Clergy Deliberation on Gay Rights and Homosexuality

In examining the increasingly popular concept of deliberative democracy, social scientists most often look to “cross-cutting” elements within discussion networks. Studies of deliberation in networks, however, preclude a number of other sources of deliberative discourse, and ignore the important role that some theorists claim for elites, like clergy, in fostering debate in group settings. To this effect we ask: Do clergy model the deliberative process on potentially divisive issues such as gay rights? We employ an original survey instrument administered to clergy in Columbus, Ohio, just after the 2004 election to understand the quantity and diversity of clergy discussion. We find that discussion diversity increases under conditions of congregational disunity, which, somewhat paradoxically, has no effect on the quantity of issue discussion.