Impossible Subjects: LGBTIQ Experiences in Australian Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2018, Vol 9, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper is the product of in-depth interviews with 20 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ) people who identify, or formerly identified, as members of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christian (PCC) churches. Interviewees typically found themselves confronted with a number of choices (not necessarily mutually exclusive): remain closeted, come out but commit to remaining celibate, undergo “SOCE” (Sexual Orientation Conversion Efforts) therapy, or leave. Most left their churches, often after agonising attempts to reconcile their faith and their sexuality. Several of the practices adopted by Australian PCC churches exclude LGBTIQ people from full participation in their own congregations, rendering them “impossible subjects.” Australian Pentecostalism’s surprisingly egalitarian history, wherein the spiritually authorised ministry of women was both recognised and celebrated, suggests another, more inclusive way forward in regard to this vexed issue.
Authors and Affiliations
Mark A. C. Jennings
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25921
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9020053
- Views 346
- Downloads 8
Recognizing Recognition: Utpaladeva’s Defense of ´ Sakti in His “Proof of Relation” (Sambandhasiddhi)
Though one of many possible interpretive orientations, Utpaladeva’s short work, “The Proof of Relation”, may be profitably read in terms of the intention to reveal Siva via an exposition of His ´ ´saktis. This intentio...
Introduction to “Cognitive Science and the Study of Yoga and Tantra”
The range of disciplines known as the Cognitive Science of Religions (CSR), which has emerged in recent decades, embraces many areas and specializations within the Academy, including cognitive science, linguistics, neu...
The Association between Compassionate Love and Spiritual Coping with Trauma in Men and Women Living with HIV
Our ten-year study examined the association between compassionate love (CL)—other-centered love, as well as compassionate self-love, and spiritual coping (SC)— the use of spirituality (connection to a Higher Presence o...
Possible Selves, Body Schemas, and Sādhana: Using Cognitive Science and Neuroscience in the Study of Medieval Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyā Hindu Tantric Texts
In recent decades, historians of religions have turned to, and developed, entirely new methodologies for the study of religion and human consciousness. Foremost among these are a collection of approaches often termed t...
Utilization of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Nursing Practice in Public Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
This study explored the views of professional nurses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa regarding the role of spirituality and spiritual care in nursing practice and investigated whether professional nurses utilize spiritu...