About
Austen Hartke is the author of Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, a book on theology and personal narratives published by Westminster John Knox Press, now in its second edition. He is also the founder and former Executive Director of Transmission Ministry Collective, an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith formation, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christians. Austen is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies, and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing from the same institution. From 2015 to 2018 he created one hundred videos for the Transgender and Christian YouTube series, which sought to share parts of the Bible that relate to gender identity and the lives of transgender individuals. Austen has published work in several anthologies including Violence Against LGBTQ+ Persons: Research, Practice, and Advocacy (Springer, 2020) and Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (Fresh Air Books, 2020), and was chosen as a 2019 Bush Foundation Fellow. As a transgender person of faith, Austen's greatest passion is helping other trans and gender-expansive people see themselves in scripture.
Selected Print Publications
Affirming Resources for LGBTQ+ Individuals Exploring Faith and Religious Identities: An Annotated Bibliography in Violence Against LGBTQ+ Persons: Research, Practice, and Advocacy (Springer, 2020).
Children of Abraham and Sarah: A Litany to Celebrate Those Whose Names Have Changed in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (Fresh Air Books, 2020).
Runaway Bunny Love in The Deconstructionists Playbook (Bemba Press, 2021).
Reconciling Scripture for Lutherans - On Sexuality and Gender Identity (ReconcilingWorks, 2019), co-authored with Emmy Kegler.
Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018).
Nonbinary Gender and the Diverse Beauty of Creation in The Christian Century Vol. 135 No. 9 (April 25th, 2018).
Just as I Am in Sojourners Magazine (June, 2017).
