| BIBLICAL/THEOLOGICAL TOPICS
Agony In The Garden - The Story
of a Gay Minister
Howard Hannon / OutWrite Publishing
1996
"A must read for those who resist
the idea that sexuality and spirituality have any connection with
each other. This book chronicles an unprecedented journey of
faith through the wilderness of the church's oppressive and exclusive
theology to new understandings of God, Jesus, Crucifixion, and Redemption."
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20% at Amazon!
Between Two Gardens - Reflections
on Sexuality and Religious Experience
James B. Nelson, Pilgrim Press NY,
1983 Save
20% at Amazon!
Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality - Listening To Scripture
Edited By: Robert L. Brawley
Westminster John Knox Press 1996
"This book offers a challenge to
the Church to give heed to the multiplicity of voices that are engaged
in biblically responsible and constructive debates about the volatile
issues regarding sexual behavior." Save
20% at Amazon!
Called Out - The Voices and Gifts
of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Presbyterians
Chi
Ro Press 1995 Edited
by: Jane Adams Spahr, Katheryn Poethig, Selisse Berry, and Melinda
V. McLain
"With anguish, pain, and courage
the women and men in Called Out tell a powerful and moving story."
Called Out With - Stories of Solidarity
Westminster John Knox Press
1997 Sylvia Thorson-Smith
(Editor), Johanna Van Wijk-Bos (Editor), Norm Pott, Jon L. Berquist
"This is a wonderful book from the
straight-allied point of view to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered
ordination rights in the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is meant to
be a companion piece to an earlier book published by Chi Rho Press
entitled Called OUT: The Voices and Gifts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgendered Presbyterians, edited by Rev. Dr.Jane Adams Spahr."
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20% at Amazon!
Christianity: Social Tolerance
and Homosexuality (Gay
People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to
the Fourteenth Century)
John Boswell, The University
of Chicago Press 1981
John Boswell's highly acclaimed study of the history of attitudes
toward homosexuality in the Christian West challenges received opinion
and our own preconceptions about the Church's past relationship to
its gay members, among whom were priests, bishops and even canonized
saints. The historical breadth of Boswell's research (from the Greeks
to Aquinas) and the variety of sources consulted (legal, literary,
theological, artistic, and scientific) make this one of the most extensive
treatments of any single aspect of Western social history. The product
of ten years of research and analysis of records in a dozen languages,
this book opens up a new area of historical inquiry and helps elucidate
the origins and operations of intolerance as a social force. Save
20% at Amazon!
The Church and the Homosexual
John J. McNeill, Boston
Press MA, 1993
Father McNeill's outstanding work, which convincingly establishes
that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality, has brought comfort
to thousands of gay and lesbian Christians since its original publication
in 1976. In this fourth edition, the author calls on the Vatican to
make a public act of repentance for its homophobia. "Blessed be that
John McNeill's courageous classic is available again. Save
20% at Amazon!
The Church and Homosexuality
- Report on the United Presbyterian Task Force on to Study Homosexuality -
Byron Schafer, United Presbyterian Church,
USA PCUSA Rm. 1201
475 Riverside Drive, NY NY 10115
COME HOME! Reclaiming Spirituality and Community
as Gay Men and Lesbians - by Chris
Glaser - Chi
Rho Press - Second Edition, August 1998 - ISBN: 1888493143
A greatly expanded second edition of this very popular book, first
published in 1990 by HarperCollins, Come Home! is one of Chris Glaser's
best books. Now with the addition of five new chapters to its original
20 chapters, it is significantly expanded and improved. You will want
to own this exciting new edition! Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong
called the first edition "powerful, sensitive, and provocative. .
. . Christians, gay and straight, need this book if we are to be the
body of Christ." This is a brilliant and important book by perhaps
the best known Gay Christian writer in the US today. Come Home's five
sections include Welcoming God's Acceptance, Receiving Our Inheritance,
Discerning Our Call, Making Our Witness, and Declaring Our Vision.
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this book from Amazon!
Coming Out To God - Prayers for
Lesbians and Gay Men and their Families and Friends
Chris Glaser, Westminster/John Knox Press KY, 1991
"In this collection of sixty prayers . . . Chris Glaser opens new
vistas to us in prayer, discipleship, and the relationship between
spirituality and sexuality. . . . This book is a classic in devotional
literature which one will return to again and again."--Merrill M.
