Studies

Favourite Websites

• Paenga Fe’ao e ‘Amanaki: http://www.users.bigpond.com/jhavea/
• Tasilisili he ngaluope: http://groups.google.com/group/tasilisili
• iTanakh: http://www.itanakh.org/
• Text this Week: http://www.textweek.com/
• Biblical Art: http://www.biblical-art.com/