featurednews.com — A small Catholic university quietly rewrote its theology playbook, and the real story is what it reveals about who now controls the meaning of “Catholic education.”
Story Snapshot
- A Catholic university now lets students swap a Bible-centered requirement for a course in “Queer Theologies.” [1][2][7]
- The catalog presents queer theology as a serious “sub-field,” not a fringe interest. [7]
- Critics call the move “functional apostasy,” while supporters frame it as academic freedom and student autonomy. [1][2][4]
- The unresolved question: can a school still credibly call itself Catholic while institutionalizing theology built to revise Catholic teaching?
A Catholic Campus Where Scripture Class Becomes Optional
The University of Portland in Oregon, run by the Congregation of Holy Cross, requires every student to take theology, describing its program as exploring faith “from a Catholic ecumenical perspective.” [6] That sounds safely traditional. The friction starts with a redesign of the core curriculum: students once had to take an upper-level course called “Biblical Texts in Global Context.” Now they may fulfill that second theology requirement with a menu of electives, including “THE 362: Queer Theologies.” [1][2][4][7]
The official justification is disarmingly bland. A department leader reportedly said the change gives students more “autonomy” and lets them choose classes that align with their own “faith traditions.” [2] That language comes straight from the modern university playbook: let the marketplace of ideas sort it out. From an American conservative standpoint, autonomy is good, but the point of a religious university is not unlimited choice; it is ordered choice under a clearly stated creed.
What “Queer Theologies” Actually Claims To Do
The course catalog for THE 362 is not shy. It promises to “introduce, explore, and evaluate queer Christian theologies,” tracing “developments of queer(ing) theologies—from early turns to Scripture/doctrine affirming same-sex relationships, to efforts revising theologies in light of queer lives.” [7] That is not just a history lesson. The description centers theological projects that affirm same-sex relationships and explicitly “revise” theology based on queer experience. In plain English, this is a course that treats revisionist sexual ethics as a serious, constructive option.
Defenders emphasize the verbs “introduces, explores, and evaluates,” arguing that this is academic analysis, not endorsement. [7] That argument has some weight; universities do need to examine ideas critically. Yet a Catholic institution is not neutral ground. When the curriculum highlights revisionist approaches to Scripture on sex while making a robust Bible course optional, the signal is unmistakable: traditional doctrine moves from the center of gravity to just one option among many. Critics see that as a classic case of the tail of academic fashion wagging the dog of stated mission. [1][2]
From Theology To “Theology And Religious Studies”
The department is not just tweaking course numbers; it is rebranding itself as “Theology and Religious Studies.” [2] That sounds like a cosmetic update until you understand the trajectory of Catholic higher education. “Theology” implies reflection from within a faith tradition. “Religious studies” usually means the neutral, distance-learning of religion as a human phenomenon. When a Catholic department marries the two, the institution signals that confessional boundaries will now share the house with detached analysis, and in practice detached analysis usually drives.
The University of Portland’s own degree description underscores this mixed posture, promising immersion in “sub-disciplines of theology from a Catholic ecumenical perspective.” [6] Ecumenical engagement is not the problem; the Catholic Church has long encouraged respectful dialogue. The tension arises when “ecumenical” becomes a catchall term that covers importing theological systems built precisely to contradict settled Catholic teaching on human nature, marriage, and sexual morality. At some point, breadth without guardrails stops being Catholic breadth and becomes doctrinal relativism dressed in academic robes.
Critics, Queer Theology, And The Missing “Lesbian Pastor”
Catholic critics have not minced words. The Catholic Action League’s C. J. Doyle reportedly called the University of Portland’s direction “functional apostasy” and “the institutionalization of heterodoxy.” [1][2] That rhetoric is scorching, but the underlying concern lines up with common-sense conservative instincts: if a school markets itself as Catholic, parents should be able to assume Catholic moral anthropology is the baseline, not an elective viewpoint in competition with its negation.
What the available record does not show is equally important. None of the primary sources here identify a specific instructor for Queer Theologies, let alone confirm the viral framing that a “lesbian pastor” teaches the course. [1][2][7] Responsible criticism has to stay tethered to verifiable facts. When opponents exaggerate details that the documents cannot support, they hand the university an easy counterattack: accuse the critics of misinformation, then ignore the harder question of why a Catholic campus is normalizing theology aimed at rewriting Christian sexual ethics.
A Test Case For The Future Of Catholic Universities
The University of Portland case is not isolated. Queer theology courses now appear across Protestant and Catholic-affiliated schools, and even mainline denominational agencies promote training that centers queer biblical interpretation, queer liberation theologies, and queer ethics. [3][5] On a secular campus, this is just one more ideological offering. On a Catholic campus, it functions as a referendum on whether the institution believes its own creed is true or just historically interesting.
Common sense shaped by conservative values draws a clear line. A Catholic university should welcome every student, reject cruelty, and encourage honest inquiry. But it also has a duty to confess, teach, and protect what the Church actually believes. When required engagement with Scripture gives way to optional “Biblical Texts” while courses built around revising doctrine on sex gain full institutional status, the university is answering the identity question with its feet. Parents, donors, and serious students should read that syllabus more carefully than the glossy admissions brochure.
Sources:
[1] Web – University of Portland offers ‘queer theologies’ course – Christian …
[2] Web – U. Portland theology majors no longer have to take ‘Biblical Texts’
[3] Web – United Methodist Lobby Promotes Queer Theology Course
[4] Web – Bishop Budde’s Courage; U of Portland’s Queer Theology; and More …
[5] YouTube – Queer Theology Panel Discussion
[6] Web – BA in Theology & Religious Studies | University of Portland
[7] Web – THE 362 Queer Theologies – University of Portland
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