Follansbee, co-founder of the Sacramento chapter of Parents and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays." Save
15% at Amazon!
Coming Out While Staying In
by Leanne McCall
Tigert - United Church Press - 1996
Tigert has started to open the door on Christian homosexuals and the
oppression they face within their own churches. She brings the reader
face to face with personal accounts of the struggles that lesbian
and gay people go through in society, but more specifically in church.
She challanges the logic behind the homophobia. She helps explain
the phenomonon of "splitting" and the impact it has on those who are
not white male heterosexuals. For those who of us who feel called
by God to ordained ministry, but who hesitate to heed his call because
of the overwhelming response of congregational segragation of our
homosexual being, this is a book to relate to. Excelent! I eagerly
await further books by Leanne McCall Tigert. Save
15% at Amazon!
Coming Out Within - Stages of Spiritual
Awakening for Lesbians and Gay Men By
Craig O'Neill and Kathleen Ritter - Harper San Francisco 1992
A compassionate guide to spiritual and
psychological health for lesbians and gay men... A parable of if the
spiritual journey of all people, as they cope with loss of dreams
and move toward an integrated self. Save
15% at Amazon!
Congregations in Conflict
- The Battle Over Homosexuality
By Keith Hartman
- Rutgers University Press - 1997
The author says: "Just wanted to say that folks shouldn't be
scared off by the academic press label. The book is actually written
for a mainstream audience, and in particular for anyone who is in
a church going through a conflict over gay and lesbian issues. The
book looks at nine different communities of faith that went through
such clashes, including a Methodist congregation that split along
generational lines after their minister marched in support of gay
rights, a Southern Baptist church that spent a year debating the ordination
of a gay member, a Quaker meeting which decided to marry two women,
and a racially-divided Catholic church that expelled its gay group
in the name of "inclusiveness". I was able to watch these stories
unfold over several years, and to interview people as they grappled
with the issues and shifted their positions. I was particularly interested
to find out what arguments and experiences actually caused people
to change their mind about homosexuals, how different denominations
handle conflict, and why some churches broke apart over the issue
while others were able to work through it and remain a united community
of faith." Save
15% at Amazon!
The Essential Guide to Lesbian
and Gay Weddings
Everything you need to plan your same
sex wedding. Tess Ayers and
Paul Brown - Harper San Francisco, 1994 Save
15% at Amazon!
Equal Rites - Lesbian and Gay Worship,
Ceremonies, and Celebrations
Kitteredge Cherry and Zalmon
Sherwood, Westminster John Knox Press - 1996
"Equal Rites stands as a testament
to our belief in the value of writing down the format and text for
worship. Written liturgy does more than serve the local community
in which is used, it provides a record so that the spiritual insights
of a specific community can be shared with people in other parts of
the world and in future generations...." Save
15% at Amazon!
An Evangelical Look at Homosexuality
(A brief review of biblical teachings
relating to homosexual persons and their participation in church,
from an evangelical point of view affirming of gay persons.)
Rev. Dr. Ralph Blair, Evangelicals
Concerned
Evangelicals
Concerned 30 East 60th Street NY NY 10022
A Gay Debate -- Homosexuality
and the Biblical Text -- The Song of Songs --
Gays & Fundamentalism
-- Ancient Answers to Modern Day Gays (1994/1995)
Inexpensive scholarly publications by
Dr. Paul R. Johnson
Copies available from PO Box 2972 - Pomona,
CA 91769
Gay Soul - Finding the Heart of
Gay Spirit and Nature
Photographs by
Mark Thompson (16 writers, healers, teachers, and visionaries)
Harper San Francisco - 1996
"This book should be read
by any gay person interested in the deeper questions of life and death.
No other book has gathered so many distinguished voices on the nature
of gay soul and its revolutionary potential." Save
20% at Amazon!
Gays Under Grace - A Gay Christian's
Response to Homosexuality
Maury Johnston, Winston-Derrick
Publisher's, Inc. 1991
A reviewer says: "I have read this
book about 2-3 times. 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. While it does help in dealing with scriptural
questions and providing some moral direction, it is a bit lacking
in emotional and practical areas. In spite of this, it is definitely
one of the best books I've read on the subject. It should be more
prominent. I read Gays Under Grace again every few years and would
recommend it. All-in-all it is balanced and pretty comprehensive."
