St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Nov 2022)
Queer Theology
Abstract
This entry establishes the contested nature of ‘queer’ as a term and provides an overview of some significant theoretical perspectives on queerness. It then outlines the emergence of queer Christian theology as it developed from both theological reflections on LGBT+ sexuality and gender variance and a number of other theoretical traditions. In doing so, it highlights how contemporary queer theology can be grouped into two clusters: those queer theologians who are committed to advancing LGBT+ inclusion within Christian spaces and communities, and those queer theologians who are more sceptical of such a project. This is followed by an overview of the different approaches that queer theologians have taken in negotiating biblical passages that have historically been used to condemn LGBT+ identities and gender nonconformity, using 1 Cor 6:9–10 as an exemplar. Queer engagement with scripture has a much broader scope than just these passages, and this entry provides an illustrative overview of some of the more creative directions of queer biblical scholarship. Moving from scripture to doctrine, this entry uses the differing queer perspectives on Christology to highlight how the project of queering Christian doctrine is diverse and wide-ranging. This entry then turns towards the practical implications of queer theology for Christian communities. LGBT+ marriage is foregrounded as the most prominent avenue through which queer theology has been felt in the everyday practice of Christians, before highlighting some of the different dimensions of queer Christian practice that do not relate to marriage. This entry concludes by describing the contributions queer theology has made to ongoing debates within queer studies and exploring some of the key issues surrounding the contested relationship queer theology has with the theological mainstream.
