Keegan Osinski - Queering Wesley, Queering the Church

I n a moment where the influence, involvement, and even existence of LGBTQ+ Christians in the Wesleyan tradition are in question and in jeopardy, a reading of John Wesley that takes seriously his work and legacy as well as the concerns and experiences of queer people is sorely needed. It is imperative that Wesleyans acknowledge that the queer perspective has something important to offer the church, and that it is consistent with the broader thrust of Wesleyan theology and practice. Precious little work has been done to bring together queer theory and Wesleyan theology. Bringing such a perspective into the Wesleyan churches will richen the conversation, which is so often about LGBTQ+ Christians rather than explored with them or led by them. By demonstrating how John Wesleys sermons can lend themselves to a liberatory queer reading, I hope to show that the Wesleyan tradition can be a fertile and hospitable home for a queer theology that is consistent with a doctrine of holiness and other Wesleyan values.

This project begins with this introductory chapter that situates my argument in context, defines relevant terms and method, and lays out the reasoning and warrants for such a use of John Wesley and an understanding of queerness as a boon to holiness rather than an impediment. It is followed by queer readings of ten of John Wesleys sermons. These readings will explore the text of the sermons from a queer perspective, reading them with an eye toward questions of gender and sexuality that, while perhaps not explicit or intended in their original context, nevertheless have relevance and import to todays Wesleyan Christians.

First, some necessary definitions. In this book, I use queer as an adjective to signify that which is not normative, particularly as relating to sex, gender, and sexuality and the expressions thereof. That is, what is queer resists a biological essentialism of sex, the gender binary, and assumed or required heterosexuality. Queer is often used as a shorthand, catchall term for the LGBTQ+ community, that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, as well as intersex, asexual, pansexual, and other non-heterosexual and non-gender-conforming identities. It also includes the disruption of political aspects of gender and sexuality norms, including marriage, monogamy, child rearing, and family building. The reclaiming of queer from those who would use it as a slur demonstrates exactly the queer refusal to be labeled, boxed in, and rendered inert.

Episcopal priest Elizabeth Edman uses queer to signify something that has at its center an impulse to disrupt any and all efforts to reduce into simplistic dualisms our experience of life and goes on to discuss queer theory and its urgent need to rupture, or disrupt, binary thinking about gender and sexual identity. The queer resists a static, monadic model of the world and human life, and insists on a more nuanced, complex, ecstatic vision, full of possibility and without limitation. The queer refuses to settle for a single possible narrative. Queerness chafes and bristles at the starched collars of compulsory structures, yearning to stretch and spin and bend and breathe. It shakes off synthetic shoulds in favor of searching for what is indelibly authentic and true.

It is worth noting, however, that not all LGBTQ+ individuals are comfortable with the word queer or choose to reclaim it for their own identification. It can still do harm, even when used with positive connotations and intentions. For this reason, using the term as a catchall for others or using the term as a cisgender heterosexual person can sometimes be offensive. As with any group of people, the LGBTQ+ community is not a monolith, and each person has their own opinions and expressions of their sexuality and identity and the language they prefer when defining it. In conversation and relationship, it is always better to ask than to assume and to use the words your friends prefer for themselves.