Tro, homosexualitet och meningsskapande : En narrativ analys av dokumentären Fadern, sonen och synden (2023)

Sammanfattning

Previous research shows that homosexuality and LGBTQ issues have long been contestedwithin many free church contexts. Research has also highlighted how the relationshipbetween religion, sexuality, and identity can create complex identity negotiations forindividuals raised in religious environments where heterosexuality is the norm. This studyexamines how the documentary Fadern, sonen och synden (2023) portrays homosexualityin relation to free church (i.e. Protestant congregations independent of the state LutheranChurch.) understandings of sin, conversion, and belonging. The aim is to analyze how thedocumentary constructs a narrative through story structure and actor positions, and howthis narrative contributes to meaning-making regarding faith, homosexuality, and identity.The study also aims to contribute with didactically relevant perspectives for uppersecondary religious education. The material consists of the documentary Fadern, sonenoch synden (2023) produced by Sveriges Radio. The study applies a narrative methodbased on Anna Johansson’s narrative theory and James Murphy’s perspective onmeaning-making. Narrative theory is used to examine how identities and experiences areconstructed through storytelling, while meaning-making is used to analyze howexperiences are interpreted within broader religious and cultural frameworks. The resultsshow that the documentary centers on Gabriel’s experiences of growing up homosexualwithin a charismatic free church context connected to the Word of Life congregation inSweden. Through the documentary’s narrative structure and actor positions, the conflictbetween faith and homosexuality is presented as central. The analysis furtherdemonstrates how meaning is created by linking personal experiences to Christianunderstandings of sin, conversion, and belonging. The documentary mainly portrays amovement from a critical to a more affirming perspective on homosexuality, wherereinterpretation and new forms of religious community become central themes. The studytherefore shows how narrative representations can function as resources for creatingmeaning around religion, sexuality, and identity within a free church context.