Dear Members and Friends,
Happy New Year! We pray that God continues to shine on you and your family with warmth and peace in the new beginning of the year 2025.
We are preparing ahead for ourΒ in God’s image December 2025 edition and inviting you and your family/friends to join in for the contribution. Please see below for the details.
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Amplifying LGBTIQA+ Voices in Faith and Solidarity: South Korean Context
in Godβs image December 2025 Issue
WHAT IS AWRC?
Asian Womenβs Resource Centre for Culture and Theology (AWRC) is an organisation of women and womenβs organisations in Asia who are engaged in Asian feminist liberation theologies. It was conceived at the Asian Womenβs Theologiansβ Conference in Singapore in November 1987 by a group of women theologians who felt the need to form a community of Asian women engaged in feminist theology and inclusive ministry and to encourage them to articulate contextual theology from Asian feminist perspectives. AWRC was officially inaugurated in September 1988 in Hong Kong.
Asia is a multi-dimensional region rich with people of diverse cultures, religions, philosophies, natural resources. Already existing complexities of ethnicities/race/caste, class, religion and gender also contribute to the marginalisation and powerlessness of the people in the region. Women, in particular, are caught in the toils of poverty, sexual and gender-based violence and injustice, and discrimination on the basis of their gender identity. By extension, individuals who identify themselves within the gender spectrum likewise experience varied forms of discrimination, disqualification, exclusion, and erasure.
CALL FOR PAPER
A central commitment of our mission is to amplify the voices of individuals, groups, and communities often silenced by societal structures due to their perceived differences. In our contemporary moment, the world is paradoxically interconnected as a “global village,” yet profound disconnection and division persist. The phenomenon of negative “othering” continues to marginalize and alienate individuals, particularly those whose gender identities or sexualities diverge from hetero- and cisnormative societal frameworks.
South Korea serves as one of the contexts where LGBTIQA+ individuals and communities frequently experience silencing, with some encountering erasure in its most extreme forms. In November 2024, AWRC convened a workshop that gathered Christian activist-pastors and leaders whose ministries affirm and welcome those relegated to the peripheries of both church and society, particularly individuals identifying with non-conforming gender identities and sexualities. This gathering underscored the urgency of creating spaces where LGBTIQA+ voices are not merely included but celebrated as integral to the life of the church and society.
In recognition of this vital work, AWRC invites submissions for a special publication that will amplify the voices of LGBTIQA+ individuals, allies, and participants in the Rainbow Workshop 2024. Contributors are encouraged to draw from their religious, pastoral, ministerial, and social contexts, as well as from their encounters, lived experiences, and insights. Submissions may take diverse forms, including essays, personal narratives, poetry, visual art, or other creative expressions.
We welcome contributions that critically and constructively engage LGBTIQA+ issues with a range of themes, including but not limited to:
- Scriptural hermeneutics
- Theology and ministry practices
- Gender and sexuality
- Embodiment and identity
- National and ecclesial policy
- Migration and displacement
- Historical perspectives
- Ecology and environment
- Space and place
- Disability and inclusion
- Age and intergenerational dialogue
- Mental health and trauma
This special issue seeks to address the underrepresented voices and critical questions that challenge societal and ecclesial practices of exclusion. By prioritizing the voices of South Korean LGBTIQA+ individuals and their allies, this publication aims to serve as both a resource and a witness to the dignity, agency, and sacred worth of LGBTIQA+ communities in East Asia and beyond.
We are especially mindful of the barriers LGBTIQA+ Christians in East Asia face in accessing supportive and affirming faith communities. This publication aspires to offer solidarity, encouragement, and theological reflection that uphold the inherent value of all individuals as created in the image of God.
This initiative reflects AWRCβs theological vision of a renewed humanity rooted in liberation, inclusion, and celebration. We envision a community where all are equally valued as bearers of Godβs image, living in mutual respect and care alongside the rest of creation. As one body of Christ, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice, peace, and equality, standing steadfastly with those who are most marginalized.
We invite you to join us in this sacred endeavor by contributing to this special issue. Together, let us articulate a vision of the church and society that embraces diversity, fosters belonging, and affirms the transformative power of love and justice.
SUBMISSIONS
Those who are interested to submit, kindly submit your essay, poem, graphic, or any form of creative expression on or before May 1, 2025.
Please send your submission to service.igiawrc@gmail.com and krs.r488@gmail.com.
Warm regards,
Kristine C. Meneses
Guest Editor