From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ [Paperback]

Patrick S. Cheng (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

"Cheng takes us through a systematic re-working of the classical doctrines of sin and grace, and lands us in a place where, surprisingly, these ideas can once again sing with life for Christian LGBTQ persons.  It's a serious and splendid book." --Serene Jones, President and Roosevelt Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary in New York City

"This gifted theologian and teacher offers an accessible and compelling case for why LGBT persons (and others) need to take back the words 'sin' and 'grace.'  Be forewarned: reading Cheng is likely to stretch your theological and moral imagination, but all for the good." --Marvin M. Ellison, Willard S. Bass Professor of Christian Ethics, Bangor Theological Seminary; author of Making Love Just and co-editor of Sexuality and the Sacred, 2nd edition

"Patrick Cheng has given the Christian church and the theological academy a precious gift.  Cheng's work ranks among the best scholarship of a new generation of theologians.  I have experienced more amazing grace--and grown more mature theologically--because of this book." --Tat-siong Benny Liew, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean, and Professor of New Testament, Pacific School of Religion

"Cheng provides our hurting community with a healing theology; an accessible christology which celebrates an open and affirming Christianity desperately needed by most of our churches.  This book is good news for all who are queer, as well as for those who are not!" --Miguel A. De La Torre, Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies, Iliff School of Theology; 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics

"'Christ is the treasure hidden in the scriptures,' wrote Irenaeus, the second century theologian.  Christ is the treasure, and Cheng's work is a treasure map of LGBT advances in theology that helps us find, once again, that God loves all of us and wants us to be free." --Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology and former president, Chicago Theological Seminary; blogger for the Washington Post; author of Lift Every Voice

"Patrick Cheng has produced a much needed pastoral book for LGBTIQ and, in fact, all Christians.  This is a remarkable theological and pastoral exploration that can help individual Christians and their congregations to re-align their spiritual development." --Robert E. Shore-Goss, Senior Pastor/Theologian, MCC in the Valley, North Hollywood; author of Jesus Acted Up and Queering Christ

"The act of reading Patrick Cheng's Christ-centered theology of sin and grace offers both healing pastoral care and political empowerment.  Christians who have been wounded, alienated, or simply befuddled by the ongoing use of Christianity to further heterosexist hate and disenfranchisement have been waiting for this book." --Traci C. West, Professor of Ethics and African American Studies, Drew University Theological School; author of Disruptive Christian Ethics

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"We must address the doctrine of sin -- and its companion doctrine of grace -- head on.  We can no longer avoid or ignore the subject.  It is time for LGBT people to take back the words 'sin' and 'grace' in the same way we have taken back the word 'queer'!" --Patrick S. Cheng

Many people, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons, struggle with the doctrines of sin and grace.  Cheng argues that people need to be liberated from the traditional crime-based model of sin and grace, in which sin is understood as the violation of God's laws, and grace is understood as one's acquittal for such violations.

As an alternative, Cheng proposes a Christ-centered model that is based upon the ancient doctrine of theosis, or deification, in which sin and grace are defined in terms of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.  Cheng presents seven models of the Queer Christ, along with seven deadly sins and seven new amazing graces.

This provocative yet accessible work of queer theology and ethics will serve as a useful resource for all people who struggle to make sense of the traditional Christian doctrines of sin and grace in the twenty-first century.

About the Author

The Rev. Patrick S. Cheng, Ph.D. is the Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Cheng holds degrees from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Harvard Law School, and Yale College.  He is the author of the popular Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (Seabury Books, 2011).  Cheng is a blogger for the religion and the gay voices sections of the Huffington Post, and his website is patrickcheng.net.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Seabury Books (March 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596272384
• ISBN-13: 978-1596272385
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patrick S. Cheng is a seminary professor, theologian, attorney, and ordained minister. He is the Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Cheng holds a Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. from Yale College. He is a blogger with the Huffington Post and is the author of "Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology" and "From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ."

For more information, please see his website at http://www.patrickcheng.net.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another major contribution April 27, 2012

By Trudie Barreras VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the second book in an incomparable theological expedition by an extraordinary young theologian. I sincerely hope Patrick continues to explore the terra incognita of Queer Theology with the same verve that he has brought to this book and its predecessor, Radical Love, which I have previously reviewed for Amazon.

Indeed, I purchased these books at the same time, but my delay in reviewing this one is a result of sharing it with a friend. The fact that I've finished reading it less than 36 hours after retrieving it is a measure of how wonderfully crafted and gripping this work is. Despite its readability, however, this book is, like the previous one, masterfully researched and meticulously detailed. I value Cheng's work because he does indeed bring into focus the true historical roots of the basics of Christian belief which have been so distorted by centuries of ecclesiology - one might almost say ecclesiolatry.

This book deals head-on with the issues of sin and grace, as stated in its title. Because of his background in secular law, Cheng is uniquely qualified to look analytically at the Augustinian crime-based model of sin, and contrast it to the Irenaean Christ-centered model. His juxtaposition of the "seven deadly sins" taken from these two models is brilliant and coherent. Although I'd read his seven models of the "Queer Christ" in an article featured in the Jesus in Love blog some time ago, and found this analysis very much to the point, I deeply appreciated the more in depth discussion provided by this exceptional book. Especially valuable was the extremely insightful analysis of sin and grace as viewed against the background of these Christological models.

Although I initially read this book in a tremendous burst of enthusiasm and delight, it is one of several that I will revisit in depth. This will be facilitated by the exceptional questions for reflection provided at the end of each chapter. Although I deeply regret that I will probably not be able to even scratch the surface of delving into the extensive bibliography Cheng provides, it is wonderful to have so many resources at my fingertips in case I do find myself needing to further investigate aspects of this intriguing theology.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Feeling the Refreshing New Winds of Grace April 29, 2012

By B. Dale

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Professor Patrick Cheng has written an easily accessible book that is not just for queer Christians but for any who have chafed under the legalism of a Christianity that obsessively focuses on specific acts as sin. Because these views require a penalty for those actions he calls these `crime-based' models. As an alternative Cheng offers Christ-centered models and through his lens of being a justice-seeking, queer Asian he defines (seven deadly) sins more widely. They are; exploitation, the closet, apathy, conformity, shame, isolation and singularity. But he presents seven hopeful images of the Christ that offer pure, abundant grace. They are: Christ as Erotic, Out, a Liberator, Transgressive, Self-loving, Interconnected as well as grounded in Hybridity (being both human/divine.) No doubt those in the sexual minority communities will especially resonate with these descriptions of Jesus. But even as he grounds his ideas in the Bible, Eastern spirituality, and the teachings of Irenaeus, Bonaventure, and Karl Barth, all readers will be able to feel the refreshing winds of change as he unabashedly puts his own lived experience and social location in dialogue with traditional historic church teachings. Cheng is moving us toward the recovery of a grace-filled Christianity that has been too easily ignored on the battle fields of the culture wars in the US.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A really in-depth look at another way of thinking about sin and grace. July 9, 2012

By Frank Dowd

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just finished Patrick Cheng's new book, From Sin to Amazing Grace (Seabury, 2012). I highly recommend it. Cheng writes specifically for the LGBT community, but what he says has wider application for others as well. He challenges western Christianity to move from a crime-and-acquittal model of sin and grace (Augustine) to one that is Christo-centric, drawing mankind into relationship with God, through Christ. This is not some far-out new-age thinking, and Chen firmly grounds his theology in the writings of Irenaeus, Bonaventure, Athanasius and even Karl Barth. It is thought provoking, challenging, and hopefully the basis of much needed discussion in churches and the LGBT community.