Description
Book SynopsisWhile garnering the attention of professionals across disciplines, from medicine to public health to psychology, and frequently covered as a topic of public concern in the news media, the elevated occurrence of suicide attempts among LGBTQ persons has earned little attention within the literature of theology and religious studies. This book fills that lacuna by addressing the role that religious, spiritual, and theological narratives play in shaping the souls of queer folk. Taking a narrative approach to qualitative interview material from LGBTQ individuals who survived their suicide attempts, the author argues that theological narratives can operate violently upon the souls of LGBTQ people in ways that make life precarious and, at time, seem unlivable. The book critically addresses the violence of theological narratives upon queer souls, filling a crucial void in scholarship concerning the role of religion—and specifically Christianity—in LGBTQ suicide. Ultimately, the author draws upon the interview material to move readers toward constructive methods of contributing to the resistance and resilience of queer souls in relation to soul violence, asking how we can intervene with practices of care in order to cultivate livability of life for queer people.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1God, Stories, and Queer Souls
Chapter 2Troubled Stories, Best Hopes, Precarious Survival
Chapter 3Theological Ambush
Chapter 4Soul Violence
Chapter 5Religious Resistance
Chapter 6Holding One’s Own
Chapter 7Revisioning the Care of Souls
Conclusion Constructive Lessons for Practices of Care
Bibliography
About the Author
