Dr. Rebecca Barrett-Fox is a visiting assistant professor of sociology at Arkansas State University. Her research interests are in religion, sexuality and family, politics and the law, social movements, conservatism, and hate groups. She has conducted major research projects on Westboro Baptist Church (the subject of her dissertation at the University of Kansas) and Christian financial planning.

When Congregation-Based Activism Is…Complicated

Congregational Conflict, Conservative & Evangelical Churches, Interviews, Process Frame, Social Service & Activism

Though most conservative Christian organizations, denominations, and congregations have abandoned explicitly homophobic rhetoric in their arguments against gay rights in their effort to craft a politically viable position, others have increased the volume (and, through social media, the audience) of their anti-gay teachings. For this reason, and because they often provoke a backlash from welcoming…