Other Sheep - Multicultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities

Annotated
Bibliography

on this page...

Theological/
Ethical
Books

Theological/Ethical Books

Paul Avis, Eros and the Sacred, Harrisburg, Moorehouse Publishing House, 1990.
Avis presents a good reconstructed theology that integrates the erotic and the sacred. He
disappoints when it comes to the issue of homosexuality, which he views as distortion of
church values.

Edward Batchelor (ed), Homosexuality and Ethics, New York, Pilgrim Press, 1982.
Batchelor brings a wide range of gay/lesbian, closeted, and heterosexual authors on the
issue of homosexuality. Appendices provide the position statements of most churches in
the late seventies. A good barometer to measure how far or little the churches have
advancced on the issue of inclusion.

J. Michael Clark, Beyond Our Ghettos, Cleveland Press, 1993.
Clark makes a strong correlation between our attitudes of disposablity of nature and our
society's disposable attitudes towards HIV and other disposable people.

Gary Comstock, Gay Theology without Apology, Cleveland, Pilgrim Press, 1993.
Comstock looks to the Bible for role models for lesbians and gay men.

J. Michael Clark, A Place to Start: Towards an Unapologetic Gay Liberation Theology,
Dallas, Monument Press, 1989.
Clark reconceptualizes constructive theology within a gay paradigm.

J. Michael Clark, A Defiant Celebration, garland, Tangelwild Press, 1990.
Clark attempts to integrate spirituality and sexuality.

Richard Cleaver, Know My Name: A Gay Liberation Theology, Louisville, The
Westminster/ John Knox Press, 1995.
Cleaver weaves biblical themes of liberation with the gay struggle for justice.

Wayne R. Dynes & Stephen Donaldson (eds), Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy,
New York, Garland, 1992.
Good collection of essays on biblical and historical issues.

Donald Eastman, Homosexuality: Not a Sin, Not a Sickness, Los Angelos, UFMCC,
1990.
Eastman deconstructs the notion of homosexuality as sin or illness and finds God's grace
in the lives of homosexual Christians.

Marvin M. Ellison, Erotic Justice: A Liberating Ethic of Sexuality, Westminster/ John Knox
Press, 1996.
An excellent attempt to connect sexuality and justice. Ellision makes interconnections with
racism, sexism, and homophobia in his sexual ethics.

Kevin Gordon, Homosexuality and Social Justice, Ssan Francisco, The Consultation on
Homosexuaality, Social Justice, and Roman Catholic Theology, 1986
Some of the best Catholic theological reflection on gay/lesbian issues and justice. Too
bad the Vatican Congregation for the Defense and Propagation of the Faith does not
read and adopt the compassionate and just principles articulated.

Robert Goss, Jesus ACTED UP: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto, Harper SanFrancisco,
1993.
Goss develops a queer, transgressive liberation theology.

Andre Guindon, The Sexual Creators: An Ethical Proposal for Concerned Christians,
Lanham, University of America Press, 1986.
Guindon breaks new ground in Catholic moral theology in speaking about the fecundity
of gay sexuality relationships. The Vatican started to investigate him over his writings, but
Guindon died before it was completed.

Richard Hasbany (ed), Homosexuality and Religion, New York, Harrington Park Press,
1989.
Reprints of a number of good articles from the Journal of Homosexuality.

Carter Heyward, The Redemption of God: A Theology of Mutual Relation, Washington,
DC, University Press of America, 1984.
Heyward doctoral thesis that provides a foundation for the later developments of her
relational theology.

Carter Heyward, Our Passion for Justice: Images of Power, Sexuality and Liberation, New
York, Pilgrim, 1984.
An anthology of Heyward's sermons, talk, and prayers.

Carter Heyward, Speaking of Christ: A Lesbian Feminist Voice, New York, Pilgrim Press,
1989.
Heyward develops a lesbian christology.

Carter Heyward, Touching Our Strength: The Erotic as Power and the Love of God, San
Francisco, Harper & Row, 1989.
Heyward focues on justice rather than on the texts of scripture. She reclaims the
connection between the erotic, love, and justice.

Maury Johnston, Gays Under Grace: A Gay Christian's Response to Homosexuality,
Highly critical of the anti-gay/lesbian dogmatism of the fundamentalist and the various
gay/lesbian lifestyles which provide ammunition for the religious right.

Malcolm Marcourt (ed), Towards a Theology of Gay Liberation, London, SCM Press,
1977.
One of the earliest debate books from the United Kingdom.

Virginia Ramey Mollenkott & Letha Dawson Scanzoni, Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?,
(revised and updated edition) HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
Still a powerful wake up call to Christians to include gays and lesbian within their
churches.

Virginia Mollenkott, Sensuous Spirituality: Out from Fundamentalism, New York,
Crossroad Press, 1992.
Mollenkott provides a bridge fro those coming from fundamentalist traditions to a
liberative Christianity. She explores the lesbigay community as social transformer and
presents a wonderful justice perspective.

James B. Nelson, Embodiment: An Approach to Sexuality and Christian Theology,
Minneapolis, Augsburg Press, 1978.
Gay friendly Nelson grounds a sexual theology within embodiment. His chapter on
homosexuality is one of the first gay friendly responses.

James B. Nelson, Body Theology, Louisville, Westminster/ John Knox Press, 1992.
Nelson offers a sexual theology incarnationally based and faults dualism for distorting human
sexuality.

James B. Nelson & Sandra P. Longfellow (ed), Sexuality and the Sacred: Sources for
Theological Reflection, Louisville, Westminster/ John Knox Press, 1994.
This anthology presents a wide diversity of sexuality intended by God neither to be
harmful or incidental to spirituality. Good basic book for teaching sexual theology.

Norman Pittenger, Time for Consent: A Christian's Approach to Homosexuality, (third
edition) London, SCM Press, 1976.
Pittenger, a process theologian, argues for the Chistian community to welcome
gays/lesbians. A classic.

Pim Pronk, Against Nature: Types of Moral Argumentation Regarding Homosexuality,
Grand Rapids, W. B. Eerdmans, 1993.
Pronk explores the moral and biblical arguments against homosexuality, concluding that
homosexuality is unnatural but that there is every reason to remove homosexuality from
church agendas.

Kathy Rudy, Sex and the Church: Gender, Homosexuality and the Transformation of
Christian Ethics, Boston, Beacon, 1997.
Rudy presents a well-framed argument for the transformation of Christian ethics to include
gays/lesbians.

Daniel Spencer, Gay and Gaia, Cleveland, Pilgrim Press, 1996.
An invaluable reminder that translesbigays will not be free unless we also include
ecological liberation as part of liberative sstrategy.

Alison Webster, Just Love: A Resource Book Exploring the Theology of Sexuality,
Birmingham, Movement Publications, Birmingham, 1989.
Articles and creatives ideas for workshops and worship developed by gay/lesbian and
straight students.

Alison Webster, Found Wanting: Women, Christianity, and Sexuality, New York, Cassell,
1995.
A good lesbian feminist critique of Christian teachings about gender and sexuality. Webster speaks
for many marginalized women and lesbians.

Robert Williams, Just As I Am: A Practical Guide to Being Out, Proud, and Christian,
New York, Crown Publishing, 1992.
Williams pioneers a shift from gay theology to queer theology. A good book.

David F. Wright, The Christian Faith and Homosexuality, Edinburgh, Rutherford House, 1994.
Typical evangelical scholar who promotes an exclusive heterosexist agenda.