GLBT Christian Books
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The power of the words Dr. Rossiter uses to describe his emotions as he goes through the struggle to understand himself as a gay man, a Christian, and a pastor, go beyond my ability to describe them. He uses words and phrases that convey the depth of his pain, his anger, and his joys loudly and clearly. He pulls no punches in his growing anger toward the contradictory stance of the United Methodist church on the issue of homosexuality, and in the spirit-filled language he uses to describe his relationships with his family, his friends, his lover, and with God. Although I am not a gay person, I can nonetheless appreciate and learn from his struggle to be authentic with himself, to embrace every part of his being, and to realize that he can and should be everything God created him to be. It's a lesson for all of us struggling to be honest with our true selves and worry that our true selves will not be "good enough" for other people and for God. The reality, though, is God's love and grace is all sufficient and is not withheld from any of God's children. And ALL of us are God's children. Thank you, Dr. Rossiter, for reminding us of the fullness of God's love!
 

 
The issue of homosexuality and the church is a broad and difficult issue to discuss, and the authors in this book do a good job of avoiding simplistic answers. Fresh ideas and diverse perspectives make this stand out among similar resources. Seow in particular writes a wonderful essay. Any in-depth exploration of these issues requires several resources, but this should certainly be one of those that you read and to which you refer.

 
This is a very good book for gay/lesbian people who want to see some positive messages on the subject of religion, which is definitely needed. With all the hatred that masquerades as "God's word" when it comes to homosexuality (even though Jesus himself *never* mentions sexuality or gender identity *at all*, it's about time people started putting loving book which shows gay/lesbian people they don't have to abandon religion. My only complaint is that the authors don't ever mention or include bisexual or transgendered people at all. They just quickly say something to the effect of "we'd like to, but that's beyond the scope of our book." I'd say someone should write another book addressing this, since bi and trans people get the same harassment from so-called "religious" people, but except for that, this is a very good book. I'd recommend it to any gay/lesbian people I know who don't want to give up on religion, since it shows you *can* be gay *and* a Christian.
 

 
The Silence of Sodom by Mark D. Jordan, a professor of theology at Emory University, is a smart, graceful, important book about homosexuality and modern Catholicism. It transcends discussion of sexual identity and contends that theology cannot, fundamentally, be argued--it must be lived. "Serious moral theology cannot be principally the framing and manipulation of quasi-legal propositions.

 
this little book documents and explains what was likely really going on in the ancient world. In a way, of course, what the ancients thought is truly irrelvant today. Our world is so unlike theirs, one of them transported by time machine into the year 2001would hardly recognize he was still on earth and that these current day creatures were descendants of his. And yet interest in the ancients has survived, perhaps for that very reason. For one of the big differences is how sexuality and homosexuality are viewed. That the ancients had different ideas is a reminder that the notions conventional culture takes are time-bound and arbitrary. And that's good news for people dealing with the misunderstandings of modern, Christian-influenced society. Puterbaugh presents a wealth of quotes and references and does a creditable job of explaining them in context. That homosexuality isn't such a new thing is not surprising. But understanding what that means in context often remains elusive. Things were just so different back then.
 

Sex. Religion. There is no denying that these two subjects are among the most provocative in American public life. Even the constitutional principle of church-state separation seems to give way when it comes to sex: the Supreme Court draws on theology as readily as it draws on case law when rendering decisions that touch on sexuality. In this compelling and carefully argued study, Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini examine this powerful and disturbing connection as they explore the reasons why secular institutions habitually use religion to regulate sexual life. From state legislatures to the halls of Congress and the Supreme Court, from daily newspapers to popular magazines and television talk shows, Jakobsen and Pellegrini illustrate the intensity of America's obsession with sex in the name of values and the dangers it poses to some of our most basic freedoms.

 
This essay collection, compiled by Bouldrey (The Genius of Desire, Ballantine, 1993), examines the struggles of faith of 21 gay male writers, including Andrew Holleran, Lev Raphael, and Michael Nava. Spiritual hunger, the need for guidance, and thoughts of death bring each author to contemplate the mystery of spirituality and the tempestuous relationship between spirituality and sexuality. Some of the men are able to overcome the malleable pubescent stage of life and resolve the raging tempest. Thus, D.G. Miller writes in his essay of stuffing his face with "Wonderbread, the bread of eternal life" to avoid the perils of hell, while Fenton Johnson writes as a Southern boy raised with manners and having no interest in crashing a party to which he has been "so expressly disinvited." These essays are passionate reminders of those who reach out for richer spiritual life. As Alfred Corn writes, "I know that I am myself because God wanted me to be whom I am, and that God rejoices with me in my life as a gay man."
 

 
A Baptist minister challenges Christian churches to re-examine their ideas and prejudices and to look at gays and lesbians as the human beings they are, as diverse a group as any others. He looks at the scriptures long used to justify the judgment and discrimination the churches use against these people, and then suggest ways in which the church and its members can begin to right some of the wrongs done in its name. This book should be read by all who call themselves Christians.

 
This book tells a tale of two Northwestern cities: Seattle, well known nationally for its liberalism, and Spokane, its conservative cousin to the east. Weathering Change characterizes the ways these liberal and conservative environments translate into hostility and hospitality for the Christian conservatives, gay men, and lesbians who live within them. Linneman gives us a firsthand account of how people from both groups think about social change in relation to the media, the public, the government, their communities, and their opposition. Indeed, we gain much needed insight into why Christian conservatives view the progress of the gay and lesbian movement as such a threat