My research interests have certainly swayed over the course of this class
as I started posting and commenting on discussion posts. I initially wanted
to focus my work on prison system reform per my first discussion post,
but have since shifted my interest to the LGBTQ community in churches. I
was influenced by classmates doing research on niche topics that are
typically looked over. Their passion fueled a different passion in me that I
hadn’t discovered before.%
%
I feel that the Lord is leading me to be a different leader - one that brings
his message to a community that is often untouched by Christian scholars.
There is very little research on assimilating the LGBTQ+ community into
churches. In a sense, it is almost a taboo topic to discuss for people of
faith. However, large majorities of major religions welcome members of
this community (Hananel et al., 2020).
%
As an open-minded individual myself, it would be nice to work as a
counselor at a faith-based organization post-graduation before
transitioning into academia later in my career. I think there is a high
probability of me thriving as a thought leader if I follow this path. Even if
my research plan sways, I plan to stay within researching the underserved
communities of faith in terms of the amount of research conducted on
them.
%
Some researchers termed God’s calling to us for a particular vocation a
“technical call” according to Milton (2018). I am a firm believer that
anything is possible through God. I find purpose in serving Him and
connecting my faith with populations that normally are not highly
connected to Christianity. Surely, there is reward in connecting more
people to God. Doing good is part of our faith after all.
References
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Hananel, S., Woodcome, T., Shepherd M., Parshall, J., Markham, C.,
McBride, S., Steenland, S., London, E., Kenney, C., Jordan, A., Rapfogel, N.,
& Malus, H. (2020, February 7).%How religion and LGBTQ rights intersect in
media coverage. Center for American Progress. Retrieved May 5, 2022,
from https://www.americanprogress.org/article/religion-lgbtq-rights-
intersect-media-coverage/
Milton, M. (2018, April 19).%There are actually 3 callings for Christians (not
one). Crosswalk.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/there-are-actually-three-
callings-for-christians-not-one.html
