Five new LGBTQ Christian books in November include womanist queer theology, personal stories from Europe, a report on evangelicals becoming more progressive, a scholarly book on sexuality in the Bible, and the memoir of an evangelical pastor raised by lesbian moms.
Theology
“Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology” by Pamela R. Lightsey.
With the “Black Lives Matter” protests as a backdrop, the book uses womanist and queer liberation theological approaches to explore the impact of oppression against Black LBTQ women. Contemporary debates such as same-sex marriage and ordination rights are covered. The author is assistant professor of contextual theology at Boston University and a queer lesbian ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.
LGBT people in the church
“Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelicalism” by Deborah Jian Lee.
Evangelical Christianity’s evolution into a more progressive faith is explored by a journalist who left that world because she was frustrated by its conservative politics. Now she sees evangelicalism changing fast due to diverse younger members, including openly LGBT people, women in leadership, and more people of color. This book is getting a lot of mainstream media buzz, and made Publishers Weekly's list of most-anticipated spirituality and religion books for November. The author has worked as a staff reporter for the Associated Press and taught journalism at Columbia University.
“And God Saw It All was Very Good: Catholic LGBT People in Europe Telling Their Stories” by Sandra Taylor and Hazel Barnes (editors).
This diverse collection gathers personal stories by 34 LGBT Catholics from 18 European countries. Their essays are divided into themes of family, Catholicism, religious vocation, long journeys, significant events, and working for acceptance. Prologue by Jeannine Gramick. Edited by Sandra Taylor and Hazel Barnes. The book results from a project of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups.
Bible
“Sexuality, Ideology, and the Bible: Antipodean Engagements” by Robert Myles and Carolyn Blyth (editors).
Queer interpretations of the Bible from scholars in Australia and New Zealand are gathered in this scholarly collection of essays. They recognize that cultural baggage shapes Bible-based understandings of sexuality and gender. Topics include Augustine and Paul on Adam’s ‘perfect penis,’ gender violence against the land in Jeremiah, queering binary categories in the Sermon on the Mount and the Song of Songs, imagining Christ who bore both male and female genitalia, and much more.
Memoir and biography
“Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction” by Caleb Kaltenbach.
In a surprising new twist on the LGBT Christian journey, “Messy Grace” is the autobiography of a man who was raised by lesbian mothers. He grew up marching in Pride parades and disliking Christians, but he converted to conservative Christianity during high school. As an adult he became an evangelical pastor who preaches love for all and acceptance of LGBT people. Warning: He still sees homosexuality as a sin. The author pastors Discovery Church in Simi Valley, California, and is finishing his doctorate at Dallas Theological Seminary.
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Related links:
New LGBTQ Christian books: Oct 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: Sept 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: Aug 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: July 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: June 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: May 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: March 2015
New LGBTQ Christian books: Feb 2015
Top 25 LGBTQ Christian books of 2014 named (Jesus in Love)
Top 20 Gay Jesus books (from Jesus in Love)
Queer Theology book list (from Patrick Cheng)
Queering the Church book list
Jesus in Love Bookstore (includes LGBT Christian classics)
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