Stained-Glass Queer Folk: Queer Persistence and Faith in Rural Churches

Patrick, Dani

Etd

Stained-Glass Queer Folk: Queer Persistence and Faith in Rural Churches

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Patrick, Dani. Stained-glass Queer Folk: Queer Persistence and Faith In Rural Churches. ctschicago.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/b10d8d8d-9012-4727-892b-2c33e6ed8208?q=2026.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

P. Dani. Stained-Glass Queer Folk: Queer Persistence and Faith in Rural Churches. https://ctschicago.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/b10d8d8d-9012-4727-892b-2c33e6ed8208?q=2026

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Patrick, Dani. Stained-Glass Queer Folk: Queer Persistence and Faith In Rural Churches. https://ctschicago.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/b10d8d8d-9012-4727-892b-2c33e6ed8208?q=2026.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Patrick, Dani

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Creative Commons BY-ND Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Abstract

Stained-Glass Queer Folk delves into the persistence of queer Christians of faith from a rural and small-town context. This thesis challenges dominant narratives that assume that queer folk either abandon religion or escape to urban centers. Drawing heavily from qualitative data obtained from surveying and interviewing 12 queer Christians with lived experience within rural contexts, this study reveals how faith is sustained, reimagined, and reinterpreted despite exclusion, spiritual trauma, and in many cases limited access to affirming communities. Integrating queer and liberation theology as well as sociological analysis of rural religious and social contexts, this project emphasizes lived experience as a source of theological wisdom. The respondents speak to enduring relationships with God, separating divine constancy with failure of the religious institution, and engaging in reinterpretations through a queer lens that is rooted in love, justice, grace, and Jesus’ message. The findings shine a light on how rural dynamics, especially the heightened visibility, social policing, and the centralized role of the church as a community institution, increase both the risks of exclusion but also speak to the transformative power of affirmation. Even with varying relationships to organized religion, all respondents shared a sustained faith commitment and a desire to ethically engage scripture, which is shaped by resilience and a deep hope for transformation among the church. Stained-Glass Queer Folks argues that queer Christians in rural contexts are not to be sidelined in Christianity’s future but offer vital insights, which challenge exclusionary and harmful interpretations of faith and aim to reimagine the Christian community as a space of belonging, inclusion, grace, and accountability.

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