Trans/forming Theology:
Fall 2012, Blog Post
Jane Johnson
Why Study Queer Theology?
Difference is a part of all of our lives. The forces of immigration, economics, race, ethnicity and gender impact all of us. It is important to understand these forces with regard to our pluralistic, interfaith society. Religious diversity and its impact on our social, emotional, and cultural life must be understood in terms of a global framework.
Rev. Jay Johnson of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California states:
"Queer theory represents a fairly wide array of cultural strategies and academic modes of analysis, the reach of which extends well beyond gay and lesbian studies" (Syllabus for course titled Transforming Theology, 2012).
"Queer theory represents a fairly wide array of cultural strategies and academic modes of analysis, the reach of which extends well beyond gay and lesbian studies" (Syllabus for course titled Transforming Theology, 2012).
Queer theorists are suspicious of fixed binary gender identities; the goal is to expose and analyze cultural and political assumptions embedded within these identities, with an eye toward adaptation of fluid personal and communal identification. Race, ethnicity, class, gender, and socioeconomic status intersect with political policies and ideologies, making it imperative that their impact be understood (Syllabus for course titled Transforming Theology, 2012).
Identity:
Queer Theologians:
Elizabeth Stuart, Author of Gay and Lesbian Theologies: Repetitions with Critical Difference
"Queer theology is still young and yet, from the little that has been written, it is clear that queer theology is radically different from gay and lesbian theology. This is because queer theorists, unlike liberationists, do not fight for the liberation of oppressed sexuality, their rallying cry is not to "come out", rather their goal is to liberate everyone from contemporary constructions of sexuality and gender (Stuart, 2003, p. 89).
Kwok Pui-Lan, Author of Post-Colonial Imagination and Feminist Theology:
Nikki Sullivan, Author of A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory:
"While Queer Theory may now be recognized by many as an academic discipline, it nevertheless continues to struggle against the straitjacketing effects of institutionalization, to resist closure and remain in the process of ambiguous (un)becoming. Queer Theory does not want to 'straighten up and fly right' to have the kinks ironed out of it: it is a discipline that refuses to be disciplined, a discipline with a difference, with a twist if you like."
Susan Brooks Thistlewaite and Mary Potter Engle, Authors of Lift Every Voice: Constructing Christian Theologies from the Underside:
"At the time of the first edition of this volume there was a great debate over whether Black Theology, the initial title given this movement, was as accurate and empowering as Afro-American Theology or African American Theology. Since that edition, Queer Theology has surfaced as an alternative title to Gay and Lesbian Theology and has caused a similar debate grounded in complex questions concerning the relationship of liberation movements to the dominant culture that would define and limit it (Engel, Thistlewaite, 1990, p. 12).
Stumbling Blocks to Interfaith Engagement:
Identity:
Queer Theologians:
Elizabeth Stuart, Author of Gay and Lesbian Theologies: Repetitions with Critical Difference
"Queer theology is still young and yet, from the little that has been written, it is clear that queer theology is radically different from gay and lesbian theology. This is because queer theorists, unlike liberationists, do not fight for the liberation of oppressed sexuality, their rallying cry is not to "come out", rather their goal is to liberate everyone from contemporary constructions of sexuality and gender (Stuart, 2003, p. 89).
Kwok Pui-Lan, Author of Post-Colonial Imagination and Feminist Theology:
"Some of the intellectual projects that make the crucial
connection between religion and colonialism have left out the gender dimension;
others that investigate the relationship between gender and colonialism have
not taken note of the role of religion in sustaining colonial ideologies. In Postcolonialism, Feminism, and Religious
Discourse, Laura Donaldson and I argued that gender, religion and
colonialism interplay in intricate and myriad ways, and scholars have to
examine these triadic elements together."
Nikki Sullivan, Author of A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory:
"While Queer Theory may now be recognized by many as an academic discipline, it nevertheless continues to struggle against the straitjacketing effects of institutionalization, to resist closure and remain in the process of ambiguous (un)becoming. Queer Theory does not want to 'straighten up and fly right' to have the kinks ironed out of it: it is a discipline that refuses to be disciplined, a discipline with a difference, with a twist if you like."
Susan Brooks Thistlewaite and Mary Potter Engle, Authors of Lift Every Voice: Constructing Christian Theologies from the Underside:
"At the time of the first edition of this volume there was a great debate over whether Black Theology, the initial title given this movement, was as accurate and empowering as Afro-American Theology or African American Theology. Since that edition, Queer Theology has surfaced as an alternative title to Gay and Lesbian Theology and has caused a similar debate grounded in complex questions concerning the relationship of liberation movements to the dominant culture that would define and limit it (Engel, Thistlewaite, 1990, p. 12).
Stumbling Blocks to Interfaith Engagement:
Our personal backgrounds and sense of place can keep us from seeing important facets of the myriad social and cultural relationships we traverse throughout our lives. This "blindness" to difference can hinder our ability to take in new information, to solve conflict, and to develop emotional intelligence, resulting in undue stress and trauma. In order to become receptive to helpful information from cultural backgrounds that are different from our own, it is important to adopt a more mindful practice of intercultural sensitivity. Milton J. Bennett's article titled The Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity is a wonderful inventory for gauging one's own place on the scale of intercultural awareness.
