Customer Reviews

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches

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When talking about a book, it is essential to keep in mind which sort of book it is. For instance, we cannot expect of a novel what we would find in an essay. Likewise, in religious literature it is not exact to speak badly of a book just because it's not another kind of book.

Some of the reviews have objected that this book lacks scholarship, but this is not a scholar book, but a collection of writings to stir up conscience (although some pieces could indeed appear in a scholar book, like the essay by Walter Wink). In this book there's more preaching than theology; this is not to say that theology is not necessary (far from there!), but simply that there are other ways of dealing a subject, and appealing from a firmly persuaded mind is one of them, which does not at all substitute theology, to which in fact is a complement.

Who wants to read a scholar book of theology on the topic(I have done, and I strongly recommend this), can find them in Amazon (I dare recommend, for example, Seeking the truth in love, by Bishop Michael Dole or Theology and Sexuality, by Eugene Rogers -compilator).

Others have said that all the essays are "on one side" of the debate. Once again, if this were a scholar book which tried to give an exact account of the debate, it should include both positions, even if the book was clearly "on one side" (at least, they should be mentioned in order to be refuted). However, this is not this sort of book, it is a document which is aimed at taking a clear stand, and speaks out from the persuasion that what they say is true. We can disagree with them (I do not), but they have their right to preache (yes, it's "written preaching") what they honestly and firmly believe it is God's Will.

This book is then a plea for the acceptance of homosexuals in the church, and it is aimed at people's consciences, giving them reasons, and giving personal witnesses. Among the writings, there are essays like the beautiful one by Peggy Campolo ("In God's house there are many closets") that speak of a personal persuasion deeply stablished in her life, from her experience, and all this (even if this displeases her opponents) in the light of the Gospel. One may object to her positions or others' in the book (I do not), but not really criticise that this is not the book it never was intended to be.

Is it true that "Wink and the other essayists will do little more than reaffirm what a few already believe, and push farther away those with whom they disagree?" I think not. First, there are more than a few who believe as the authors do, and certainly there are many more who are sympathetic to this view, but who need the assurance that their sympathies are not misplaced. This book offers exactly that assurance.

It provides a well-argued basis for believing that Scripture is not opposed to same-sex loving relationships. It shows how much of what we assume Christians believe is based on tradition, and therefore human frailty. It demonstrates through moving personal stories that human experience would lead us towards a welcome and a sharing of our humanity with those who have suffered, and still suffer, exclusion.

Would those who disagree be pushed further away by reading the book? I doubt it. For the most part, there's nowhere further to go.

For those who are seeking a foundation for their belief in the unity of God's human creation, and an affirmation of the Church's gospel call to welcome all people into full communion, there is no better starting point than this book.

This little book (just a bit over 130 pages) is big in caring and wisdom and compassion; in other words, it is just like Jesus!

Most of us who were 'churched' from birth into easy dichotomies/polarities like: saint/sinner, good/evil, saved/damned will find these writings liberating and confirming of what we have always suspected, that "not everything biblical is Christlike." This quote--which I think is what this book is about at its core--is from one of the essays in the book, written by William Sloane Coffin.

This book can help many come out of their own closets, the closets of unexamined prejudices; in particular, the ones made up of religious walls.

The virtue of this book is the number of different voices that are found in it. I know this is one of the primary texts that my parents found helpful when I first came out and they were wrestling with understanding how Christians are to regard homosexuality. Unlike many other books on the Bible and homosexuality (including my own), Wink's book does not so much delve into biblical analysis of the "clobber passages," but rather it offers a more personal look at the struggle to understand to God's will as it relates to homosexuality. I find this unique approach quite refreshing, and highly recommend this book!

Justin R. Cannon
Editor, Sanctified: An Anthology of Poetry by LGBT Christians
Author, The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality

For so long I was doubtful and had a negative view on gay christians. Church members always gave the typical texts that have been used to 'prove' that homosexuality was a sin. Those texts always seemed to miss something to me, and never were they something that came from God's mouth. They were always in the same chapters that forbade many thing that today we would think was silly (i.e. the combining of two different textiles in clothing....ooooooh....we are all guilty of that!)

This book is definitely a must read true christians! Remember: 'What Would Jesus Do' in this situation?

I can safely say that this book makes an honest effort to approach the subject kindly and treat homosexuals in a loving way. I do not agree that homosexuality is just another lifestyle. I have watched my own mother go from lover to lover, never satisfied. She has had at least 13 lesbian partners in the past 14 years. She has finally found a woman that she is content to stay with but she is just that, "content," not necessarily happy. She left the church years ago and has no use for religion, but she and I get along beautifully. We have learned to love in spite of our opposing views on her sexuality. I love my Mom and I know that the environment she was raised in was one of maternal loss (her mother died when she was 18 months old), profound loneliness, and verbal abuse from an unaccepting, often cruel grandmother. Jesus encouraged compassion for every mortal, lesbian or straight, conservative or liberal. I leave the judging part to Him.

I was disappointed with this book. I was expecting a more balanced view about the topic; instead I felt I was bombarded with reasons to support homosexuality and Christianity together. I would have appreciated the space to come to my own conclusions. Drawing on different authors to compose the book was the most enjoyable aspect. In addition, I was hoping for some empirical, empirical data as an introduction to the topic.

The way the book was organized was very interesting because of how the author injected the pro-gay theology with how some church leaders have responded to the gay community. I agree with how the leaders have responded to homosexuality but, I disagree with the twisting of what the bible teaches to fit an agenda of making homosexuals more comfortable with their faith. This book is very thin because there really isn't much that there is to say without really getting yourself in trouble on the subject. I have found other books that pigeon-whole this book to shreds that were more accurate and with better references.

The virtue of this book is the continuing stress each essayist places on the importance of conversation in the church about issues related to sexual orientation. The vice of this book is the degree to which its entrance into this conversation will do little more than polarize sides. James Forbes' introductory sermon, preached at Riverside Churche, embodies the failings of the book. Forbes calls for the church to become a community that embraces all peoples and enters into dialogue about touchy topics like sexuality. The sermon, however, actually seems to work against this conversation, as traditionalists are dismissed with a few waves of Forbes' powerful rhetorical wand. What follows in the book is essay after essay of church leaders pleading that the church abandon its traditional stance toward homosexuality and accept gay/lesbian lifestyles without judgment. Where did the conversation go? The least Dr. Wink could have done is made the book a living example of the sort of dialogue he believes the church needs. To the extent that one side of the conversation is absent, this book is little more than a rallying cry for a body of Christians that many will quickly write off as hopelessly liberal. This is unfortunate since these writers have much to contribute to the church's conversation. For now, Wink and the other essayists will do little more than reaffirm what a few already believe, and push farther away those with whom they disagree.

I found the essays on biblical interpretation and homosexuality in this collection to be lacking much rigor and full of special pleading. The best essays in the collection were those where essayists shared their own journeys with gay/lesbian family and friends. Peggy Campolo's essay was especially touching.