Queer-Affirming Pastoral Care

Is it possible to combine Christian and queer-affirming attitudes in a counseling context? This book provides concrete case studies to show that it is indeed possible and shows how this connection can be touching and liberating. Kerstin Söderblom explains the meaning of queer-affirming pastoral care, using narrative miniatures of counseling sessions. The basis for this is the evaluation of case studies from pastoral care and casual services. Moreover, it presents queer-friendly impulses for pastoral care sermons, queer 're-readings' of biblical texts, prayers and rituals. The book shares exciting and touching stories from a pastoral-theological world that is usually still completely ignored. It combines professional pastoral care work with the question of how it can be offered to queer people in an appropriate and respectful way.

Kerstin Söderblom is a university pastor at the Protestant University Chaplaincy (ESG - Evangelische Studierendengemeinde) in Mainz, Germany. She is a systemic supervisor (DGSv), coach (DGfC) and mediator. She also works as a lecturer for pastoral care at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Rhineland-Westphalia-Lippe. For over 25 years, she has been actively building bridges between Christian pastoral work in parish ministry, biblical theology and queer theological perspectives. Since 2015, she has been writing blog posts in the 'kreuz & queer' section of the online magazine evangelisch.de.