Conservative Christianity, Gender Identity, and Religious Liberty

This book explores the intersection of conservative Christian values and contemporary theories and expressions of gender identity, i.e. transgender and genderqueer identities. More specifically, it examines the conflict between beliefs about religious liberty and transgender rights. It also proposes a pluralistic morality, allowing for both faith-based values and scientific discoveries about gender to resolve that conflict. Along the way, Dirk de Jong explores various contextual issues: The increase in the number of people who identify as trans or nonbinary, the differences between biblical and queer conceptualizations of gender, the impact of religious freedom policies on transgender rights, the controversy around Title IX exemptions in higher education, the emergence of trans advocacy in conservative Christian communities, and the role of dialogue in social transformation efforts with respect to gender.

Describes the struggle around gender identity in conservative Christian communities Offers a framework for reconciliation between various moral and religious points of view Written for academics, pastoral care workers, and those with an interest in current issues related to gender and religion

Autorentext

Dirk H. de Jong is Assistant Professor of Social Work at Siena College, USA. He conducts research on transgender issues in conservative Christian communities and has published several articles on this topic.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction: Transgender and nonbinary identities.- Chapter 2: Conceptualizations of gender: From biblical to queer.- Chapter 3: Impact of religious freedom policies on transgender rights.- Chapter 4: Exemptions to Title IX: Religious liberty in higher education.- Chapter 5: Trans advocacy and activism in conservative Christian communities.- Chapter 6: A Proposal: Morality over legality.