ABSTRACT
The initial outbreak of the AIDS pandemic was greeted with condemnation and ecclesial exclusion and violence. Christian churches attempted to manage HIV/AIDS through programs of abstinence. This chapter explores the theologies and spiritualities of HIV/AIDS from the underbelly of the Body of the Christ or perhaps from the genitals of Christ's Body. It uses the "genitals of the Body of Christ" because it reflects the stigma, shame, and exclusion imposed by Christian churches upon human sexuality, especially non-heteronormative sexuality, and thus transferred to folks living with HIV/AIDS. The chapter undresses the body of Christ for its multiple failures in pastoral care and theology over the decades and currently in many areas of the globe to respond compassionately to the shameful parts of the body of Christ, often portrayed as sinful, or deviant. Stigma, conflated with gender inequality, poverty, and social injustice has made AIDS a lethal disease in Africa.
