The overwhelming message of the Bible, in story after story, is that of God's radical love and welcome. Every time we think we know who's in and who's out, God does something to challenge those assumptions, to unbind our hearts and minds from old ways of understanding, and to draw the circle ever wider.
HEARTS UNBOUND invites you to explore ten of those inspiring stories of radical love and welcome. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and participatory, each session looks in-depth at the story, the historical context out of which it came, and some of the insights to be gained.
Designed to be used as a small-group Bible study, HEARTS UNBOUND uses the format of Reader's Theater. But fear not... no costumes, sets, or refined acting chops needed! All you need are six to eight people around a table, reading the script, having fun, all the while learning a great deal in the process.
All ten sessions are available for free download below.
In an effort to foster a dialogue with Latino/a families and churches on sexual orientation, gender identity and the Bible, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and UNID@S, unveiled today a new bilingual guide, A La Familia: A Conversation About Our Families, the Bible, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at a press conference during the League of United Latin American Citizens' 82nd National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people often face unique challenges in Latino/a families and churches. To help in the process of acceptance and inclusion, A La Familia is born out of a profound desire to faithfully integrate an excluded group of people back into the life of their churches and families. This guide is written for two primary audiences: heterosexual people honestly struggling with LGBT issues and the Bible, and those whose sexual orientation and gender identity have marginalized them within their family or church or even both.
In 2011, the Task Force’s Institute for Welcoming Resources, in close collaboration with Unid@s, the national Latin@ LGBT Human Rights Organization and the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program, jointly released A La Familia, a bilingual conversation about our families, the Bible, sexual orientation and gender identity. See the preview below.
For more information about Before God, We Are All Family, click here.
Gene Robinson is bishop of the tiny, rural Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, but he's at the center of a storm of controversy raging in the Episcopal Church and throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion involving homosexuality, the priesthood, and the future of the Communion. This book offers an honest, thoughtful portrait of Robinson, the faith that has informed his life, and the controversy that continues to rock his Church.
Here's an exciting new entry into the discussion of the church and its relationship to its non-heterosexual members! The Seventh-day Adventist church was, early on, a supporter of social justice issues like slavery and the rights of women. For over 100 years it has supported religious liberty for all citizens - but as the church grew and its pioneers died, so did the fervor for these issues. Yet, Adventists still cling to a heritage that truth is progressive; and when new light comes from understanding Scripture the church wants to be ready to accept "present truth." This collection of chapters and responses covers a wide range of topics from scriptural analysis to personal experience, written by respected professionals from within the Adventist community. It seeks to open the door to discussion, without making any claim to provide ultimate answers. Each chapter and each response concludes with a series of questions that can be used to stimulate discussion. This should make the book suitable not only for Adventists, but for many religious communities.
“I learned so much from Christianity and Homosexuality: Some Seventh-day Adventist Perspectives! It is wonderful to have a resource to recommend to my Seventh-day Adventist friends that is so closely tied to Adventism's rich heritage, tradition and unique witness. It has challenged and deepened my own understandings of the Gospel and homosexuality and will do so for Christians from other traditions.” - Harry Knox, Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign
“For Christians of all denominations who struggle to understand those children of God who happen not to be straight, this book will be of great help. Its survey of the history and theologies that have impacted Adventism, the insights of medical practitioners and social workers, and the true stories of real families will broaden the perspectives of even those who disagree with some of it's conclusions.” - Tony and Peggy Campolo, authors and lecturers
Homosexuality is not a problem; heterosexism is, and this problem is often supported by religious statements and practices against sexual minorities. This book seeks to draw out strands in each major religion that are antidotal to such practices and attitudes.
Contributors to this volume, all of whom are authorities in their religious traditions, include:
Ghazala Anwar (Islam), Kelly Brown Douglas (African American Christianity), Marvin M. Ellison (Protestant Christianity), Ann-Marie Hsiung (Taoism and Confucianism), Mary Hunt (Roman Catholicism), Yu-Chen Li (Buddhism), Daniel C. Maguire (Roman Catholicism), Judith Plaskow (Judaism), Anantanand Rambachan (Hinduism)
To the Tune of a Welcoming God, by poet, theologian, essayist, and activist David Weiss, explores the divisive questions of whether and how the church might welcome the GLBT Christians at its doorstep—and already in its pews. Writing with academic training, prophetic passion, and poetic insight, Weiss invites readers to revisit these questions through poems, essays, and hymns that are at once engaging and provocative. While rooted deeply in his own Lutheran context, Weiss’s words reach far beyond, challenging, encouraging, and empowering persons regardless of their particular tradition. With a forward by Pastor Anita Hill.
This book, authored by a retired Episcopal priest, challenges traditional church teachings that brand homosexuality as immoral, using pertinent scripture from the central Gospel to promote a full acceptance of gay and lesbian Christians. This powerful book questions the assumption that gay Christians are morally inferior, presenting testimony from gay men and lesbians about prejudice they’ve experienced at the hands of the Church—and its straight members. Written as a series of ten letters, the book addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the church and appeals for a new understanding and commitment to the acceptance of its gay members.