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The Good Book
By Peter Gomes - William Morrow
and Co. Publishers - 1998
"A riveting tour of this holy book
with the guide both witty and wise. Gomes blends the passion
and the reason of a humanist to open the sacred even to the most secular
and skeptical mind" (The author is the "Preacher to
Harvard University" and recently came out on 60 Minutes)
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here to buy it from Amazon at 20% off
Holy Homosexuals (The truth about
being gay or lesbian and Christian)
By Michael S. Piazza -
Sources of Hope Publishing - 1994
The author says: "For over a decade
I have pastored the world's largest lesbian and gay church. This book
seeks to take seriously the many issues which gay Christians face.
There are other books by scholars I respect which explore the Biblical
issues with much greater academic rigor. I have tried to take the
scripture seriously and tell stories about people who struggle with
authentic issues of faith. Members of the Cathedral of Hope have found
great joy in their journey. My hope is that this book will enhance
the joy of your faith. Blessings, Mike Piazza"
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it from Amazon
Homophobia, the Overlooked Sin
(Articles on pastoral responses to homophobia,
its dynamics, and potential responses to same-gender relations.)
Church and Society, 73.2 November - December
Edited by: Esther Stine, New York
Presbyterian Church USA
Homosexuality and Christian Faith
Edited By: Walter Wink
Fortress Press 1999 ISBN 0-8006-3186-2
"... Ideal for individual or group
use, this unique resource presents short pieces from some of the nation's
most preeminent church leaders - women and men, Protestant and Catholic,
mainline and evangelical - who address the fundamental moral imperitives
about homosexuality. Through personal testimony, factual clarification,
and moral suasion, they invite the reader to open his or her heart
to the Spirit, to Gospel values, and to full acceptance of gay and
lesbian persons in the "family of God.""
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here to buy it from Amazon at 20% off
Homosexuality and Religion
by Richard Hasbany - Haworth Press - 1990
Here is a comprehensive historical overview of the recent discussion
in the Judeo-Christian religions regarding homosexuality. Breaking
new ground in the scholarship about Judeo-Christian religion and homosexuality,
this wide-ranging volume features insightful new perspectives on the
relationship between the church and homosexuals. Aimed at scholars,
religious professionals, counselors, and therapists, Homosexuality
and Religion provides valuable information on both historical and
contemporary religious thought and life and homosexuality. Some of
the provocative topics include gay and lesbian clergy, psychological/pastoral
counseling for lesbians and gay men, and the church and homophobia.
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here to buy it from Amazon at 20% off
Homosexuality in the Church - Both Sides of the Debate
by Jeffrey S. Siker - Westminster John Knox Press - 1994
"Outstanding authorities on scripture, tradition, reason, biology,
ethics, and gendered experience discuss one of the most divisive debates
in the church today: the place of homosexuals in the community of
faith. The balanced treatment of the issues and the contrasting insights
of the essays make this a valuable resource for reflection individually
or in groups."
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here to buy it from Amazon at 20% off
Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?
A Positive Christian Response
by Letha Dawson Scanzoni, Virginia
Ramey Mollenkott
A reviewer says: "Overall, the book is informative, spiritually
and mentally, about homosexuality. It shows that one's sexuality and
one's walk with Christ need not be mutually exclusive, and in many
cases, CANNOT be mutually exclusive. For homosexual christians, the
book shows the unconditional love of Christ, regardless of sexuality.
For non-homosexual christians, the book is an inspiration on how they
should "love" all their brothers and sisters in christ, regardless
of sexuality. (That is why I said this is a must for all christians,
and I would recommend it on the book shelves at all churches, too)."
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20% at Amazon
Jonathan Loved David - Homosexuality
in Biblical Times
(A review of scripture and its historical
context in relation to homosexuality, including biblical models for
same-gender relationships.)
Tom Horner, Westminster Press PA,
1978 (republished 1994) This book is not available at
Amazon but seems to be at Barnes
and Noble!
