Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto [Paperback]

Robert Goss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

Can a member of Queer Nation be a committed Christian? Would Jesus join Act-Up?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this audacious work, a former Jesuit priest throws down the gauntlet, challenging organized religion to abandon its homophobia, closeted clerics to come out of the closet and gays and lesbians to leave their churches. Goss also lays the groundwork for a new theology that deconstructs the Bible to find new meaning for homosexuals. He calls for "a queer critical reading" to uncover what he believes is the Bible's true message: social justice and love of the marginal, including same-sex relationships. Much of his discussion relies on the theories of gay philosopher Michel Foucault, who suggested that alternate forms of knowledge could be found by deconstructing the dominant discourse. Goss and the other theologians he quotes claim that supposed biblical proscriptions of homosexuality are based on misinterpretations of scripture. Unfortunately, those without a firm grip on theological terms will find some of the analysis hard to follow.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Contemporary Christian theological practice concerning gay men and lesbian women has not been... pertinent to their own experiences," writes Goss, an ex-Jesuit theologian and gay activist. Drawing on the work of gay historian/philosopher Michael Foucault and other scholars, Goss sets forth a "queer liberation theology" that goes beyond the notion of God's "preferential option for the... poor" to assert that God's passion for all outcasts specifically embraces the sexually oppressed. Thus on Easter Jesus "came out of the closet" to become the "queer Christ." This is calculated to shock, and it will. Indeed, both Goss's confrontational stance and his dense, theoretical language will put off many readers not initially committed to his perspective. Still, some intriguing ideas are embedded here. For theological and large public libraries where interest warrants purchase.
- Elise Chase, Forbes Lib., Northampton, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; First Edition edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060633190
• ISBN-13: 978-0060633196
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would Jesus have tolerated homophobia?, June 30, 2000

By 

Paul Bobbitt "Pobbit" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto (Paperback)

A lot of the people who sit in churches and preach from pulpits have forgotten the kind of man Jesus was. The man who loved the prostitutes, healed the sick on the Sabbath, and went on a rampage in the Temple isn't the kind of person who would sit quietly by while gay and lesbian people were beaten and hated. Robert Goss recaptures the essence of Jesus in this book - his love for the downtrodden and the fire for equality that burned within him. Based upon concepts of Liberation Theology, Goss studies the language of hatred, violence against Gay and Lesbian people, coming out, and the blessing of same-sex unions. Interested yet? How about the title of one of the sections: Deconstructing Biblical Terrorism. Or another: The Politics of the Cross. Anyone interested in Liberation Theology, Gay and Lesbian studies, or issues around homophobia will find this book an enlightening experience.

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat thorough job of looking at LGBT liberation through the lense of liberation theology..., May 6, 2010

By 

BRIAN A. O'DELL "njsquarebear" (Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto (Paperback)

Published in 1993, I just got around to reading this book, which looks at LGBT lives, love, sexuality and civil rights both within and outside "The Church" through the lens of liberation theology. It was a thorough (for the most part) but quite dry read. As I mentioned, this book was published in '93, so the first two chapters which deal with history of LGBT folks in the U.S. are dated for those who've learned and lived our history since the Stonewall Riots. I was quite disappointed that Goss did not do much Biblical exegesis in regards to the few anti-gay 'clobber' passages of the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament. Also his writing tended to be written in a very 'theolog-ese' fashion (was this his dissertation?) and quite redunant throughout the book... he could have used a little simpler language and condensed the chapters by doing a better job of editing (or have a better outside editor?). This negativity aside I think it's an important work for women, LGBT folk, people living with HIV and AIDS, and religious progressives to read. I especially liked his chapter "The Struggle for Sexual Justice" which looks at the various means/ways LGBT people have 'educated' and 'protested' within/outside the institutional church's sexism, heterosexism and homophobia.

2 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title deceive you., November 3, 2002

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jesus acted up: A gay and lesbian manifesto (Hardcover)

This book is written by a clergy member who was a part of ACT-UP. His point is that Jesus helped the have-nots, which would include gays, lesbians, and the HIV+ today. In a little footnote, he says, "I'm not addressing any question about whether Jesus was gay or bi." so he avoided the question totally that I expected him to answer. This book may be good for gay and lesbian Christians just beginning to think about radical politics. But I was not particularly moved by this book. Maybe I just wasn't his target audience or don't have enough of a theological background.