THE LINGUISTICS PERFORMANCE OF SEXUAL IDENTITY BY AN OPENLY GAY CHRISTIAN MINISTER

Includes bibliographical references (pages 39-42).This thesis examines the discursive practices of an openly gay Christian minister in a series of recorded sermons addressing the topic of human sexuality. After this minister publicly came out to his congregation as a gay man, he used these sermons to incorporate a growing number of gay and lesbian individuals into a church community that had not been previously affirming of openly homosexual church members. Through linguistic interpretation and framing of biblical narrative, this speaker constructs a community stance regarding homosexuality and religious practice, while actively reconciling seemingly disparate identities. Utilizing critical discourse analysis to examine these sermon texts provides insight into how this individual constructs discourses of reconciliation and change, particularly through the manipulation of recognized authority in order to subvert hegemonic ideology. While this minister attempts to decry heteronormative assumptions embedded in evangelical Christian ideologies, he still affirms practices of more conservative evangelical communities and positions his church against their local gay community on issues of sexual behavior. Thus, these sermons both deconstruct and recreate hegemonic ideologies regarding sexuality on various levels