One of the most important places for intercultural sensitivity is the Church. Dan Sheffield, Director of the Global and Intercultural Ministries for the Free Methodist Church states: "Some congregations may have become gradually aware that their demographic makeup is changing. In practical terms, they are no longer a community of essentially one cultural background" (Scheffield, 2012). Here is a link to his article on Cultural Awareness and the Multicultural Church. Sheffield believes that it is important to understand that there is a network of cultural meanings in play within a congregation, and that there is a difference between "multi-ethnic" and "multi-cultural" congregations: "The multi-ethnic, multicultural church acknowledges
differing cultural frameworks and intentionally draws those
cultural perspectives into the life and leadership processes of the
congregation" (Scheffield, 2012).
A Possible Model for Change: Where World Views Meet
An "inside-out" or elicitive model may be helpful for creating interfaith engagement through team-building/community projects. A complete description of Lederach's elicitive model can be found in Lederach's Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures. Borrowing from Lederach's model for conflict resolution training, it is possible to see how a culture's particular stories, metaphors and language can be used to create a more open dialogue within a multicultural and multi-ethnic church. According to Lederach:
"The elicitive approach starts from the vantage point that training is an opportunity aimed primarily at discover, creation and solidification of models that emerge from the resources present in a particular setting and respond to needs in that context. Its motto, borrowed from the theme of appropriate technology, suggests this concern: Discovering ways to catch fish in our own ponds. The emphasis is not only on empowerment as participating in creating models, but also in seeking resource and root in the cultural context itself" (Lederach, 1995, p. 55).
To Lederach, indigenous populations hold their own answer to conflict. A conflict model can be created out of their own stories and metaphors that helps to solidify relationships and to create a potentially stable way to mediate conflicts for the future--one that they will commit to and maintain. Cultural influences, therefore are not to be "tacked-on," but are important to the functioning of the overall process.
With regard to interfaith processes, much can be done with this kind of model to increase productivity and meaningful dialogue within the church. Task groups can benefit from this model when differences are present; instructional manuals can be created for new groups wishing to avoid stumbling blocks due to difference. The projects created by such groups have the potential to reach many more people than just one group or other through the use of cultural stories, metaphors and artwork.
"The elicitive approach starts from the vantage point that training is an opportunity aimed primarily at discover, creation and solidification of models that emerge from the resources present in a particular setting and respond to needs in that context. Its motto, borrowed from the theme of appropriate technology, suggests this concern: Discovering ways to catch fish in our own ponds. The emphasis is not only on empowerment as participating in creating models, but also in seeking resource and root in the cultural context itself" (Lederach, 1995, p. 55).
To Lederach, indigenous populations hold their own answer to conflict. A conflict model can be created out of their own stories and metaphors that helps to solidify relationships and to create a potentially stable way to mediate conflicts for the future--one that they will commit to and maintain. Cultural influences, therefore are not to be "tacked-on," but are important to the functioning of the overall process.
With regard to interfaith processes, much can be done with this kind of model to increase productivity and meaningful dialogue within the church. Task groups can benefit from this model when differences are present; instructional manuals can be created for new groups wishing to avoid stumbling blocks due to difference. The projects created by such groups have the potential to reach many more people than just one group or other through the use of cultural stories, metaphors and artwork.
Difficult Topics:
When there is conflict over difficult issues such as the
church budget, which pastor to hire, or hot topics like abortion and contraception,
it is good to plan out ways engaging the congregation in the process of
resolving the issue at hand. This can be done via mediation and/or
facilitation by third parties, or by engaging process of resolving the
issues in groups. During an interview in 2006 for an article titled "A Little Less Confrontation, a Little More Action," Adrienne Kaufman,
Benedictine Sister and Co-Director of the Network of Life and Choice stated
that “To reduce or end abortion, pro-life people need to get into dialogue with
pro-choice people about things in this society they both care about, and work
together to change them,” she says. “They have a lot more in common than they
believe or imagine, but it’s submerged below this pool of enemy rhetoric.
Instead they need to drop the rhetoric, look at ways to pool their energies,
and make progress that way.” The groups worked together on such issues as
teen-pregnancy, making adoption accessible, preventing violence at abortion
clinics, and increasing options for women (Gragnani, 2006).
References:
Glaser, T. (2013). Building Peace, Introduction and
Framework. Online Training Program on Intractable Conflict (OTPIC).
Retrieved January 24, 2013, from www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/lede3393.htm
Gragnani, V. (2006). A little less confrontation, a little more action. U.S. Catholic:
September, 2006.
Lederach, J. P. (1995). Preparing for peace: conflict transformation across cultures. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, Print.
Scheffield, D. (2012). Cultural awareness and the multicultural church. Retrieved
from http://www.missio-dei.ca/2012/01/cultural-awareness-and-the-multicultural-church/
Stuart, E. (2003). Gay and lesbian theologies: repetitions with critical difference. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, Print.
Sullivan, N. (2003). A critical introduction to queer theory. New York: New York University Press, Print.
Thistlethwaite, Susan Brooks, and Mary Potter Engel (1990). Lift every voice: constructing Christian theologies from the underside. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Print.
