Queer Christianity - authentic selves : the negotiation of religious, sexual and gendered identities among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender attendees of four church congregations in Australia

348 Pages·2015·1.567 MB·English

by  Fielder, BJ

Queer Christianity – Authentic Selves:
The negotiation of religious, sexual and gendered identities
among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender attendees of
four church congregations in Australia.
Submitted by
Bronwyn Fielder BA (Hons)

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology)
University of Tasmania, October 2015
Statement of Originality
This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the
University or any other institution, except by way of background information and duly
acknowledged in the thesis, and to the best of my knowledge and belief no material
previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgment is made
in the text of the thesis, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright.
All research procedures reported in the thesis were approved by the University of Tasmania’s
Social Sciences Human research Ethics Committee.
__________________________________
Bronwyn Moore
30th October, 2015.
i
Statement for Authority to Access
This thesis may be available for loan and limited copying and communication in accordance
with the Copyright Act 1968.
__________________________________
Bronwyn Moore
30th October, 2015.
ii
Statement of Ethical Conduct
The research associated with this thesis abides by the international and Australian codes on
human and animal experimentation, the guidelines by the Australian Government’s Office of
the Gene Technology Regulator and the rulings of the Safety, Ethics and Institutional
Biosafety Committees of the University.
__________________________________
Bronwyn Moore
30th October, 2015.
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Acknowledgments
I first give thanks to the participants and members of the congregations of the Metropolitan
Community Churches who welcomed me generously and with open arms. Thank you for
giving of yourselves and sharing a part of your lives. The following dedication is for you all.
Whatever knowledge I may have gained in the interactions and time spent
with the participants of this study and imparted in the following chapters is in
some way fleeting, a minute facet of the whole moving history – the ebb and
flow of lives and loves. It is as fleeting as a perfect spider web in the
morning dew, or the song of a bird. I remind myself, however, that knowing
just a little awakened in me, and hopefully in the reader, a wonder, an awe at
the vague momentary imprint of the lives of others, and despite realising how
imperfect and transitory the imprint is, I rejoice in both the sharing and the
mystery, the knowing and not knowing, and take with me the honour and
privilege that I have been able to take part in that moment.
Second, a big thanks of course to my first major supervisor Dr Kristin Natalier for taking this
monster project on, and whose patience and belief in it were un-failing. Thanks especially
for painstakingly imparting your knowledge of how to build an argument! Thanks to Dr
Doug Ezzy for taking on the supervisory load nearer the end. Without your encouragement,
wisdom and knowledge I was faltering. And to Dr Nick Hookway, a late comer to the team,
whose expertise in the field was invaluable and whose energy and enthusiasm was infectious.
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It was also a wonderful boost to energy levels to share with my office colleagues, and those
who, through chance meetings in corridors, got me through the crossroads. Special thanks to
Melissa Belle and Fiona Proudfoot – we had a lot of fun and kept each other on track. Also
thanks to Jenny Hay for those long conversations, advice and a bit of a laugh. I also want to
acknowledge Kellie Brandenburg, my third year tutor and colleague, for planting a seed of
confidence that grew into this project.
That honour also goes to my brother, Terry for insisting I study sociology and who kept
asking me questions and pushing me to tell him all about it. And to the rest of the bunch –
my mum and sisters - who always were there when needed. Special mention goes to my two
wonderful children, Hannah and Tim, who have been on this journey with me. It seemed we
were all in this together, all studying and persevering, all keeping each other’s backs as life
was happening around us. Thank you!
Finally, my greatest thanks go to my partner, Lynn. Throughout the long years you have kept
faith in me, discussed problems with me, encouraged me, endured my rants and always seen
the best in me! Your love was paramount. This and these three simple sentences which are
written on the blackboard wall in our kitchen have kept me sane!

