A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations [Paperback]

Gary David Comstock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

This book features interviews with twenty black scholars and religious leaders who speak out--from various theological perspectives--against institutional prejudice toward gay and lesbian people. The interviews are conducted in a conversational format in language that will be accessible and interesting to lay readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The interviews with African American religious leaders that make up this book amount to a conversation of interest to those concerned with the church as a welcoming community as well as those interested in current discussion of various denominations' stances regarding gay and lesbian members. Comstock is clear and persuasive as the central voice in the book, yet his primary role is that of listener, and he plays it brilliantly. Thus we clearly hear a who's who of African American leaders from a variety of denominations addressing how to welcome lesbians and gay men into African American congregations. We also witness a dialogue in which communities of individuals often excluded by portions of Christianity that fancy themselves to be "mainstream" draw on experience to teach each other about being welcoming communities. These conversations have much to teach all the churches. Open-hearted readers stand to be touched and possibly changed. Steven Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Gary David Comstock is the author of several books concerning gay and lesbian issues within the church, including Gay Theology Without Apology and Unrepentant, Self-Affirming, Practicing: Lesbian/Bisexual/Gay People within Organized Religion. He has also taught courses in Sociology at Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664222803
• ISBN-13: 978-0664222802
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A respectful, intelligent work, May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations (Paperback)

A Whosever Church is the latest in Rev. Gary Comstock's series of books dealing with the gay community and religion. Like the others, this book is intelligent, respectful, eminently readable, and thought-provoking. It consists of twenty interviews with prominent African American pastors, from a range of denominations and locations.

As a gay white man, Comstock obviously bears the burden of being an outsider to the communities he studies in this book. His solution is to allow the interviewee to speak for themselves, making this book a collaborative effort of the twenty pastors, gently shaped by Comstock's questions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile purchase, May 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations (Paperback)

While it is somewhat true that the book offers little in terms of earth-shattering ways to make the church more inclusive, it does offer hopeful glimpses and reminders that the church is slowly but surely becoming a safer place for African-American gays and lesbians. The author does a very good job of chronicling the stories of African-American pastors who've moved beyond tolerance or intolerance to a place of affirmation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, January 5, 2007

By 

K. T. Ewing "K.T. Ewing" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations (Paperback)

Accessible format. Easy to read. Highly informative. A must read for anyone questioning the debate over the tension between sexual orientation and Christianity.