This article seeks to discover, problematize and deconstruct the powerful discourses
that have informed the recent debates within the Church of England (and other
churches) in the area of human sexuality, and of homosexuality in particular.
Poststructuralist methodology reveals that the sexualities' discourse of the Church
of England is structured around themes of purity/pollution and text/authority, which
operate powerfully to police the theorization and practice of both individuals and
the social body of the church. The instantiation of this discourse in the lives of
individuals is illustrated by an analysis of two 'stories': the first, a
biographical account of a particular incident in the life of one priest; the second
draws on the published record of the difficulties raised by the appointment of Canon
Jeffrey John as a bishop. In response to these findings, the author draws on
theological traditions developed out of Queer Theory to suggest alternative ways of
viewing sexualities, which are both more inclusive for LGBT people, and which may
allow the churches to break through their current impasse.
Aichele, G.
(ed.) (1995) The Postmodern Bible.
New Haven, CT: Yale University
Press.
2.
Alison, J.
(2001) Faith Beyond Reason: Fragments Catholic and Gay
. London: Darton, Longman &
Todd.
3.
Althaus-Reid, M.
(2001) Indecent Theology: Theological Perversions in Sex,
Gender and Politics.
London
and New York:
Routledge.
4.
Althaus-Reid, M.
(2003) The Queer God.
London:
Routledge.
5.
Bates, S.
(2005) A Church at War.
London: Hodder &
Stoughton.
6.
Bell, D.
and
Valentine, G.
(1995) Mapping Desire, Geographies of Sexualities.
London
and New York:
Routledge .
7.
Bösche, S.
(1983) Jenny lives with Eric and Martin.
London: The Gay Men's
Press.
8.
Boswell, J.
(1980) Christianity, Social Tolerance, and
Homosexuality . Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
9.
Bowder, B.
(2004)
'Windsor Report: More Views'
, Church Times, 29 October, URL (accessed 19 October 2006):
www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=22802
10.
Butler, J.
(1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of
Identity. New York:
Routledge.
11.
Countryman, W.L.
(1989) Dirt, Greed and Sex.
London :
SCM.
12.
Cupitt, D.
(1991) What is a Story?London:
SCM.
13.
Department of Education and Science
(1988) Local Government Act 1988: Section 28: DES Circular
88/90. London:
DES.
14.
Douglas, M.
(1966) Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of
Pollution and Taboo. London:
Routledge & Kegan Paul.
15.
Eiesland, N.
(1994) The Disabled God. Nashville,
TN: Abingdon Press.
16.
Ellis, V.
and
Forrest S.
(2000) 'One of Them or One of Us?' in
M. Cole
(ed.) Education, Equality and Human Rights: 'Race', Sexuality, Special
Needs and Social Class, pp. 78-98.
London :
RoutledgeFalmer.
17.
Fiorenza, E.S.
(1990) Bread Not Stone.
Edinburgh: T & T
Clark.
18.
Forrester, D.
(2001) On Human Worth.
London: SCM
Press.
19.
Foucault, M.
(1970) The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human
Sciences. London: Tavistock
Publications .
20.
Foucault, M.
(1985) The Use of Sexuality (trans Robert Hurley)New York: Random
House.
21.
Foucault, M.
(1986) The Use of Pleasure, The History of Sexuality:
2. Harmondsworth:
Viking.
22.
Foucault, M.
(1997) 'The Ethics of Concern of the Self as a Practice of
Freedom', in
P. Rabinow
(ed.) Ethics: Subjectivity and Truth, pp.
281-301. New York:
New Press.
23.
Foucault, M.
(1998) The Will to Knowledge, The History of Sexuality:
1. London:
Penguin.
24.
Frank, A.W.
(1995) The Wounded Storyteller.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press.
25.
Gee, J.P.
(1996) Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in
Discourses. London:
RoutledgeFalmer .
26.
Gledhill, R.
(2006)
'Gay Clergy Ultimatum Set to Split Anglicans'
, The Times, 28 June, URL (accessed February 2008):
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2246806.html
27.
Goss, R.E.
(1993) Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto.
San Francisco, CA:
HarperSanFrancisco.
28.
Goss, R.E.
(1998) 'Sexual Visionaries and Freedom Fighters for a Sexual
Reformation: From Gay Theology to Queer Sexual Theologies', in
Sean Gill
(ed.) The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, pp.
187-202. London:
Cassell.
29.
Grimwood, S.M.H.
(2002)
'Some Foucauldian Perspectives on Issues in Human Sexuality'
, Theology and Sexuality8(16)
97-119.
30.
Harden, R.
(2004)
'St Albans Gives its New Dean a Mixed Welcome'
, Church Times, 30 April.
31.
Harries, R.
(2003)
'A Prejudice that Shames both Church and Society'
, The Observer, 8 June.
32.
Head, J.
(1999) Understanding the Boys.
London : Falmer
Press.
33.
Herzog II
, W. (1994) Parables as Subversive Speech.
Louisville KY:
Westminster/
John Knox Press
.
34.
Holloway, D.
(1980) 'Homosexual Relationships - the Discussion
Continued' , in
M. Green
,
D. Holloway
and
D. WatsonThe Church and Homosexuality, pp. 35-128.
London: Hodder &
Stoughton.
35.
House of Bishops
(1991) Issues in Human Sexuality.
London: Church House
Publishing.
36.
House of Bishops' Group
(2003) Some Issues in Human Sexuality.
London: Church House
Publishing.
37.
Jagose, A.
(1996) Queer Theory: An Introduction.
New York: New York University
Press.
38.
Jobling, D.,Pippin, T.
and
Schleifer, R.
(eds) (2001) The Postmodern Bible Reader.
