Purity culture and the limits of queer evangelicalism

Bibliographic Data

ID21691190
AuthorsLauren D Sawyer (0009-0005-1859-4702, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, The University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, corresponding author), Victoria Houser (0009-0001-0524-1271, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, The University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA)
Year2023
Volume29
Issue2-3
Pages200-218
Publication date2023-09-02
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTheology and Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1355-8358 • E-ISSN: 1745-5170
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13558358.2024.2332982
OpenAlexW4393319448
LanguageEN
References cited22

Taking purity culture as a framework for understanding evangelical approaches to sexual ethics, this article examines the connection between the recent emergence of queer evangelical celibacy narratives and the rhetoric of purity as a form of personal freedom. To do so, we approach the construction of queer celibacy through a theology of sexuality and narratives of celibacy within purity culture. We constellate stories from gay- and lesbian-identifying evangelicals to question the limits of queer celibacy. How is evangelical celibacy queer? Can evangelical celibacy claim queerness when it depends on White heterosexist logics? To answer these questions, we explore a series of texts written by evangelical authors who have chosen celibacy as a method for their spiritual commitments while identifying as gay or lesbian. We work with these texts as examples of queer narratives that interanimate paths between evangelical belief and sexual identity

Art · Celibacy · Human sexuality · Lesbian · Literature · Narrative · Queer · Queer theory · Sociology · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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