Recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa: An indecent proposal?
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Pieter de Waal Neethling Trust
Abstract
The human dignity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people are threatend on the African continent. The sexual orientation, gender identity, expressions and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) of LGBTIQ persons are seen as un-African. Religious communities are one of the biggest perpetrators that violate the human dignity of LGBTIQ people. For the past fifteen years the Uniting Reformed Church in South African (URCSA) made policy decions and compiled research documents that envistigates the SOGIESC of LGBTIQ people. The URCSA failed multiple times to affirm the full inclusion of LGBTQ people. In this article I'm asking, whether the recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the URCSA is an indecent proposal. This paper is theologically underpinned by late Latin-American bisexual theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid's Bi/Christology. Starting with my own queer autobiography, I position myself from below and outside in doing theology. Secondly, I engage shortly with the history of the URCSA and the confessional clauses of the Belhar Confession. Lastly, the paper examines whether Belhar makes an indecent proposal for the recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the URCSA.
Description
CITATION: Davids, H. R. 2020. Recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa: An an indecent proposal? Stellenbosch Theological Journal, 6(4):301-317, doi:10.17570/stj.2020.v6n4.a12.
The original publication is available at: http://www.scielo.org.za
The original publication is available at: http://www.scielo.org.za
Keywords
LGBTIQ+, SOGIESC, Gender identity, Children -- Religious life -- South Africa, URCSA, Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suider-Afrika, Belhar Confession
Citation
Davids, H. R. 2020. Recognition of LGBTIQ bodies in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa: An indecent proposal? Stellenbosch Theological Journal, 6(4):301-317, doi:10.17570/stj.2020.v6n4.a12