Oxford:
Blackwell.
39.
John, J.
(1993) 'Permanent, Faithful, Stable'. Christian Same-Sex
Partnerships. London: Affirming
Catholicism.
40.
Lambeth Conference Report (1998) URL (accessed February
2008): www.anglicancommunion.org/lambeth
41.
Lambeth Commission on Communion
(2004) The Windsor Report.
London: The Anglican Communion
Office.
42.
Linzey, A.
and
Kirker, R.
(2005) Gays and the Future of Anglicanism. RopleyO Books
.
43.
Loades, A.
(ed.) (1990) Feminist Theology: A Reader.
London: SPCK
.
44.
Martin, D.B.
(1994)
'Heterosexism and the Interpretation of Romans 1: 18-32'
, Biblical Interpretation3(3):
332-55.
45.
Mollenhott, V.R.
(2001) Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach.
Cleveland: The Pilgrim
Press.
46.
Moore, B.
(ed.) (1973) Black Theology, The South African Voice.
London:
Hurst.
47.
Nixon, D.
(2001) 'Stories from the Street: Towards a Theology of
Homelessness', unpublished PhD thesis,
University of Exeter
.
48.
Nixon, D.
(2003)
'Voices Crying in the Wilderness? Theological Reflections on Queer Stories
from Trainee Teachers'
, Theology and Sexuality10(1):
93-117.
49.
Nixon, D.
and
Givens, N.
(2004)
'"Miss, You're so Gay
", Queer Stories from Trainee Teachers', Sex Education4(3): 217 -
37.
50.
Nolan, Albert
(1988) God in South Africa.
London :
CIIR.
51.
Plummer, K.
(1992) Modern Homosexualities.
London
and New York:
Routledge.
52.
Robinson, K.H.
(2005)
'Reinforcing Hegemonic Masculinities through Sexual Harassment: Issues of
Identity, Power and Popularity in Secondary Schools'
, Gender and Education17(1):
19-37.
53.
Rogers, E.F.
(1999) Sexuality and the Christian Body.
Oxford:
Blackwell.
54.
Rudy, K.
(1997) Sex and the Church: Gender, Homosexuality and the
Transformation of Christian Ethics. Boston,
MA: Beacon Press.
55.
Sacks, J.
(2002) The Dignity of Difference.
London:
Continuum.
56.
Sedgwick, E.K.
(1990) Epistemology of the Closet.
Berkeley: University of California
Press.
57.
Segundo, J.L.
(1993) Signs of the Times.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis
Books.
58.
Smith, A.M.
(1994) New Right Discourse on Race and Sexuality.
Cambridge. Cambridge University
Press.
59.
Soskice, J. M.
and
Lipton, D.
(eds) (2001) Feminism and Theology.
Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
60.
Sparkes, A.C.
(1994)
'Self, Silence and Invisibility as a Beginning Teacher: A Life History of
Lesbian Experience'
, British Journal of Sociology of Education15(1):
93-118.
61.
Stone, K.
(2005) Practising Safer Texts.
London : T & T
Clark.
62.
St Pierre, E.
(2000)
'Poststructural Feminism in Education: An Overview'
, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education13(5):
477-515.
63.
Stuart, E.
(1995) Just Good Friends.
London:
Mowbray.
64.
Stuart, E.
(2003) Gay and Lesbian Theologies, Repetitions with Critical
Difference. Aldershot:
Ashgate.
65.
Sturcke, J.
(2005)
'Church Bans Blessings for Gay "Newly-Weds"'
, Guardian 25 July, URL (accessed February 2008):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1535864,00.html
66.
Thatcher, A.
(2005) '"Impaired" Communion: Some Questions', in
A. Linzey
and
R. Kirker
(2005) Gays and the Future of Anglicanism , pp.
274-82. Winchester:
O Books.
67.
Trible, P.
(1992) Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of
Biblical Narratives. London:
SCM .
68.
Vasey, M.
(1995) Strangers and Friends.
London : Hodder &
Stoughton.
69.
Walkerdine, V.
(1989) Counting Girls Out.
London:
Virago.
70.
Ward, G.
(1999) 'Bodies: The Displaced Body of Jesus Christ', in
J. Milbank
,
C. Pickstock
and
G. Ward
(eds) Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology, pp.
163-81.
London
and New York:
Routledge.
71.
Ward, K.
(2005) 'African Perspectives on Episcopacy and
Sexuality' , in
A. Linzey
and
R. Kirker
(eds) Gays and the Future of Anglicanism, pp.
243-59. Ropley:
O Books.
72.
Weeks, J.
(1996) 'The Construction of Homosexuality', in
S. Seidman
(ed.) Queer Theory/Sociology, pp. 41-63.
Oxford:
Blackwell.
73.
Williams, R.
(2003) 'Statement/Letter to Bishops', circulated via e-mail
to Exeter diocesan clergy.
74.
Williams, R.
(2006)
'The Challenge and Hope of Being an Anglican Today: A Reflection for the
Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion'
, The Church of England website 27 June, URL (accessed
February 2008): http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr6706.html
.
75.
Witvliet, T.
(1985) A Place in the Sun: Liberation Theology in the Third
World. London:
SCM.
76.
Youdell, D.
(2003)
'Identity Traps or How Black Students Fail: The Interactions between
Biographical
, Sub-Cultural, and Learner Identities', British Journal of Sociology
of Education24(1):
3-20.
77.
Youdell, D.
(2005)
'Sex-Gender-Sexuality: How Sex, Gender and Sexuality Constellations are
Constituted in Secondary School'
, Gender and Education17(3):
249-70.
78.
Ziesler, J.
(1983) Pauline Christianity.
Oxford : Oxford University
Press.
