Doctoral Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology) by browse.metadata.advisor "Jones, Chris"

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    The recognition of queer bodies in the URCSA : towards a hermeneutic of hospitality
    (2023-10-31) Davids, Hanzline Rudolf; Jones, Chris; Forster, Dion Angus; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, an African Reformed church, is standing at a crossroad about whether to recognise queer bodies in the denomination or not. Focusing on the URCSA as a case study, this dissertation employed queer theology as a theological framework, utilising the four main sources of doing theology: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Using these sources in no specific order, this study starts with reason, which delves into the philosophical and theological meanings of recognition and a hermeneutic of hospitality. Subsequently, the study revisits reason, examining the discourses that impede the recognition of queer bodies within the URCSA. The first discourse under study is the compounding impact of heteropatriarchal ideologies of biological essentialism and gender complementarity. The second discourse centres on the politics of biblical authority and queer interpretation. Lastly, using a queer theological approach, this study turned to tradition by identifying and analysing the theological decisions regarding homosexuality from 2005 to 2022, theological reports on Homosexuality (2008) (URCSA, 2008b), the Traditional View on Homosexuality (2016) (URCSA, 2018), and the Belhar Confession. In this exploration, it becomes evident that bodies transcend the confines of biological essentialism and gender complementarity, and that a queer theological approach to Scripture open doors to readings and interpretations of recognition. Ultimately, this investigation concludes that the identification and acknowledgement of queer bodies within the URCSA should find its foundation in the Triune God. Guided by the recognition of the Triune God, a hermeneutic of hospitality directs the process of identifying discourses that contribute to misrecognition.