A theological seminary in Chicago is offering a course that examines preaching from the perspective of being LGBTQ and a woman.
The course, titled “Queer Womanist Preaching,” appears on a spring course list for the Chicago Theological Seminary. “Womanism,” as opposed to feminism, emphasizes intersectional identities, such as race, as opposed to simply being female.
The seminary’s building is located on the University of Chicago’s campus. The seminary is associated with the United Church of Christ, a self-identified theologically liberal Protestant Church. The Church has been recognizing same-sex marriages since 2005.
The seminary’s website does not include a description of “Queer Womanist Preaching,” but the Association of Chicago Theological Schools does.
“This course will expose students to the queering of religious concepts such as redemption and salvation that create a decolonized preaching experience that centers the lived experiences of Black, queer women,” it states.
The course will be ascribed to Bishop Yvette Flunder’s “preaching method” as “an example of a sermonic method of a queer, womanist preacher.” Flunder is a self-identified lesbian married woman who leads the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, also associated with the United Church of Christ.
As students reflect on sermons such as Flunder’s, they “will learn the fundamental tenants of queer womanist preaching while critically reflecting on their own beliefs, especially their espoused sexual ethics.”
[RELATED: USC hosts ‘Queerituality’ program to make students find ‘the sacred in queerness’]
Queer and woman identities will always be at the center of the discussion.
“The course considers theological frameworks that inform queer womanist preaching, such as womanist theology and queer theology,” the description states. “The course keeps an eye towards Black, queer, women’s lived experiences in both fictional and non-fictional mediums that inform the preaching moment.”
Nicole McDonald, the professor for “Queer Womanist Preaching,” is a recent graduate of the Chicago Theological Seminary. McDonald wrote her dissertation on Flunder’s preaching.
Campus Reform has reported other examples of “womanist theology” being taught at higher education institutions. Earlier this year, Boston University announced hiring a “leading womanist ethicist,” who is also an expert in black studies, to teach classes.
The professor’s scholarship focuses on “womanist and Black theology” as well as “racial health disparities and environmental racism.”
Campus Reform contacted the Chicago Theological Seminary for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
