"Reckless love": Sexual Violence, Gendered Interpretations, and Intimate and Aggressive Language in Contemporary Worship Music
When contemporary worship music emerged over fifty years ago, it was born in part out of the desire for more intimate worship. Widely adopted by white evangelicals, intimate lyrics have granted the genre the nickname of "Jesus is my boyfriend" music. Recently, language for God’s love has d...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
|
| In: |
Journal of feminist studies in religion
Year: 2024, Volume: 40, Issue: 2, Pages: 5-22 |
| Further subjects: | B
Women
B feminist liturgy B songwriting B contemporary worship music B Sexual Violence |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | When contemporary worship music emerged over fifty years ago, it was born in part out of the desire for more intimate worship. Widely adopted by white evangelicals, intimate lyrics have granted the genre the nickname of "Jesus is my boyfriend" music. Recently, language for God’s love has depicted an aggressive, overwhelming force through words like "reckless," "jealous," and "insatiable." This article examines connections between this language, sexual intimacy and consent, and evangelical worship. In line with feminist liturgists who have long considered how gendered religious language impacts women’s experiences, it explores the gendered impacts of contemporary worship music’s intimate and aggressive lyrics. Following analysis of several songs that use this language, the article concludes with suggestions for how language and worship structures could be altered to provide respect and agency to worshippers of all genders. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1553-3913 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of feminist studies in religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2979/jfs.00018 |
