Recommended Books List

Listed by American Bookseller as “among the most important gay and lesbian books that should be represented in any general bookstore”, Borhek’s original edition of this book (1983) has also been praised as “sound, sympathetic, and helpful” (St. Luke’s Journal of Theology). In this thorough revision, Borhek brings an additional decade of personal knowledge and experience to bear on the subject of coming out.

In this book, John Boswell proves that in pagan antiquity and during Christianity’s first millennium extensive legal sanction was given to pair-bonding between males, and that societies found little difficulty in accepting the concepts that homosexual ties could indeed be family and familiar relationships.

A major contemporary argument against homosexual unions has been that they are incapable of fulfilling all that constitutes ‘marriage’, as dictated by a peculiar modern romantic cult of heterosexual love: monogamous erotic passion, procreation, housekeeping and friendship. However, what emerges from Boswell’s examination of what the ‘conjugal alliance’ has meant to different societies through the ages, is that male–female marriage itself was never expected to fulfil all these needs.

Through analysis of a multitude of induction ceremonies, contractual forms, covenants, oaths, blessings, arrangements for the disposition of property and other types of publicly testified and legally/morally binding unions, Boswell shows that Christendom has had a major homosexual past which church authorities during the last few hundred years have chosen to suppress or ignore.

What is involved in the practice of thinking theologically about marriage? Key writers and thinkers offer an informed, considered and constructive guide to a number of central questions, including: • Mike Higton on marriage, gender and Christian doctrine • Charlotte Metheun on what we can learn from the history of marriage • Ben Fulford on thinking about marriage with scripture • Julie Gittoes on the liturgical theology of marriage • John Bradbury on marriage as vocation • Brett Gray on reproduction and the body’s grace • Susannah Cornwall on being faithful to our sexuate bodies • Rachel Muers on developing a contemporary theology of marriage and much more Reflecting a broad theological and eccesiological spectrum within the Christian tradition, Thinking Again About Marriage offers a vital resource for critical thinking and reflective practice.

What are the most important texts for modern Christians to read in order to arrive at responsible decisions regarding the ethics of human sexual behaviour? How should those texts be translated for today’s reader? How should the Bible be used in this enterprise? Contributors to this book, all notable biblical scholars, confront these questions as they deal with issues surrounding the ethics of sexual behaviour, in general, and the divisive issue of gay/lesbian ordination, in particular. They provide an amazing amount of information about biblical ideas of sexuality as they put forth a deeper understanding of the Bible, its intentions, and its variety.

Love Between Women examines female homoeroticism and the role of women in the ancient Roman world. Employing an unparalleled range of cultural sources, Brooten finds evidence of marriages between women and establishes that condemnations of female homoerotic practices were based on widespread awareness of love between women.

Leading Anglican writers from around the world challenge the assumption that the communion is split between a liberal ‘north’ and an orthodox ‘south’. Anglican churches worldwide are sharply divided on homosexuality. The dominant stereotype is that of a ‘global south’ unanimously lined up against homosexuality as immoral and sinful, and of a liberal and decadent global north. The differences between the two sides are seen as fundamental and irreconcilable. Nothing is further from the truth: homosexual behaviour exists across the whole Anglican Communion, whether it is openly celebrated or quietly integrated into local churches and cultures. In this extraordinary book, in development for several years, this is exposed as a myth. Christians throughout Africa, Asia, and the developing world – bishops, priests and religious, academics and lay writers – open up dramatic new perspectives on familiar arguments and debates. Topics include biblical interpretation, sexuality and doctrine, local history, sexuality and personhood, the influence of other faiths, issues of colonialism and post-colonialism, homophobia, and the place of homosexual persons in the church. Other Voices, Other Worlds reveals the rich historical and cross-cultural complexity to same-sex relationships, and injects dramatic new perspectives into a debate that has become stale and predictable.

This thought-provoking book by James Brownson develops a broad, cross-cultural sexual ethic from Scripture, locates current debates over homosexuality in that wider context, and explores why the Bible speaks the way it does about same-sex relationships.

Fairly presenting both sides in this polarized debate — “traditional” and “revisionist” — Brownson conscientiously analyzes all of the pertinent biblical texts and helpfully identifies “stuck points” in the ongoing debate. In the process, he explores key concepts that inform our understanding of the biblical texts, including patriarchy, complementarity, purity and impurity, honor and shame. Central to his argument is the need to uncover the moral logic behind the text.

Written in order to serve and inform the ongoing debate in many denominations over the questions of homosexuality, Brownson’s in-depth study will prove a useful resource for Christians who want to form a considered opinion on this important issue.

In contrast to many studies of New Testament ethics, which treat the New Testament in general and Paul in particular, this book focuses on the person of Jesus himself. Richard Burridge maintains that imitating Jesus means following both his words – which are very demanding ethical teachings – and his deeds and example of being inclusive and accepting of everyone.