Living in Sin? A Bishop Rethinks
Human Sexuality
John Shelby Spong, Harper San
Francisco, 1990
"I call upon Christian leaders in all traditions to respond and act
with intelligence rather than fear. If Christian leaders cannot do
this, then all churches will discover that ignorance, no matter how
sanctified with pious words, is still ignorance and the voice of the
church will be ignored as irrelevant" - John Shelby Spong
Is celibacy the only moral alternative to marriage? Should the widowed
be allowed to form intimate relationships without remarrying? Should
the church receive homosexuals into its community and support committed
gay and lesbian relationships? Should congregations publicly and liturgically
witness and affirm divorces? Should the church's moral standards continue
to be set by patriarchal males? Should women be consecrated bishops?
Bishop Spong proposes a pastoral response based on scripture and history
to the changing realities of the modern world. He calls for a moral
vision to empower the church with inclusive teaching about equal,
loving, nonexploitative relationships. Save
20% at Amazon
The New Testament and Homosexuality
Robin Scroggs, Fortress Press
PA, 1984
An easy to read, outstanding resource
on the New Testament texts concerning homosexuality, demonstrating
through scholarship on Greek culture, Palestinian Jewish and Hellenistic
Jewish cultures, and related word/textual study of Pauline usage of
the Greek language. Save
20% at Amazon
Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism
- A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture - John
Shelby Spong, Harper San Francisco, 1991
Now in paperback, the provocative national bestseller that issues
a daring call for contemporary understanding of scripture. Outspoken
and controversial, Bishop Spong brilliantly reclaims the Bible from
the narrow-minded literalism that has been used to justify slavery,
ban textbooks, deny the rights of gays and lesbians, subordinate women,
and justify war and revenge. Save
20% at Amazon
Same-Sex Holy Unions in Premodern
Europe
John Boswell, Villard Books
- 1994
Booklist says: "When Boswell published his Christianity, Social
Tolerance, and Homosexuality in 1980, he touched off a firestorm among
antigay Christian and gay polemicists that rages to this day. He contended
there was great tolerance and even acceptance of the unions of same-sex
couples in premodern Europe. Indeed, actual rituals uniting such couples
with the Christian church's blessing exist in the documentary record.
In this long-gestated companion to his controversial landmark study,
Boswell produces those rituals in translation, argues for how he has
translated them, summarizes the histories of both heterosexual matrimony
and same-sex unions in the Greco-Roman world, presents the views of
early Christianity on heterosexual and same-sex couplings, traces
the development of nuptial offices in the church, compares heterosexual
and same-sex ceremonies of union, and discusses the checkered history
of tolerance for same-sex unions during the Middle Ages. Throughout
his presentation, three qualities predominate: lucidity in the writing;
scrupulous scholarly documentation of factual statements and propositions
(on many pages, more space is taken up by footnotes than main text);
and great caution in distinguishing the sexual expectations of two-person
relationships in ancient times from those presumed today--preoccupation
with sex is very much a modern phenomenon. Although a rare book for
the public library, it may, like its predecessor, be a vital one."
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it from Amazon at 20% off
Taking a Chance on God
- Liberating theology for gays, lesbians, and their lovers, friends,
and families - 2nd Edition
John McNeill, Beacon Press Boston
1996
A reviewer says "I am a gay ordained minister of the gospel,
and this book helped me accept my homosexuality. It is suberbly written
and researched. A must for anyone coming out, and a definite must
for any minsiter workign with the gay community. God bless the author."
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20% at Amazon!
Twice Blessed - On Being Lesbian
or Gay and Jewish
Edited by: Christie Balka
and Andy Rose, Beacon Press Boston - 1991
In Twice Blessed, Christie Balka and Andy Rose have assembled a brave,
eclectic mix of contributors, including Rebecca Alpert (Like Bread
on the Seder Plate) and Evelyn Torton Beck (Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian
Anthology), who write with authority, wit, and candor as they negotiate
the gap between religious observance and sexual independence. The
essays address everything from growing up in a yeshiva to finding
a new Judaism-based theology of gay sexuality, from the search for
Jewish gay role models to Jewish marital commitment ceremonies. This
is a necessary book, not only for Jews who live their sexuality in
silence, or gays and lesbians who long to reclaim their Jewish upbringing,
but for family members, lovers, and friends of those who struggle
to unite both worlds and to discover "the blessing of affirming both
our Jewish and our lesbian and gay identities, and to living our lives
based on the wisdom of two cultures." Save
15% at Amazon!
