{"id":6676,"date":"2024-01-30T15:12:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T22:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/blog\/archives\/"},"modified":"2024-01-30T15:17:36","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T22:17:36","slug":"queer-deconstruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/queer-deconstruction","title":{"rendered":"Queer Deconstruction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tripp Fuller and I have spent much of the last ten days recording discussions for a class called God After Deconstruction<\/em>. It’s a “pay what you can” class, and we encourage you to sign up<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tripp and I are also organizing in-person God After Deconstruction <\/em>conferences, the first of which is February 9-10 at Drew University<\/a> in New Jersey. The second in-person conference is April 12-13 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church <\/a>in Denver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re also writing a book called God After Deconstruction<\/em>. Below is an excerpt. It’s part of a chapter that addresses queer issues, the role and power of women, and purity culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queer Deconstruction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Traditional views about sexuality and gender prompt some people to deconstruct. Many leave conventional views of God and life to make sense of themselves, their friends and family, and life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being honest about their sexual attractions or gender often brings criticism from pastors, family, and people of faith. Some \u201ccome out\u201d only to be condemned. Individuals attracted to both men and women were told real <\/em>Christians could not be bisexual. Some were designated second-class members for failing to marry or have children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To many Christians, Jews, and Muslims, gender is a God-given binary: Adam or Eve. But a growing number of people consider gender a spectrum, flexible, and fluid. It\u2019s not either\/or. Some assigned a gender at birth come to think of themselves otherwise: they transitioned to another gender, embraced no gender, or identified as multiple genders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queer Stories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was already hard for my church to accept me when I started wearing dresses,\u201d said Jerily about her transition, \u201cbut when I also dated women, it was too much. To their way of thinking, being trans and lesbian could not be the plan God decided from all eternity.\u201d \u201cI hid my desires to be male as best I could,\u201d said Jack. \u201cAnd when I finally admitted it publicly, my parents were part of the crowd that bad mouthed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m attracted to women and men,\u201d Frank told us. \u201cI don\u2019t see a problem with it; my wife understands. Just because I\u2019m attracted to both doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m sleeping with everyone. I\u2019m committed to my partner but know that, in terms of attraction, I\u2019m a switch-hitter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brandon knew his space in the church was shrinking. \u201cBeing gay was enough to disqualify me,\u201d he says, \u201cto mark me a sinner.\u201d But one night, Brandon wrestled with God over his sexuality. \u201cWith trepidation\u2026I took a deep breath and began to speak, \u2018God, I\u2019m gay.\u2019 I heard the Lord say, \u2018You can be as gay as you need to be with me\u2026\u2019 For the first time,\u201d says Brandon, \u201cI heard an affirmation that who I was could be a site of acceptance instead of shame.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a professor at a Christian university, Devon advocated for LGBTQ+ students despite a queer-hostile environment. And she did so as a closeted lesbian. Devon was eventually outed and had to resign. \u201cI stayed too long,\u201d she says, \u201cby convincing myself that the acceptance and affirmation of a few individuals on campus would make up for repression and silence from the rest of the community. I was wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not only have queer people walked away from faith communities or been ostracized, but a growing number of queer allies are also joining them. \u201cBeing anything-other-than-straight is a major factor in people\u2019s deconstruction,\u201d reports Olivia Jackson, \u201cwhether or not it affects them directly. Those I interviewed and surveyed were disgusted by how they see churches treating those who are LGBTQ+.\u201d (Jackson, Uncertain, 116-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was having a hard time believing that just because someone was gay, they were condemned to hell,\u201d says Leigh. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure I could continue to believe.\u201d Kelly said, \u201cMy pastor\u2019s failure to affirm my transgender friend made me decide I couldn\u2019t go to church anymore. Jesus didn\u2019t say, \u2018The kingdom is only for those whose gender matches their genitalia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a sizable number of Christians are not queer-affirming, LGBTQ+ people and their allies are deconstructing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tripp Fuller and I have spent much of the last ten days recording discussions for a class called God After Deconstruction. It’s a “pay what you can” class, and we encourage you to sign up. Tripp and I are also organizing in-person God After Deconstruction conferences, the first of which is February 9-10 at Drew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7183,7185,7311,7312,7313,7314],"yst_prominent_words":[1349,1383,3143,3571,3868,5388,5560,5664],"class_list":["post-6676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-postmodern_philosophy_theology_and_culture","tag-queer","tag-lgbtq-2","tag-gay","tag-homosexual","tag-come-out","tag-bisexual"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6676"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=6676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}