Peculiar Faith: Queer theology for Christian
witness
Jay Emerson Johnson
Seabury Books £16
(978-1-59627-250-7)
Church Times Bookshop special price £5 (until
27 February)
JAY EMERSON JOHNSON teaches at the Pacific School of Religion
and Graduate Theological Union, and this book is aimed at a North
Atlantic readership; so its language is not easily accessible to
us, but it is worth persevering. "Queer" is not a pleasing word,
but recently political activists have reclaimed it, so that it is
no longer an insult, but is used as shorthand for the many topics
and concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
people.
In his early twenties, Johnson moved from an Evangelical church
in the Midwest to Berkeley, California, and came out as a gay man;
so his book is partly autobiographical. Can the Christian churches
welcome LGBT people? He now believes "that only a robust theology
of sexual intimacy will break the ecclesial stalemate created by
that debate". He develops a queer theology for Christian witness,
and those engaging in "conversations" at the bidding of the Pilling
report might find this a useful resource.
Humour is scarce here, but I enjoyed his meditation on The
Wizard of Oz. With her three friends, Dorothy moves from the
monochrome dreariness of Kansas to the colourful and accepting Land
of Oz. When shown to gays, the film is transformed into a rite
celebrating acceptance and community over the rainbow for the
"friends of Dorothy"; no wonder the song was used at so many
AIDS/HIV funerals.
The recent meeting of bishops in Rome issued a report referring
to LGBT men and women as "these people" as if they were not already
in the Church. Well, we have now escaped from the shadows, and have
found our place in the household of faith, our true home. This
queer, peculiar faith will bring social transformation for the
common good. Johnson considers that the insights gained by LGBT
people over the past few years carry the potential to transform and
revitalise Christian witness and ministry in a world that faces
poverty, racism, climate change, etc. St Luke tells us that the
disciples did not remain at Emmaus and erect a shrine to Jesus,
but, filled with his Spirit, they immediately took to the road,
eager to share life-changing news and views.
Residing at the intersection of constructive theology and
critical social theory, this book provides a resource to help both
students and clergy reinterpret Christian theology and reimagine
Christian faith in the 21st century. It is an important
contribution to the still-emerging field of queer theology,
translating the rigours of scholarly research into transforming
proposals for faith communities.
Two quibbles: there is no index, and the bibliography has only
one English book, by the admirable Liz Stuart.
The Revd Dr Malcolm Johnson was formerly Master of the Royal
Foundation of St Katharine, London.