GLBT Christian Books
page 5

 
Reformation of The Heart
by Chris Glaser

While it occurs near the close of the calendar year, Advent marks the commencement of the liturgical one, beginning the Christian calendar afresh with its weeks of hushed expectation. In Reformation of the Heart: Seasonal Meditations of a Gay Christian, Chris Glaser challenges readers to emulate Mary, who prayed, "Let it be with me according to your Word." Glaser's honest daily meditations will help many gay and lesbian Christians understand the Advent season (and other liturgical events) in fresh and comforting ways.
 

 
Biblical Ethics & Homosexuality
by John Westminster

 is a great collection of essays written by reputable scholars.  The only problem is that it is not easy for laypersons to read, due to its fairly technical content.

 
Perfect Enemies
by Chris Bull

Two journalists for The Advocate show how homosexuality has become a major political issue and how two groups-religious conservatives and gay activists-both have at times failed to confront issues effectively.

 
Just As I Am
by Robert Williams

The first openly gay man to be ordained an Episcopal priest extends an inspirational invitation to Christian homosexuals to renew their religious ties. Williams's own story--which includes being squeezed out of the Episcopal clergy and contracting AIDS--serves as a take-off point for a dialogue with gays who seek spiritual sustenance but are estranged from organized religion by their sexuality. The author, who is Boston-based, grapples with the question of why God permits so many people to die of AIDS, presenting anecdotal evidence that faith has the power to delay or even prevent the disease's final reckoning. In a theological survey he labels "The Bible and Homosexuality 101," Williams (emulating the feminist biblical approach) looks for hidden positive references to homosexuality and reinterprets the biblical prohibition against men lying with each other.
 

 
Gays Under Grace
by Maury Johnston

Maury Johnston does a good job of dealing with the major biblical issues surrounding the subject of homosexuality and Christianity. He doesn't shy away from criticizing both the church and the gay community when necessary. The book is logical and relatively clear in its presentation.

 
Gay Male Christian Couples
by Andrew K. T. Yip

The lives of sixty-eight gay male Christian couples in Britain are documented in this well-written and important study. Despite the lack of social support and religious affirmation, these men have succeeded in establishing meaningful and fulfilling partnerships. Focusing on the internal and external dimensions of their partnerships, the book presents extensive interview data that illustrates how these couples manage their partnerships. It is written in a highly accessible style that advances the sociological understanding of an understudied minority.
 

 
Holy Homosexuals
by Michael S. Piazza

Michael S. Piazza is a spiritual visionary, author and social justice advocate who currently serves as Dean and Senior Pastor of the Cathedral of Hope, the world’s largest inclusive and progressive Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. Under Rev. Piazza's courageous leadership, the Cathedral of Hope is setting new standards for compassionate evangelism, inclusive worship and national ministries, while at the same time making religious history.
 

 
Don't Be Afraid Any More
by Rev. Troy Perry

This is the powerful story of Perry and of the church he founded because he and others were rejected by Christian churches because of their homosexuality. Most interesting, perhaps, is the interactions with the National Council of Churches (NCC) and Perry's beliefs about what the Metropolitan Community Churches did for the NCC as a catalyst for shared Communion and other expressions of mutual Christian recognition among NCC members. There are also many notable events in the history of this 22-year-old denomination and its challenges to Christian ethical understandings. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 
Blessing Same Sex Unions
by Mark D. Jordan

At most church weddings, the person presiding over the ritual is not a priest or a pastor, but the wedding planner, followed by the photographer, the florist, and the caterer. And in this day and age, more wedding theology is supplied by Modern Bride magazine or reality television than by any of the Christian treatises on holy matrimony. Indeed, church weddings have strayed long and far from distinctly Christian aspirations. The costumes and gestures might still be right, but the intentions are hardly religious. 
Why then, asks noted gay commentator Mark D. Jordan, are so many churches vehemently opposed to blessing same-sex unions? In this incisive work, Jordan shows how carefully selected ideals of Christian marriage have come to dominate recent debates over same-sex unions. Opponents of gay marriage, he reveals, too often confuse simplified ideals of matrimony with historical facts. They suppose, for instance, that there has been a stable Christian tradition of marriage across millennia, when in reality Christians have quarreled among themselves for centuries about even the most basic elements of marital theology, authorizing experiments like polygamy and divorce.
 

 
Forty Individual Stories of warmth and blessing that cover the history and growth of the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered movement within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Told from the point of view of those who have lived it, one cannot help but find God's Love and Blessing in each of their lives. All too often, only one side of this complex issue of inclusion is heard, without the fairness of balance. This book makes and excellent attempt at telling the other side. It is non-judgmental, nor is it defensive. The words written and shared here are done so in love.