A possible future for the progressive wing of Christianity is the subject of an extensive report by Real Clear Investigations, part of the Real Clear Politics website that is noted for linking to opinions ranging from left to right, and well-regarded opinion poll averaging.
“Queering Jesus: How It’s Going Mainstream at Progressive Churches and Top Divinity Schools” pulls together current developments from “mainline” progressive churches in the US, from Presbyterian,, Methodist revealing the world of Queer theology. It serves to show the direction of travel – and as far as this reader can tell, is not presented in a “culture war shock” fashion.
It behind with examples that are well known within those denominations, a prayer to “God of Pronouns,” “Presbyterian church; the first drag queen ministerial candidate in the United Methodist Church, “Ms Penny Cost”; and a Pride event at Duke University with a prayer addressing God “You are drag queen and transman and genderfluid, incapable of limiting your vast expression of beauty.”
As Real Clear Investigations’ John Murawski, reports “These examples from this year and last are just a few illustrating how progressive churches are moving beyond gay rights, even beyond transgender acceptance, and venturing into the realm of ‘queer theology.'”
Traditional theology of marriage and sexual expression is to be destabilised and deconstructed. In this new wave what was one regarded as sinful is to be celebrated “Thus in the presence of the sexually marginalized – such as in a gay bathhouse or bondage dungeon – where we find the presence of Jesus. In the language of queer theology, queerness is a sign of God’s love because ‘queer flesh is sacramental flesh,’ and authentic ‘Christian theology is a fundamentally queer enterprise,’ whereas traditional Christianity has been corrupted into ‘“’a systematic calumny against hedonist love,’ Murawski reports.”
Courses at places like Harvard Divinity School have been teaching queer theology for up to three decades, with pioneers of this thinking well established in their academic careers.
the real clear Investigations team give space to critics of the new movement. “Robert Gagnon, a professor of New Testament theology at Houston Baptist Seminary, described the movement as a form of Gnosticism, referring to a heresy that has surfaced in various periods of church history. Followers of Gnostic cults claimed they possessed esoteric or mystical knowledge that is not accessible to the uninitiated and the impure, Gagnon said, a belief that often leads to obsessive or outlandish sexual practices, like radical abstinence and purity, or libertinism and licentiousness…”
“‘They’re only for subversion until they’re in power,’ Gagnon said. ‘And then they’re adamantly opposed to subversion.’”
While Duke University remains a powerful institution, both progressive and evangelical theoliical collides are under threat in the US. But overall momentum is with conservative institutions. Episcopal Divinity School, a very progressive institution, for example, has announced it is ceasing to provide degree courses for ministers, while the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a very conservative one, has a student body of over 4,000.
In a recent article on the conservative Mere Orthodoxy site, Jack Meador, their editor-in-chief suggests a counter-revolution is occurring.
“We might even go so far as to say that the PCA [Presbyterian Church in America} and ACNA [Anglican Church of North America], perhaps with the new Global Methodist denomination joining the fold soon, would do well to regard themselves as the new Protestant Mainline, replacing the UCC [United Church of Christ], TEC
[Episcopal Church], ELCA [Evangelical Lutherans], UMC {united Methodists], and PC(USA) [Presbyterian Church USA]. Indeed, in raw numbers, it may already be the case that there are more people worshiping weekly in PCA churches than there are in PC(USA) churches.”
If the Real Clear Investigations’ suggestion that queer theology is becoming mainstream in some Christian groups reflects a growing reality, the distance between the conservative or evangelical wing of Christianity and progressives will grow wider. Mixed theology organisations such as the Anglican Church of Australia and the Uniting Church will be under increasing pressure.
Image: ms Penny Cost preaching, screenshot from an official United Methodist video
I know that I shouldn’t put people on pedestals, but I would love to hear Dr David Bennett pastoral response to this expression of Queer Theology. For those who are unaware, his doctorate is on Queer Theology within the Christian Sexual Ethic.
Bennett talks about his work on Queering the Queer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGJd32pKdRA
Then again, it seems that us conservative Christians need to repent and take the log out of our own eye before we can ask progressives to take the log out of their own eye (1 Corinthians 5 & 6). And conservatives may need to speak in sex negative terms (largely the view of the church from Church Fathers up until probably the Reformation) to save our spiritual lives.
Josh, you can follow David on twitter. A call to “double repentence” came from Peter Jensen, for mistreatment of LGBTQIA as well as Anglicans heading too far in the progressive direction matches you sentiments.