As "outsiders" gay men and lesbians challenge the church to be inclusive of all God's children-the central message of the gospel. "God has drawn us to this difficult place," they write, "in order to reveal God's grace to us and in us and through us." Basing their book on retreats they have presented to churches and seminaries, Countryman and Ritley explore what it means to affirm, not merely accept, being gay or lesbian, as well as Christian. Written primarily for the lesbigay community, they explore the ways in which the gay and lesbian community can appropriate and re-tell the biblical story, and find confidence in their unique spiritual journey and gifts. This pro-active and self-affirming book provides new hope for those who feel that it is impossible to be gay or lesbian, as well as Christian.
Book Description
In the past two decades or so the issue of homosexuality has taken center stage at national and regional denominational meetings and in local church communities. The response of the majority of churches ranges from condemnation to toleration of the gay and lesbian community, neither of which offers much hope for homosexual Christians. In Gifted by Otherness L. William Countryman and M. R. Ritley conclude that being gay or lesbian is not actually a problem at all; rather it is a vocation, and, in fact, a gift to today's church.
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Without apology and with an honest chutzpah, Countryman, a New Testament professor, and Ritley, an Episcopal priest, explore the vocation and journey gay Christians have in the church. The writers see themselves as ministering to the church; they clarify that their task is not to justify the presence of gays there. That presence is simply a fact. But they also note that it is normal and healthy for the church to struggle with homosexuality, since the church is not a monolithic entity of likeminded people but a richly textured community of contradictory and diverse individuals. The authors declare that gay Christians have specific gifts to offer the church; they can serve the priesthood of believers as "icons," which the authors describe as windows that show a facet of God. In particular, gays who have experienced "wilderness times" in coming out and living as homosexual Christians can teach others about God's sustaining grace. And while the church is often afraid to face death, the AIDS epidemic has taught the gay community to deal with it as a part of life. On a lighter note, the authors say that the church needs the campiness of gay humor, since Christians forget too often that humor is a gift from God. Ritley and Countryman have written a thoughtful and provocative book for anyone who has struggled with what it means when gays are a part of the church.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
L. William Countryman is an Episcopal priest, professor of New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California, and author of Forgiven and Forgiving, The Good News of Jesus, Living on the Border of the Holy: Renewing the Priesthood of All, and other titles available from Morehouse Publishing and Trinity Press International.
M. R. Ritley is an Episcopal priest in San Francisco and has taught courses on gay spirituality at a variety of seminaries and churches.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you only get one book on Gay Christianity, this is it,
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This review is from: Gifted by Otherness: Gay and Lesbian Christians in the Church (Paperback)
"Gifted by Otherness" is one of those books that can truly change your life. It certainly did for me! In fact, I'm so impressed with it that I've given at least five copies away to friends.
Countryman, a gay Episcopalian pastor, has also written two other excellent books: "Dirt, Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and their Implications for Today," and "Biblical Authority or Biblical Tyranny?" These three books will truly help gay people understand just what those six "killer verses" in the Bible REALLY mean. Don't let a fundamentalist Christian keep you from having a meaningful relationship with God. What you read in the English Bible isn't necessarily what was in the original Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic, etc. There's a fascinating progression of translations involved in today's Bible, and those "killer verses" need to be put in context with Jewish history at the time of their writing. This is an extremely complex subject, and Countryman does a superb job explaining it. See also several of the books by John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopalian Bishop, especially "Sins of Scripture", "Rescuing the Bible from Fundamenalism" and "Living in Sin? A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality." If you're a straight fundamentalist Christian, don't bother reading any of these books. You probably won't change your mind anyway. But if you're gay and want to truly understand how there is absolutely no conflict between being gay and being Christian, ALL of these books are "must reads" for you. These books, especially "Gifted by Otherness," will take a huge burden off your shoulders. Take back your life from those people that want to demonize you, and get the facts.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So true!,
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This review is from: Gifted by Otherness: Gay and Lesbian Christians in the Church (Paperback)
As a gay Christian, I have experienced the phenomena Dr. Countryman and M.R. explore where much of the religious community is hesitant and skeptical of the LGBT community, if not outright condemning...and the LGBT Community in turn is skeptical of Christians and want nothing to do with us. Since the publication of this book, much has been done to bridge that gap, thanks to books like this one. Countryman and Ritley present a much needed glimpse of an inclusive faith!
Justin R. Cannon Editor, Sanctified: An Anthology of Poetry by LGBT Christians Author, The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality
3.0 out of 5 stars
The gifted....,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Gifted by Otherness: Gay and Lesbian Christians in the Church (Paperback)
The book was a good and easy read. It showed how gay and lesbians can have a productive spiritual life.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
M. R.: Several years ago, a friend who knows my sense of humor very well sent me a card tor no occasion in particular, just on the assumption that (a) I would get a good laugh out of it, and (b) I probably needed one. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gay tribe, gay spirituality, lesbian people, desert journey, gay woman Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Testament, Song of Songs, Master of the Caravan, Middle Ages, United States, Episcopal Church, Good Shepherd, Gospel of John, Old Testament, African American, Hashad the Fool, Lord God, Roman Catholic, Andre Fikri, Henry Vaughan, Son of Man, Song of Solomon New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
M. R.: Several years ago, a friend who knows my sense of humor very well sent me a card tor no occasion in particular, just on the assumption that (a) I would get a good laugh out of it, and (b) I probably needed one. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gay tribe, gay spirituality, lesbian people, desert journey, gay woman Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Testament, Song of Songs, Master of the Caravan, Middle Ages, United States, Episcopal Church, Good Shepherd, Gospel of John, Old Testament, African American, Hashad the Fool, Lord God, Roman Catholic, Andre Fikri, Henry Vaughan, Son of Man, Song of Solomon New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
3
books
cite this book:
- Emerging Word: A Creation Spirituality Lectionary: Scripture Readings and Commentary for the Church Year by Donald Schmidt on page 91, and Back Matter
- Disclosures: Conversations Gay and Spiritual by Michael Ford in Back Matter
- Hearing with the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God's Will for Your Life by Debra K. Farrington in Back Matter
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