DARE is the Discernment and Radical Engagement Programme of the Council for World Mission, a worldwide partnership of 36 member Churches, which, since 1977, “has wrestled with how to decolonize mission globally and locally — its praxis, pedagogy and theory — and how to proclaim fullness of life at a time when all of life is threatened”.
There are 21 substantial chapters, arranged in seven parts, written by established theologians, active pastors, Ph.D. students, in a truly international mix, all of them clearly exulting in the queer perspectives that they bring to faith. Mercy Contreras, in the first Part, “Hermeneutics and Interpretation”, contends that we must all be born again (John 3.4-8) because the “law” will not save us — the law being the world of knowledge which has given us colonialism and “cis-heteronormativity” (there is a useful and much needed glossary).
Charlene van der Walt challenges the ownership of the Bible and its standard interpretations, calling on the Izitibane (a derogatory South African term for LGBTIQ+ people) to reclaim the Bible as a source for liberation and life, on the basis of their marginalised bodies and experiences.
Part Two, “Ecclesiology and Communities”, includes an essay by Massiiwa Gunda, “Decolonizing Human Sexuality”. Colonialism required the imposition of European sexual categories, their binaries and inclusions, on African peoples whose pre-colonial sexual practices were almost wholly misunderstood. The consequence? A mind-numbing paradox whereby there are now Africans who uphold colonial sexuality “in a battle of supremacy against European sexuality that seems to be getting closer to pre-colonial African sexuality, with its indifference towards diversity and public celebration of sexuality”.
Ángel Montoya unlocks the potential of the 2023 Roman Catholic document Fiducia Supplicans. While still restrictive, it none the less proclaims a theology of blessing which leaves out no object or person. Rather, it “breaks down the institutional boundaries of diverse religious affiliations, even secular ones, to affirm the interreligious ecumenism of divine love”.
Part Three, on activism, contains an essay on “theopastoral competence” (Joseph Goh) among LGBTIQ+ Christians in Malaysia, while Jide Macaulay shows how the Bible may be used to counter the oppression of queer Christians in Africa. Like Gunda, he recognises that “African spiritual traditions have long acknowledged gender fluidity and non-binary identities, even if they were suppressed or redefined under colonial rule”. Adelard Kananira, founder of Gay Christian Africa, invites churches “to critically engage in deconstructing the form of Christianity we live by today with a mature and responsible spirituality”.
In Part Four, “Christology and Embodied Theology”, Marilú Salazar writes about grace from her Mexican context. It is “a promiscuous category since it is given to all people regardless of their condition, so it is anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-classist”. Samuel Mall thinks queer theology remains neglected in Indian theological and ecclesial circles partly because the politics of identity reflect a Western agenda. He urges solidarity between Dalit and Queer bodies in order to resist a common and violent oppression. Tracey Gumede uses contextual Bible study as the means of opening spaces where marginalised groups are affirmed, and “engaging scripture becomes an inclusive and progressive process.”
In Part Five, “Soteriology and Eschatology”, Inatoli Aye shows how Southern Baptist missionaries in Nagaland destroyed indigenous self-understandings that were closer to the gospel than the narrow homophobic individualism imposed on them. Miguel Díaz uses the Trinitarian theology of John Zizioulas to re-examine how “communion” and “otherness” make sense in the lives of marginalised Latinx peoples.
Part Six is on Mariology. Molly Greening turns to Mary as Mediatrix between people separated by boundaries, summarised by the geopolitical boundary between the United States and Mexico. Giovanna Sarto presents a “queer Mariology” based on Our Lady of Aparecida. She is a black Mary who appeared to black and impoverished fishers, whose continuing appreciation of her stands in contrast to what Catholicism made of her.
In the final part, “Prophetic Witness”, Zachary Haney offers a critique of the ways in which theological formation replicates oppressive doctrines and structures; and a trans chaplain Andrés Gré describes how trans people “by simply being who we are . . . challenge the limitations imposed by rigid norms and inspire others to envision lives beyond the boundaries of convention”.
The book demonstrates both the global reach of queer theologies in universities and churches worldwide and the vibrant spirituality of the authors and the communities that they represent. The book will encourage all queer Christians. One hopes that many straight readers too, will thank God for the faith and understanding found on its pages.
Dr Adrian Thatcher is Honorary Professor of Theology and Religion in the University of Exeter, and Editor of Modern Believing.
The DARE Primer on Global Queer Theologies
Lisa Isherwood and Hugo Córdova Quero, editors
SCM Press £30
(978-0-334-06682-8)
Church Times Bookshop £24
