‘Love the sinner, not the sin?’ Sexual and gender diversity in faith communities

Finn Reygan

doi:10.4102/hts.v72i1.3471

Abstract

While queer theology has foregrounded sexual and gender diversity in faith communities internationally, in South Africa, the emergence of a queer, African theology is necessary given that religion is often not a ‘safe space’ for sexual and gender minorities owing to theological violence. Advocacy for inclusion requires the development of theological capacity in queer communities so as to foster biblical, theological and interpretative resistance. There are a number of approaches available, including demythologising and reclaiming the Bible for queer communities, developing more redemptive interpretative options for queer inclusion and developing alternative discourses that challenge the heteropatriarchy of the Bible. Entry points for this work include Bible study; workshops and seminars for faith communities on sexual and gender diversity; the acceptance of a minimum pastoral threshold (or minimum levels of preparedness) for engaging with issues of sexual and gender diversity; and creating ecumenical spaces, cognizant of the local context, where such engagements can take place. This involves moving beyond a theology of compassion and essentialised notions of sexuality and gender so as to develop a queer, African, people’s theology that recognises the trauma experienced by sexual and gender minorities in faith communities.

Highlights

A number of recent events – such as ‘Homophobia and the churches in Africa: A dialogue’ organised by the The Other Foundation in Pietermartizburg, South Africa, in 2016 – point to the growing interest in and the need for interventions across Southern Africa to engage religious leaders and faith communities on issues of sexual and gender diversity
In 2015, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the United Kingdom, Sonke Gender Justice and the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies (WiCDS) in South Africa convened a pan-African gathering of religious representatives to discuss faith, gender and sexuality, and in April 2015, the toolkit emerging from this process was launched online
In terms of faith communities, ‘Aliens in the household of God: Homosexuality and Christian faith in South Africa’ by Germond and De Gruchy (1997) was one of the first texts to comprehensively engage with issues of sexual and gender diversity in faith communities in South Africa and has been fundamental in developing a queer, African theology

Summary

Introduction

A number of recent events – such as ‘Homophobia and the churches in Africa: A dialogue’ organised by the The Other Foundation in Pietermartizburg, South Africa, in 2016 – point to the growing interest in and the need for interventions across Southern Africa to engage religious leaders and faith communities on issues of sexual and gender diversity. Successful dialogue with faith communities on these issues will have at least two key prerequisites: the development of appropriate materials and processes so as to facilitate this sensitive dialogue to take place, and an engagement with the contextual theology that has emerged in recent years from sexual and gender minorities.

Results

Conclusion