“I Can’t Un-Meet Jesus” LGBTQA+ Faith Reconstruction

Abstract

After fleshing out the experiences of faith deconstruction in Chap. 6, this chapter explores the other side of the coin—faith reconstruction. Many LGBTQA+ people retain vibrant faiths. How is this achieved in the context of hostile communities? The journey towards spiritual identity reconstruction is often overlooked, and this chapter provides a vital nuance to the discussion.

After laying the groundwork of what it means to “theologize in a queer manner,” this chapter unpacks the experiences of participants to show how they courageously sought to:

• 1. Take God out of the boxes that they had been taught to assume God must inhabit,

• 2. Approach a type of “heresy” which runs counter to the received orthodoxy of their faith communities, and

• 3. Separate the concept of “religion” from their understanding of God.

These three processes of reconstruction enabled individuals to develop an authentic faith that resonated not only with their lived experience of being queer, but also with their deeply held desire to retain vibrant and engaged spiritualities.