‘He taught me to hate myself’: the pastoral care of gay Christians in Anglican churches

This paper examines the pastoral approach of church leaders towards gay and lesbian Christians in two contrasting Anglican church settings: non-affirming and affirming of gay identity. This is timely, given the vexed history surrounding the ‘gay issue’ within the Church of England and the current de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Practical theology 2024-03, Vol.17 (2), p.148-161
Main Author: Walsh, Denis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Blessings
Christians
Homosexuality
Identity
Ignorance
Lesbianism
Pastoral care
Traumatic life events
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Summary:This paper examines the pastoral approach of church leaders towards gay and lesbian Christians in two contrasting Anglican church settings: non-affirming and affirming of gay identity. This is timely, given the vexed history surrounding the ‘gay issue’ within the Church of England and the current deliberations regarding ‘gay blessings’. The results uncovered a troubling ignorance in non-affirming settings of the well-researched vulnerability of gay Christians related to their sexual identity. Interviews with church leaders in affirming settings revealed a considerable burden of suffering in gay Christians seeking sanctuary in their churches because of traumatic experiences in non-affirming churches.
ISSN:1756-073X
1756-0748
DOI:10.1080/1756073X.2024.2318072