The purpose of this essay is to analyse how the Church of Sweden's understanding of the diaconal mission, as it emerges from the national level, relates to Lutheran identity, and critically and constructively examine the relationship using queer theological tools. The essay uses a theologically-historically conscious content-oriented ideational analysis to answer the research questions. The theoretical and methodological approach also contains comparative and queer elements. The Church of Sweden's national documents about diaconia describes the role of the deacon as caritative, with a special focus on marginalized people. They state that all Christians are called to serve one another. Most of the Church of Sweden's understanding of diaconia is compatible with Lutheran identity, but the two contradict each other in some instances. The essay finds a stronger connection between the Church of Sweden's diaconia and the law than the gospel. The doctrine of the two regiments can be interpreted as if the church has a responsibility to protest worldly rulers if needed. The national documents support this stance. By using queer theological tools, the essay discusses some of the power structures and discourses that become apparent in the study field. The analysis shows that the diaconate can be understood as an expression of a performative femininity. It also points out that the Church of Sweden's documents implicitly contradicts itself when discussing vulnerability. The essay states that the Church of Sweden is lacking in self-reflection about its own and society´s power structures. Because of this, the Church of Sweden overlooks important dimensions of the diaconal mission. Lutheran identity is useful in the examination of hidden power structures and the understanding of the Church of Sweden's role in society, not least because of its reforming character.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-503210 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Sjöstedt, Maria |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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