Uncommon Calling - A Gay Man's
Struggle to Serve the Church
Chris Glaser, Harper and Row,
Publishers NY, 1993
Gay Christians will recognize elements of their own stories in Glaser's
narrative. And the whole church may discover its own uncommon calling
to fully welcome gays into the family of fatih. Save
15% at Amazon!
What the Bible Really Says About
Homosexuality
John S. Spong, Daniel
A. Helminiak, Alamo Square Press 1995
"Recent findings by top scholars
offer a radical new view."
"Daniel Helminiak has written a much
needed book. He has carefully studied the recent scholarly literature
on the Bible and Homosexuality and makes his results available here
to a wide audience in an accessible form. The book will help
any reasonably open and attentive reader see that the Bible says something
quite different on this subject from what is often claimed."
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from Amazon!
Religion Is a Queer Thing : A Guide
to the Christian Faith for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
Persons
by Elizabeth Stuart, Andy Braunston, Malcolm Edwards,
John McMahon (Contributor), Tim Morrison (Contributor)
This book makes queer theology available and accessible to a general
audience and encourages the reader to become part of the ongoing development
of this theology. It is aimed primarily at queer people who are new
to Christianity or those who are interested in reflecting upon their
Christian faith from a queer perspective. It is a study guide which
can be used by groups and by individuals, and contains exercises and
liturgies as well as explanations of queer theology. Subjects covered
include the Bible, salvation, Christ, body theology, God, the Church,
death and ethics. Buy
from Amazon!
OTHER
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Here is a list and links to other bibliographies of interest to Lesbians,
Gay men, Bisexuals, those who are transgendered, and all of our friends!
ORGANIZATIONS
Association of Welcoming and Affirming
Baptists
Web: http://members.aol.com/wabaptists
Gay, Lesbian, and Affirming Disciples
Alliance (Disciples of Christ)
Web: http://www.sacredplaces.com/glad
Gays for God
Web: http://www.gaysforgod.org/index.htm
Lutherans Concerned
Web: http://www.lcna.org
More Light Presbyterians
Email: info@mlp.org Web: www.mlp.org
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays (P-FLAG)
Email: info@pflag.org
Web: www.pflag.org
Reconciling Congregation Program -
United Methodist Church
Web: www.rcp.org
United Church of Christ Open and Affirming
Program
Web: http://www.coalition.simplenet.com/ona/onaindex.html
Unitarian Universalists for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns Web: http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/orgs/uua/uu-interweave.html
RELIGIOUS
JOURNALS
Open Hands - Resources for Ministries
Affirming the Diversity of Human Sexuality Open
Hands is a resource for congregations and individuals seeking to be
in ministry with lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons. Each issue
focuses on a specific area of concern within the church. It
is published quarterly by the Reconciling Congregation Program, Inc.
(United Methodist) in conjunction with the More Light Churches Network
(Presbyterian), Open and Affirming (United Church of Christ), and
Reconciled in Christ (Lutheran) Programs. Each of these programs
is a national network of local churches that publicly affirm their
ministry with the whole family of God and welcome lesbian and gay
persons, and their families, into their community of faith.
These four programs, along with Open and Affirming (Disciples of Christ),
Welcoming (Unitarian Universalist), Supportive Congregations (Brethren
/ Mennonite), and Welcoming and Affirming (American Baptist) programs
offer hope that the church can be a reconciled community. Subscriptions
are $24.00 a year. Send check to: Open
Hands - 3801 N. Keeler Avenue - Chicago, IL 60641
/ Phone (312) 736-5526 Fax (312) 736-5475
Second Stone - A national ecumenical
news journal for all who seek understanding of and justice for
Gays and Lesbians in Church and Society. Subscription is $15.00
for one year. Send check to:
Second Stone - P.O. Box 8340 - New Orleans,
LA 70182
HOW
TO FIND GAY RESOURCES ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY
Most phone books include a section on
Gay and Lesbian organizations under the headings "GAY" or
"LESBIAN" or "HOMOSEXUAL." Look up
local organizations this way, or call one of the Different Light
bookstores in New York or San Francisco, or West Hollywood (CA), tell
them where you live, and ask them to look up the nearest hot line
phone number in their copy of the Gay Yellow Pages. Also,
check out Web Search engines like Yahoo and Lycos!
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