Abstract
Do Pentecostal sermons reflect a tolerance towards all people that characterises the legalese and statutory language of the new democratic South Africa concerning gender sensitivity? Or do Pentecostal preachers contribute to the negation of the diverse gender identity illustrated in the LGBTIQ+ abbreviation? What does the gender identity they propagate and confirm advocate? In a country marred by gender-based violence, which also holds the record for the highest number of reported rape cases, how can Pentecostal preaching contribute to combatting the gender-based violence pandemic? This article’s premise is that preaching can and does exert a formative influence on listeners and their behaviour to some extent. The Pentecostal Church encourages its members to follow in Christ’s footsteps regarding their moral decisions and behaviour. However, preaching can effectively hinder human relationality when its hegemonic gender characterisations and assumptions do not reflect the Christ of love, who purposefully sides with the marginalised. What the Pentecostal Church preaches is determined by their hermeneutics and consequent Bible reading practices.
This article focuses on classic Pentecostalist groups and the way their hermeneutics establishes and qualifies their position on sexuality and sexual identity. By carefully comparing and analysing relevant literature using the Lekgotla-practical-theological method developed by Abraham Mzondi, Pentecostal preaching is investigated to explore its perspectives and potential prejudices on human sexuality.
The above-mentioned method reveals that some of the preaching reflects a prevailing ideology of a hierarchical and sexist system that confirms male dominance. Consequently, it is possible for it to contribute to gender violence, albeit unconsciously and unintentionally. If classical Pentecostal preachers utilise a discourse that discriminates between men, women, and people of alternative sexual orientations, the Pentecostal Church alienates itself from the current South African society, which is based on protecting human rights.
Where this is the case, it is argued that it becomes necessary for Pentecostal preachers to shift their allegiance away from the existing hegemonic ideology, which is based on a literalist reading of a few chosen texts. They should no longer ignore their own socio-cultural setting, and they should abandon the patriarchal discourse that characterised first-century Roman society. It requires that the Pentecostal language that derives a context-free understanding of gender and family from a few biblical texts be reconsidered and abandoned. Classical Pentecostals should conscientiously adhere to a new consciousness of the worth and dignity of each human being, a principle reflected in many layers of the Bible. They should critically and thoughtfully reconsider the content of their sermons, evaluating them to ensure they reflect a nuanced and sensitive approach to gender as a social construct within the context of the recognition of all people’s dignity and rights.
Preaching modelled on the prevailing ideology of a widely accepted hierarchical and sexist system that affirms male dominance negatively contributes to the complex process of gender construction. It can and does unconsciously and unintentionally contribute to gender destruction. This ideology views men as physically and emotionally stronger (real men don’t cry), heterosexual (hunter syndrome), and characterised by a fresh masculine posture. In contrast, it views women as emotionally unstable, physically weak, and (supposed to be) submissive to the man’s authority. In practice, this discourse often functions and is regularly used in conjunction with the humiliation with which people view any “unnatural” sexual orientations (that is, any potential sexual relationship outside the boundaries of the heterosexual “biblical norm”). If someone does not identify as heterosexual, they become “the other”, and they are not viewed as “normal” men or women since they do not conform and identify with society’s categorical representations. It turns them into non-things, or the “other”, and they become marginalised and (at least verbally) victimised. The lesbian woman, gay man, and intersex person threaten the social order that the hegemonic-normative ideology presupposes, which defends the church’s position as “keeper of society’s morals and ethics”; it is threatened in the same way as when the “liberal” woman does not submit to the man’s authority but wants to stand in leadership positions that allow them to exercise authority over men. As long as Pentecostal preachers support and preach this discourse, they alienate the church from the growing group of people who see it as an outdated system and a danger that tramples human rights because it uses hate speech towards people who are considered “inferior” based solely on their gender identification.
The same applies to and is true of the church’s description of God as a white male figure, the same as Jesus, who is believed to be the incarnation of God. It presents the church with a challenge and problem because it models and measures the relationship between man and woman against the relationship between God and the church, which is Christ’s body on earth. The church teaches that God is the head of the church and that its members should follow and trust God in everything. Likewise, the husband is the head of the wife; this presupposes that the wife will show the same loyalty and submission to her husband – that she will diligently and meticulously follow him like the church follows God’s guidance. It is argued that the image of God as a white male is “biblical”, but the church should become sensitive towards the fact that this image contributes to parts of society dismissing the church as old-fashioned, an outdated patriarchal feature that survived from bygone years.
It is necessary for preaching to be deliberately and consistently detached from the existing hegemonic ideology; this will prevent it from continuing to serve as a form of heterosexist policing that confirms and reinforces static understandings of gender and relationality. The church should consider shifting its perspective to include all people as image bearers of God if the church is to become an agent that encourages believers to cross the boundaries of their previously accepted understandings of sexuality and sexual orientation. Thereby, the church will function as a means of power that develops believers’ ontological potential as free agents that reconsider their previously accepted norms that served as a form of institutional violence. Moreover, the preacher’s discourse will empower people to respect and love their neighbour and combat widespread gender violence.
The article concludes that Pentecostalist language and discourse should abandon the time-bound, traditional understanding of gender and family, which is derived from a few biblical texts in a literalistic and contextless manner, and they should reconsider the changed moral climate that is characterised by a tolerance towards people of all sexual orientations. It requires of preachers to be aware of the fact that the language they use in affirming sexual ethics has the potential to influence their audiences’ understandings, ideologies, and practices, and to establish and confirm specialised gender perceptions. They should reconsider their contribution to how believers view the relationship between people, how they behave towards each other in the intimacy of their bedroom, and how they treat people of other sexual orientations. Therefore, Pentecostal preachers should be sensitised to critically evaluate the content of their sermons, especially to the extent that they propagate gender and human relationality. There is a need for nuanced and well-considered reflection on gender as a social construct within the context of recognising all people’s dignity and rights.
Keywords: gendered identity; gender-based violence; Pentecostalists; preaching
- This article’s featured image was created by Mitchell Leach and was obtained from Unsplash.
Lees die volledige artikel in Afrikaans
Potensiaal van Pentekostalistiese prediking om geslagtelike identiteit te vestig