Keegan Osinski

Keegan Osinski (she/her) did not grow up in a religious family – so she found it ironic that she not only went on to study theology and religion but became so attached to the Church of the Nazarene, an international Wesleyan-Holiness denomination.

In middle school, her friends invited her to attend a local youth group at a non-denominational, evangelical church near Temecula, California where Osinski was raised. This evangelical church became her first foray into a religious community.

While still attending a non-denominational church, Osinski attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. It was there she was introduced not only to the larger world of Protestant denominations, but the study of theologies different than what she had known. It was also around this time that she was introduced to feminism. The combination of new theologies and feminism soon strained her relationship not only with her fiancé (her church’s music minister) but her non-denominational church whose approach to gender, sexuality, and theology ran counter to what Osinski was coming to believe. Specifically, the view of a “Christian woman” that her church held out to her not only seemed contrary to Osinski’s own sense of self but contrary to the experience of the single-mother who raised her. Osinski’s engagement was soon broken off, and she was pushed out of the non-denominational church she had been part of since middle school.

In this hard time of transition, Osinski remembers the pastors and professors of the Church of the Nazarene as a comforting, supporting presence that saw her into a new beginning. Osinski eventually joined the Church of the Nazarene. She went on to earn her B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from Point Loma Nazarene University in December 2010 and her Master's in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt in 2019. She also completed her M.L.I.S. through the University of Washington's iSchool in 2014.

Based on her initial church experience, Osinski initially thought the Church of the Nazarene was a progressive community. Yet as she continued to come to terms with her sexuality and theological positions, she realized that the Church of the Nazarene had its own conservative aspects.

Osinski saw it as both her role and opportunity to foster deep discussions, especially around issues of sexuality and inclusion. She recognized that as a queer person in a non-affirming environment, one becomes an advocate even without intending to be. As such, Osinski worked to make herself visible for the sake of those who were queer in the Church and needed someone to go to.  She likened this role to a lighthouse, one in which people would know to come to her and, in doing so, they would find each other.  

Osinski’s ability to be so visible was rooted in her unique position – a position she viewed as a privilege. She was not employed by the Church nor was she ordained. Such a position, Osinski believed, bestowed a certain freedom. And that freedom bestowed a certain responsibility. “I am obliged to use my freedom for the benefit of those like me.,” Osinski said. This privileged position both enabled and required her to be visible and outspoken on issues that others feared to address. For unlike Osinski, anyone who was employed or ordained by the Church of the Nazarene could be fired or disciplined by their religious communities for such visibility. Additionally, Osinski felt that this position made it easier for her to engage than those who had been hurt by the denomination.   Because she did not have the “baggage” of growing up in this community, she not only felt free to engage in hard topics but brought fresh eyes to old questions.

It was the love and support that Osinski experienced in much of the Church that compelled her to stay within it. “The Church of the Nazarene is my church too,” she said. Osinski is open about the fact that this denomination has been nothing but good to her and for her as a queer person. She recognizes that this is not everyone’s experience. But Osinski’s story has convinced her that it is possible to have the Church of the Nazarene be a welcoming space for queer people. She thus helped to organize an LGBTQ and allies meet up at the 2023 General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene.

Keegan’s first book, Queering Wesley, Queering the Church, was published in 2021. This book, according to its description, presented a prototype for rethinking the tradition that the Church of the Nazarene found itself in. Wesleyan holiness should be seen as an expansive openness to the love and grace of God in queer Christian lives, Osinski wrote, rather than the limiting and restrictive legalism that is sometimes found in Wesleyan theology and praxis. Osinski’s book consisted of queer readings of several of John Wesley’s sermons. Osinski believed that reading these sermons from a queer perspective could offer the church a fresh paradigm for theological innovation, while remaining in line with the tradition and legacy of Wesley that remains central to the Church of the Nazarene.

For many, including Keegan, this was the first book of its kind. The project behind this book began in 2017 while Keegan was working toward her Masters of Theology at Vanderbilt. In 2019, the project was delivered as a paper at the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society where it was received well by a packed audience.  “It has done what I hoped it would do,” Keegan said. Keegan is still involved in the promotion and facilitation of the book, and you can learn more about her involvement at her website.

In July of 2024 Osinski testified at the trial of Rev. Thomas Jay Oord, a professor and theologian in the Church of the Nazarene. Oord was summoned to appear before the Church’s Regional Board of Discipline in Boise, Idaho based on his publications and activism that argued that the Church of the Nazarene should be open and affirming toward LGBTQ+ members. Despite the support from theologians and scholars like Osinski who testified on his behalf, the court found Oord “guilty of conduct unbecoming a minister” and guilty of “affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members.” The Board stripped Oord of his preaching license and his membership in the Church of the Nazarene. The trial was covered by the Religion News Service.

Keegan currently serves as the Librarian for Theology & Ethics and the Assistant Director of the Divinity Library at Vanderbilt University.

(This biographical statement written by Kristofer Stinson from information provided by Keegan Osinski.)

Biography Date: September 2024

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