“Love and Terror” talks about LGBT+ acceptance in evangelical churches

By Artur Vieira*

Defying a leadership and teaching structure that is mostly run by men, Rio de Janeiro native Lília Marianno has an extensive academic record, a master’s degree in religious studies from the Methodist University of São Paulo (Umesp), and one of her defining characteristics is her great interest in lifelong learning and her particular attraction to teaching about gender and diversity. She confesses that there was no other way to go.

As a heterosexual woman, in 1997 she experienced a situation that left her quite uncomfortable when she saw a pastor she greatly admired being expelled from his faith community due to his sexual orientation. This was the turning point for her to begin years of research and studies, and in 2005 she created a discipline focused on the study of Theology and Gender.

These many years teaching and teaching churches and institutions that there is no condemnation for the LGBT+ community, resulted in the launch of his eleventh book, “Love and Terror”.

“We have to critically read what the Bible is really saying, and also what we have been taught about the Bible,” he comments.

The recently released book has become a paradigm shift in evangelical circles and has been a favorite among pastors, theologians, and scholars. It brings together 20 years of biblical-exegetical, sociological, and philosophical research for a holistic and unprecedented approach in Brazil on the subject of the Bible and Gender Diversity: Process-Relational Hermeneutics. For the author, traditional evangelical circles insist on condemning LGBT+ people out of fear of acknowledging that they are wrong and asking for forgiveness.

Her fight has also been in favor of women’s representation in academia, a still very veiled prejudice that places women to teach less theological subjects.

These are the main flags raised by professor Lília Marianno, who strongly believes that only education and teaching can make people see the beauty in diversity.

And her love for teaching makes her continue to lecture throughout Brazil, in addition to promoting online courses and specializations on the subject, bringing teaching to anyone who wants it remotely in the biblical and philosophical areas. To purchase Professor Lilia’s book Click here.

*Artur Vieira is a Christian, gay and journalist who has worked with the LGBT+ public since 2013 on the internet with the profile @devoltaaoreino.