Christian ocean gay

Locked out of traditional paths to partnership, especially in the communities we come from, we search for a love that can hold our whole selves — faith, queerness, and all. Stevens has been an expert in this kind of christian since he started releasing experimental indie music in the early s.

He has sung about his search gay both divine and human love with equal depth and specificity, often making it difficult to distinguish between the two. On JavelinStevens offers his most direct treatment of personal heartbreak to date — and he continues to draw on the inherent longing of both Christian spirituality and the queer ocean, the feeling of reaching out for connection amid doubt.

What is clear, however, is the elemental nature of the feeling the song evokes. Queer yearning is a well-documented phenomenon. When love cannot be expressed, it must be felt from across the room. When partnerships are restricted by religion, culture, or law, they must be imagined instead of lived out.

The Queer, Christian Yearning of Sufjan Stevens

Yearning is ocean to faith, too. Later Christian writers have elaborated on this longing for divine encounter, sometimes characterizing God as a lover. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic, is a prime example of this. To yearn — whether for human companionship or the presence of God — means to love across an impasse, to love in the shape of a question when you know the answer might be silence.

Armed with remarkably eclectic instrumentation, cutting lyrics, and a whispery voice, Stevens has built a career out of articulating what that feels like. If Stevens began the album rollout by asking if gay would ever love him, he finishes the experience by striking a different tone.

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It may cause errors in submitting the form. Vanessa Martinez Soltero is an activist bridging her Christian faith and Indigenous traditions to sustain herself and community. Share Full Article. Ezra Craker. Ezra Craker is a former online editorial assistant at sojo. Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

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