Emerging as Affirmative Pastoral Caregivers Beyond Gender Binaries: Gender Creative Promise uniquely brings a gender diverse theological imagination to the field of pastoral theology, supplemented by deploying a "gender creative" interpretative lens on scripture, borrowing a term coined by psychologist Diane Ehrensaft in her work with transgender and gender-nonconforming children and their parents. The reader is introduced to an array of persons diverse in their gender variance, four continua of gender (sex, identity, expression, attraction), a gender affirmative psychotherapeutic model as a template for the field of pastoral theology, common resilience strategies that transgender persons employ in the face of cultural oppression and aspersion, benefits derived from religious affiliation that can enhance resilience, and scripturally-based principles for delivering affirmative pastoral caregiving beyond gender binaries The author encourages readers to look within and wrestle with the complexities of their own gendered selves while journeying alongside him to emerge as pastoral change-makers in their places of teaching, ministry, and caregiving.
Craig A. Rubano is minister in full fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
List of Illustrations Part I: A Place on Earth: Introducing LGBTQ+ Heterogeneity Chapter 1: Getting Started Chapter 2: LGBTQ+: Terminologies and Histories Part II: Transgender Survey, Components of Gender, and Knowing the "True Gender Self" Chapter 3: The 2015 US Transgender Survey (USTS) Report Chapter 4: Exploring Four Components of Gender: The Genderbread Person Redux Chapter 5: "Where Do the Mermaids Stand?" Part III: Strategies of Resilience: Opening Doors to a Gender Affirmative Pastoral Theology Chapter 6: Gender Creative Resilience Chapter 7: Psychology of Religion: Ally to Gender Affirmative Pastoral Theology Chapter 8: Beyond Empathy in Pastoral Theology Part IV: "Yet I Say Unto You": Gender Creative Biblical Interpretation as Affirmative Pastoral Action Chapter 9: Towards a Gender Creative Lens on Biblical Interpretation Chapter 10: Principles for Delivering Affirmative Pastoral Caregiving Beyond Gender Binaries Chapter 11: Gender Creative Pastoral Caregiving: Skills of the Canaanite Woman Bibliography About the Author
At last, we have in Beyond Gender Binaries an all-out pastoral theology suitable for countering rightwing operatives who, for purposes of political survival or clerical gain, demonize gender-creative young people and adults. Craig Rubano weaves meticulous research in the social sciences with fresh biblical insight, searing honesty, and abounding compassion into a seamless foray into anomalies of gender in all persons. This brave and subversive book arrives in the nick of time. -- Robert C. Dykstra, Princeton Theological Seminary In this comprehensive interdisciplinary study pastoral theologian Craig Rubano is a learned, liberative guide in exploring, understanding, celebrating, and working with gender creative persons. This is an essential book for anyone in ministry or teaching ministry! -- Ryan LaMothe, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology With this book, Rubano offers a gift to pastoral theologians and spiritual care practitioners desiring to support trans, fluid, nonbinary, and gender creative people with the companionship, advocacy, and justice so often lacking in Christian approaches to gender diversity. He invites readers to push beyond the limits of empathy and quests for understanding into humble postures of listening and learning from gender creative people. Pastoral theologians and practitioners will find in this book a resource that increases competency in spiritual care praxis in order to increase resilience for gender creative people. An immensely helpful text. -- Cody J. Sanders, Luther Seminary
