Coming Out Of The Congregation: An Interpretive Analysis Of The Communication Of Homosexuality In Christianity In The Boone Area

The Church has long faced the issue of discovering where homosexuality fits within its doctrines and beliefs. In this discovery process, communication is vital to ensuring this issue does not dismantle the people and works of churches and their communities. Through an analysis of Scripture and interviews conducted with ten Christian pastors, priests, and religious leaders, this paper attempts to deconstruct the current communication and discourse used in the faith communities of Boone, North Carolina. In understanding how these discourses function in relation to the dialogue of homosexuality, queer Christians and their congregations can move forward in their theological discussions using a discourse that functions on community for the spiritual growth and development in the Christian faith.