Beyond the Liberal-Conservative Divide: Assessing the Relationship Between Religious Denominations and Their Associated LGBT Organizations

Abstract

Emerging research suggests that existing culture, including religious culture, serves to constrain and enable the rhetoric and claims of social actors in situations of conflict and change. Given that religious institutions continue to have significant authority in framing moral debates in the United States, we hypothesize that groups connected to each other through a religious tradition will share similar orientations towards the moral order, shaping the kinds of rhetoric they use and the kinds of claims they can make. To test this, we compare the official rhetoric of the 25 largest religious denominations on gay and lesbian issues, as well as their orientation towards the moral order more broadly, with the rhetoric of each denomination's respective movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender inclusion, affirmation, or rights. We use Kniss' heuristic map of the moral order to analyze and theorize about the patterns that emerge from these comparisons. Ultimately, we find that the existing rhetoric of the parent denomination on gay and lesbian issues, along with the broader moral stances they take, do appear to shape the rhetoric and ideologies of associated pro-LGBT organizations. This provides support for the notion that existing culture, belief, and rhetoric shape the trajectories of conflict and change.A growing body of literature examines how existing belief, culture, and rhetoric can serve both to enable and constrain religious groups and individuals as they construct discourses and identities, particularly during periods of change and conflict (

Reconciling Religion and LGBT Rights

“…Building on recent insights into religion and the "culture wars," especially insights into religions' theological orientations (e.g., Fuist et al 2012;Kniss 2003), I provide strong evidence to support the theory that the individualist orientations of certain religious traditions impede the adoption of LGBT groups and nondiscrimination policies, while the communal orientations of other religious traditions facilitate the approval of these groups and policies. For example, I show that schools associated with individualist traditions are less supportive of LGBT groups and nondiscrimination policies than schools affiliated with communal traditions.…”

“…To theorize why some Christian colleges and universities support LGBT rights while other Christian schools resist them, I turn to recent insights into individualist and communal theological orientations (e.g., Fuist et al 2012;Kniss 2003). Some religious traditions have historically exhibited individualist orientations, focusing most of their teachings on personal piety and morality.…”

Reconciling Religion and LGBT Rights: Christian Universities, Theological Orientations, and LGBT Inclusion

“…Keywords: religion, sexualities, social movements, education, culture wars, LGBT rights INTRODUCTION Given rapid advances by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) movement in the United States, Christians are increasingly grappling with questions about the morality of same-sex relationships and the inclusion of LGBT individuals as members and clergy (Fuist, Stoll, and Kniss 2012). While most Christian denominations continue to condemn same-sex relationships, and while public opinion polling shows that most Christians continue to disapprove of same-sex marriage (Public Religion Research Institute 2014), several mainline Protestant denominations have recently decided to accept LGBT members and allow clergy to officiate same-sex weddings (Human Rights Campaign 2015).…”

“…To theorize why some Christian colleges and universities support LGBT rights while other Christian schools resist them, I turn to recent insights on individualist and communal theological orientations (e.g., Kniss 2003;Fuist et al 2012). Some religious traditions have historically exhibited individualist orientations, focusing most of their teachings on personal piety and morality.…”

The marriage division: a case study on clerical dissension in the United Methodist Church

“…Dissenters (i.e. the Reconciling Ministries Network) are choosing to forgo the institutionalized mechanisms for change that are championed by the UMC's leadership and are choosing instead to use their positions to assert power and change in the organization (Fuist, Stoll, & Kniss 2011). Yet this work is not new.…”