The pastors' gender consciousness and praxis: The case of Presbyterian Church of Taiwan

• Main Authors: CHEN, PEI-YI, 陳佩儀
• Other Authors: 游美惠
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/59jw9a

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 性別教育研究所 === 107 === The purpose of the research was to describe the formation of gender consciousness of PCT’s (Presbyterian Church in Taiwan) pastors who supporting same-sex marriage, and active praxis. This study aims to explore how those pastors can break out the framing of traditional gender values, and challenge the gender prejudice and discrimination of Christianity. Besides, the study also aims to discuss how those pastors are impeded by church politics. Ten pastors were selected and interviewed in-depth. The research found the pastors’ gender consciousness originates from: 1) they themselves’ and women’s experiences of discrimination and oppression, 2) the experience of being marginalized, 3) LGBT friends, 4) experiencing democratic and equal treatment, 5) diversity and multiculturalism. In the enlightenment of feminist discourses, those above experiences became the foundation of the formation of gender equality consciousness. The consciousness was seldom determined by a single event, the above facets are intertwined without a linear progression. Even so, the experience of meeting peer of LGBT was still the important factor during the formation of gender consciousness. In the encounter of "living life", those experiences empowered pastors’ diversity views of biblical interpretation, in addition, also saw how the evil structure crushed the LGBT group, especially the "Kyriarchy" structure. Through those pastors’ observation, the study also show how those anti same-sex marriage pastors involve church politics and constantly marginalized LGBT as "others", furthermore, they use the issue of same-sex marriage as a tool for political gain. In the face of the evil of anti same-sex marriage forces, those pastors who did not compromise with them needed to face the effects of becoming a blacklist and the pressure to survive. However, even so, their voices and actions still kept going in the seminary, in the social field, and in the church. The results of this study, in addition to providing observations of religious experience, also present church politics in the issue of same-sex marriage, increasing the understanding of outsiders on the same-sex marriage disputes in church and contributing to the possibility of cross-border integration of gender equality movements.