Recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

Davids, Hanzline R.

doi:10.17570/stj.2020.v6n4.a12

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…29 This is because it employs embodied narratives that are located within the lived realities of marginalised communities. The role of narrative and queer autobiographic storytelling has been shown to be a basis for developing queer theologies 30 and strong methodological contributions to African theology have been made by employing storytelling as a theological method, such as in the work of Mercy Oduyoye and other African women theologians. 31 I therefore conclude with a narrative of a queer practice that has allowed for more inclusive policy decisions to be birthed in the DRC.…”

Section: Windows: Reforming Queer Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming narratives on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church

Van der Riet

2023

STJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article offers a critique on the dominant narrative on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). A mirror is held up to the binary nature of this dominant discourse, centred on ethics, hermeneutics, and ecclesiology. The limitations of how the DRC has engaged with human sexuality, and homosexuality in particular, are framed within the church’s own construction of being “vasgeloop” (stuck) amidst plurality and diversity. These limitations are discussed as issues of church unity, justice, and embodiment. Finally, a subaltern “window” is offered out of this apparent impasse, that looks upon the liberating alternatives presented by embodied queer narratives. In an attempt at seeing queerness within the Reformed tradition, queer phenomenology is presented as an epistemic shift away from the normative, binary discourse that has dominated the discourse on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church.

show abstract

Section: Windows: Reforming Queer Narrativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reforming narratives on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church

Van der Riet

2023

STJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Reimagining Christianity and Sexual Diversity in Africa

Thyssen

2022

AJGR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The recent publication by Adriaan van Klinken and Ezra Chitando, titled Reimagining Christianity and Sexual Diversity in Africa (2021), continues to garner much attention from the theological community. This publication is important on numerous fronts. At least two are noteworthy and inform the present appraisal. First, van Klinken and Chitando’s work speaks to the religious, particularly Christian, realities that beset contemporary Africa. Second, their work takes seriously the ways in which the lives of Africans are being rendered precarious because of the limited socio-political progress with regard to LGBT+ rights. This review article is offered taking seriously the ways in which LGBT+ lives are rendered precarious by the oppressive logic of forms of Christianity. This article has three movements. First, it offers an appraisal of the publication by van Klinken and Chitando. Second, the article critically considers the moment in which the publication was produced. Here an investigation into a particular Christian conservatism, which has led to fundamentalism, is provided. This reality, it is argued, renders this publication quite important. Third, it offers contemplation on the method that three queer theologians in South Africa are employing in their scholarship. Making this third move, the article responds to what is considered a limitation in the publication. This review article attempts to contribute and continue the work of re-imagining that van Klinken and Chitando invite readers to. Through their publication van Klinken and Chitando offer an invitation. This invitation is most clear: we are requested to re-imagine Africans who are LGBT+ as humans—fully human, and thus creatures of God. It is this invitation to which this review article responds.

show abstract

The God of the Ostracised: The use of Lived Religion Theory in advancing Queer Spirituality

Ntombana,

Sibanda

2024

pharosjot

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The South African Constitution and the law have ensured noticeable progress in acknowledging the LGBTQI community’s rights. Consequently, there is now a legal framework that protects LGBTQI people, and any discriminatory behaviour and utterances can be prosecuted by law. The struggle now lies within the religious sector, where limited progress has been made. This paper focuses on the progress made within the Christian religion in terms of creating policies and regulations to protect LGBTQI community members’ safety. We focus on same-sex relationships by arguing that even today, such relationships are not openly accepted by the Church. Using lived religion theory, we revisit Ntombana et al.’s (2020) findings and argue that queer people are closer to God and more spiritual than the homophobic Christians who attend daily Christian fellowship meetings. As queer people are in the minority and oppressed by the church system, we use Tutu and Boesak’s theology to argue that they are closer to God than homophobic Christians. We highlight that during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Christian community suffered, while the queer community flourished because their spirituality is not based on the Church’s orthodox tradition but on their relationship with God.

show abstract

Recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

Reforming narratives on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church

Reforming narratives on human sexuality in the Dutch Reformed Church

Reimagining Christianity and Sexual Diversity in Africa

The God of the Ostracised: The use of Lived Religion Theory in advancing Queer Spirituality

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About