Burridge carefully and systematically traces that combination of rigorous ethical instruction and inclusive community through the letters of Paul and the four Gospels, treating specific ethical issues pertaining to each part of Scripture. The book culminates with a chapter on apartheid as an ethical challenge to reading the New Testament; using South Africa as a contemporary case study enables Burridge to highlight and further apply his previous discussion and conclusions.

When LGBTQ Christians come out, they face unique challenges that are addressed in this helpful guide. It tackles tough subjects such as demolishing internalized homophobia/transphobia, finding an affirming faith community, reconnecting with your worth as a child of God, navigating difficult family conversations (especially where family members are church leaders), and coping with the “I love you BUT” attitude of faith-based conditional love. Unashamed encourages LGBTQ Christians to celebrate the diversity of God’s creation, including their own sexual orientation and gender identity.

This book is a study of the reception of Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah, together with the parallel story in Judges 19–21, the outrage at Gibeah, in both Christian and Jewish traditions from antiquity through to the Reformation period.

The book detoxifies the homophobic interpretation of Genesis 19, in which Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an archetypal story of divine antipathy towards same-sex love and desire, by showing it to be a Christian invention, emerging in the first few centuries of the Christian era.

In the Jewish traditions about Sodom and Gomorrah, the events are associated primarily with inhospitality, xenophobia and abuse of the poor. Together with the reception of the parallel Judges story, this Jewish understanding is used to highlight the inconsistencies and ethical problems in the anti-gay Christian reading.

In From Sin to Amazing Grace, Cheng argues that people need to be liberated from the traditional thinking about sin as a violation of divine and natural laws in which grace is understood as the strength to refrain from violating such laws. He proposes a Christological model based upon the theologies of Irenaeus, Bonaventure, and Barth, in which sin and grace are defined in terms of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. This book will serve as a useful resource for all people who struggle to make sense of traditional Christian doctrines in the context of the twenty-first century.

As Patrick Cheng insightfully argues, Jesus Christ can be understood by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as the embodiment of a love so extreme that it dissolves all existing boundaries. In discussing revelation, God, Trinity, creation, atonement, sin, grace, Holy Spirit, church, and sacraments, Patrick Cheng – a theologian, seminary professor, and ordained minister – provides a historical survey of how queer theology has developed from the 1950s to today, and then illuminates its themes using the ecumenical creeds as his guide. He discusses Jesus’s communion with all people – holy and profane. He explores Jesus’s crossing of all barriers – from divine to sexual. Above all, he reminds us that those barriers are societal, rather than religious, concepts.

In the midst of the culture wars of our broader society, LGBT people have become the focus of a spiritual battle within the Orthodox Church. The recognition of LGBT rights in the political sphere has triggered negative ecclesial responses. In the struggle to maintain traditional values and teachings, LGBT Orthodox are denied confession, communion or blessings. Many face exclusion from parish life, and some face physical violence.

Roughly half of the essays gathered in this book were first presented at a seminar entitled “Orthodox Theological Reflections on LGBT People,” held 20–23 August 2015 in Finland. The other half represent Orthodox theologians, clergy, scholars and activists writing over the past 20 years. Together they offer an affirming message, urging LGBT Orthodox to proclaim with the psalmist: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” (Psalm 139:14)

Equal Rites is a much-needed collection of worship services, ceremonies, and celebrations that is attuned to the unique needs of sexual minorities. The selections, written primarily by lesbians and gay men, include rites of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings, holy communion, and pride and empowerment. Also included are funeral memorial services and seasonal and holiday rites for couples. More than a collection, Equal Rites can also serve as a reference book for creating unique and meaningful worship services that address significant aspects of lesbian and gay spirituality.

Bitter battles over the churches’ stance toward its gay and lesbian members have tested the churches’ fundamental orientation and even threatened to split whole denominations apart. The blessing of homosexual unions and ordination of gays and lesbians have proven to be special flashpoints at both local and national levels.

Part of the widespread perplexity over the issues stems from their complexity. They involve questions not only of personal ethics and church polity but also of Christian history, conflicting readings of the biblical data, and uncertainty over basic anthropological frameworks, especially as driven by findings of the social sciences.

This volume is aimed at engendering real reflection and conversation by providing Christians with the basic tools to engage the many dimensions of this question for themselves and with each other.

Alex Clare-Young, the first out transgender minister in the United Reformed Church, says:

“Transgender. Christian. Human. is the story of my life as a transgender child and adult. Trans is an imperfect label but labels are, to some extent, necessary – especially when we choose them for ourselves. For me, being trans means moving towards a gender that varies from my sex assigned at birth. It also means moving between genders and critiquing the rigidity of gendered systems.

“Parts of this book are incredibly sad. Others are full of joy. Some are even pretty funny. I hope that the result is an honest and authentic reflection of being transgender, Christian and human. I have included resources and activities at the end of each chapter to encourage individuals and groups to explore the subject. I hope the book helps you to understand yourself and your friends, colleagues and family a little better – and that it acts as a mirror to reflect a different way of being.”

An ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a university professor, Comstock brings both sensitivity and intelligence to his subject. His is a forward-thinking and inclusive Christian theology which affirms that gay love and sexuality are not only compatible with the Christian walk, but that the Christian community as a whole is impoverished by the exclusion of self-affirming lesbians and gay men.

Comstock incorporates both revealing autobiographical passages and incisive scholarly work into his explorations of several biblical texts. He also has an admirable sense of humility; in his introduction he notes that he does not claim to have constructed a definitive pro-gay Christian theology. Rather, he writes, “My intention is not to speak for others, but to add my voice to others’ and to encourage others to speak.”

The work of Marcella Maria Althaus-Reid is both groundbreaking and notoriously difficult to read, as it blends theories from post-colonial studies, queer studies, gender and sexuality studies, and feminist and liberation theologies.
Offering a much needed introduction to the work of the theologian, Queer and Indecent shows the development of Althaus-Reid’s core concepts – indigeneity, economic oppression, the body, indecency, heterosexuality, and sex, as well as setting her life in context with an overview of her stance on feminist teaching and activism, and her critique of Latin American liberation theology.

Sex and Uncertainty in the Body of Christ provides the first full-length examination of the theological implications of physical intersex conditions and their medical treatment. Mainstream Christian theology has valued the integrity of the body and the goodness of God reflected in creation, but has also set much store by the “complementarity” of “normal” male and female physiology.

But theologies which value incarnation and bodiliness must speak with stigmatised or marginal bodies too: the Body of Christ is comprised of human members, and each member thereby changes the Body’s definition of itself.

Accepting the non-pathology of intersexed and otherwise atypical bodies necessitates a re-examination of discourses about sex, marriage, sexuality, perfection, healing and the resurrection body. Informed by existing theologies from three marginal areas (transexualism, disability and queer theology), this beginning of a theology from intersex demonstrates the necessity of resisting erotic domination in defining bodies.

In his Introduction to Pleasure, Pain & Passion Jim Cotter writes: “To write about sexuality is foolish enough, to write about spirituality equally so: there is mystery here, and energy, and confusion, and vulnerability. It is difficult to write clearly about either; to see how they might be connected seems impossible. But I am compelled to try, because it is so exhausting and destructive keeping them apart.”

Foolish or not, Jim Cotter explores these difficult but vital human themes with great spiritual wisdom and insight. Topics include Making connections; Welcoming the flesh; Desiring affirmation; Hating the flesh; Recovering tenderness; Discovering pleasure; Learning the language of touch; Being transfigured; and Becoming pain-bearers. The book concludes with some worship resources and meditations.

The Bible, the Church and Homosexuality is intended to reach those who believe that the issues in human sexuality involve a straight choice between faithfulness to Scripture or conforming to liberal conscience, and that Scripture must prevail even if their heart and experience tug them in a different direction. The collection explores a variety of fundamental Christian themes and shows that a change in the Church’s approach to homosexuality would be both consistent with the Church’s understanding of Scripture and with the Church’s traditional ways of working with doctrine. The contributors include Marilyn McCord Adams, Robert Merrihew Adams, John Drury, Christopher Rowland, Jane Shaw and Margaret Bedggood.

This 2001 revised edition of the landmark 1988 text includes updated text and notes throughout, taking advantage of recent studies of sexual ethics and, where appropriate, criticising them. A new chapter engages the presumed ‘ethic of creation’ that has become a major theme among more conservative thinkers and writers in biblical ethics. A concluding chapter on sex is thoroughly rewritten and offers a positive statement of a New Testament sexual ethic.

[I have seen a later revision referred to, dated 2007, but have not been able to find the details; it may simply be a reprint. — Phil Gardner]

Countryman and Ritley explore what it means to affirm, not merely accept, being gay or lesbian as well as Christian. Writing primarily for the LGB community, and for their families and communities, they explore the ways in which the LGB community can appropriate and re-tell the biblical story, and find confidence in their unique spiritual journey and gifts.

The authors conclude that being gay or lesbian is not actually a problem at all; rather it is a vocation, and, in fact, a gift to today’s church. As ‘outsiders’ gay men and lesbians challenge the church to be inclusive of all God’s children – the central message of the gospel.

Coming Out Spiritually is structured by author Christian de la Huerta’s idea that gay people have traditionally assumed ten spiritual roles or archetypes, and continue to assume them today.

These include, among others, ‘creator of beauty’, ‘mediator’, ‘shaman’, and ‘healer’. This understanding of gay people’s spirituality draws on a number of religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Sufism, and Taoism. After establishing his theoretical understanding of gay spirituality, de la Huerta suggests spiritual practices (ranging from meditation to healing to Sufi dancing) that can help readers achieve greater spiritual integrity.

Perhaps the most interesting passages in the book consider how sex itself can express spiritual devotion. “When we learn to reunite sex and Spirit in our lives, we will experience change and healing beyond our wildest dreams”, de la Huerta writes.