Thursday, November 30 | 7:00 pm

Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations

Reverend Brandon Thomas Crowley, PhD, celebrates the release of his groundbreaking new book, Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations at the Museum of Science, during a special evening of conversation at the intersection of science, history and religion.

Queering Black Churches provides a systematic approach for dismantling heteronormativity within African American congregations. Using the lenses of practical theology, ecclesiology, queer theology, and gender studies, Brandon Thomas Crowley examines the heteronormative histories, theologies, morals, values, and structures of Black churches and how their longstanding assumptions can be challenged. 

Drawing on the experiences of several historically Black churches that became open and affirming (ONA), Queering Black Churches explores how these churches have queered their congregations. Crowley examines the similarities and differences in their approaches and synthesizes them into a methodology called Black ecclesial Queering: a theoretical analysis and a practical method of queering that centers on the lived experiences of Black Queer folks seeking to subvert the puritanical ideologies of Black churches. 

Crowley argues for a systematic approach to dismantling homophobia within African American congregations that moves beyond surface-level allyship toward actual structural renovation. With its groundbreaking documentation of ONA congregations and its practical proposals for change, this book will be a valuable resource for students, scholars, and clergy alike.

This program is free, thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute.