ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on interview data from eight gay male Anglican clergy; this formed part of a larger study of the negotiations undertaken by gay clergy in managing the coexistence of gay, Christian and clerical identities. Such evidence from the literature, combined with the reaction to the nominations of Jeffrey John and Gene Robinson, illustrates that, within public talk at least, connection to Christian religious institution is a constraining factor on the living' of sexuality. Religious belief provided a personal safe space that was related to central Christian teachings of love and acceptance. This gave some respondents the ability to connect emerging sexuality with emerging belief systems. Turning to literature on lesbian, gay and bi-sexual (LGB) Christians, such discussions have been taken further, and illustrate that non-heterosexual individuals actively negotiate with belief in order to find connection between, and meaning for, their sexual and religious selves.