Wabi Sabi: Nothing lasts
Nothing is finished
Nothing is perfect

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Preface
The writing of this thesis has been a personal journey. Being both a ‘queer’ woman and
having been involved in a religious group for many years, I was fascinated by the ability of
both myself and others to exist within a fundamental religious framework and express an
alternate sexuality, yet remain unidentified with this sexuality. Similarly it was quite possible
for me (and others) to grasp fragments of the beliefs of this group, live by these fervently, yet
concurrently ignore other personally unacceptable elements. I do not believe I was alone in
this ability, as I knew many who passionately upheld group activities and witnessed to others,
yet lived a double life where taboos were broken and ‘the joys of the flesh’ partaken.
Whereas sexuality was, above all other private activities, stringently controlled, it was also
elevated within the theology and rhetoric as being an essential element of becoming ‘one with
God’. The heterosexual union was an inseparable component in the experiential embodiment
of God’s love. Yet, the experience of love which I understood as the highest form of the
embodiment of God, could not be bounded or broken down into acceptable or unacceptable,
right or wrong, for it simply was. So, years later, ensconced in a stable same-sex relationship
but safely divorced from the church, I found myself questioning how others have established
and maintained this apparently contradictory marriage of their same-sex attraction and
Christianity.
A few years into my dissertation there were times I despaired. I realised that I, a relatively
unlearned scholar, had taken upon myself two enormously complex worlds of interpretation
and meaning, both hopelessly intertwined, and I question whether I can do justice to the small
minority of LGBT Christians with whom I interacted. While the resulting thesis will be
judged on its merits, I can safely say my journey has been unforgettable and rewarding
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beyond measure. I can also attest that I am a different, hopefully wiser person than the one
who began this project, what seems aeons ago.

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TAabsbtralcet ... ..o.....f.. ..C.....o.....n.....t...e....n.....t...s...................................................................................... 1
Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................................. 2
Chapter 1: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 4
Irreconcilable Differences? .................................................................................................... 7
Aims and Objectives of the Study ......................................................................................... 9
Approach and Method .......................................................................................................... 11
Justification and Significance of the Study .......................................................................... 11
Background .......................................................................................................................... 14
Same-sex attraction and Christianity ............................................................................... 14
Same-sex attraction and society ....................................................................................... 16
Christianity today ............................................................................................................. 18
Thesis Argument and Structure ........................................................................................... 19
Chapter 2: Literature: Gaps, Debates and Tensions .......................................................... 25
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 25
Areas of Relevant Research ................................................................................................. 26
Methodology and Sites of Research .................................................................................... 27
Early Studies ........................................................................................................................ 28
The Role of Theology .......................................................................................................... 29
The Role of the Individual and the Role of the Community ................................................ 32
Role of Religious Practice ................................................................................................... 35
Practice - communion ...................................................................................................... 37
Practice – music ............................................................................................................... 38
Practice – coming out as a sacrament .............................................................................. 39
Authenticity .......................................................................................................................... 40
Unresolved Tensions – LGBT Identities and Christianity ................................................... 40
Patriarchy and heterosexism in Christianity .................................................................... 41
Constructions of gender in the MCC ............................................................................... 42
Lesbians in Christianity ................................................................................................... 44
Bisexual and transgendered Christians ............................................................................ 47
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 49
Chapter 3: Authentic, Religious and Queer Lives .............................................................. 52
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 52
The Ethic of Authenticity and Queer Theory ...................................................................... 53
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Culture of authenticity ..................................................................................................... 54
Ethic of authenticity ......................................................................................................... 55
Identity as dialogic ........................................................................................................... 55
Horizons of significance .................................................................................................. 56
What constitutes an authentic life? .................................................................................. 57
Queer Theory ....................................................................................................................... 58
Tenets of queer theory ..................................................................................................... 59
Heteronormativity ............................................................................................................ 60
Performativity .................................................................................................................. 61
Queer and religion ........................................................................................................... 63
Authenticity and queer ..................................................................................................... 64
Inherent paradox of queer ................................................................................................ 65
Religion – Relational, Experiential and Emotional ............................................................. 66
Habitus and doxa ............................................................................................................. 66
Dualism, religion and gender ........................................................................................... 69
Emotion as central to cognitive thought .......................................................................... 70
Emotion as relational ....................................................................................................... 71
Emotion as powerful ........................................................................................................ 72
Transformation of Religious Habitus ................................................................................... 74
Emotion as transformational ............................................................................................ 74
Ritual and liminality as transformational ......................................................................... 75
Ritual as reproducing normative order ............................................................................ 77
Ritual as ethical ................................................................................................................ 77
Transformation of space .................................................................................................. 78
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 79
Chapter 4.1: In Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’: Methodology and Methods .............................. 81
Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 81
Ontological Perspective: Epistemological Foundations ...................................................... 82
Theoretical Paradigms and Ideological Influences .............................................................. 84
Research Strategy and Methodological Framework ............................................................ 86
Research Design and Procedure ........................................................................................... 87
Overall sampling logic: Choice of congregation ............................................................. 88
Participant observation .................................................................................................... 91
Semi-structured interviews .............................................................................................. 94
Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 98
Participant observation .................................................................................................. 100
Semi-structured interviews ............................................................................................ 101
Implications of the Research Design ................................................................................. 104
Ethical Requirements and Considerations ......................................................................... 107
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