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Christianity
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 Christianity,
Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality : Gay People in Western Europe
from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century
by John
Boswell
John Boswell's highly acclaimed study of the
history of attitudes toward homosexuality in the Christian West
challenges received opinion and our own preconceptions about the
Church's past relationship to its gay members, among whom were
priests, bishops and even canonized saints. The historical breadth
of Boswell's research (from the Greeks to Aquinas) and the variety
of sources consulted (legal, literary, theological, artistic, and
scientific) make this one of the most extensive treatments of any
single aspect of Western social history. The product of ten years
of research and analysis of records in a dozen languages, this
book opens up a new area of historical inquiry and helps elucidate
the origins and operations of intolerance as a social force.
"What makes this work so exciting is not
simply its content--fascinating though that is--but its
revolutionary challenge to some of Western culture's most familiar
moral assumptions." --Jean Strouse, Newsweek
"Truly groundbreaking work. Boswell reveals
unexplored phenomena with an unfailing erudition." --Michel
Foucault
"[Boswell] has mastered one of the rarest
skills: the ability to write about sex with genuine wit.
Improbable as it might seem, this work of unrelenting scholarship
and high intellectual drama is also thoroughly entertaining."
--Paul Robinson, New York Times Book Review
John Boswell (1947-1994) was the A. Whitney
Griswold Professor of History at Yale University and the author of
The
Royal Treasure, The
Kindness of Strangers, and Same-Sex
Unions in Premodern Europe.
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Affirmation is a fellowship of gays, lesbians,
bisexuals, their family and friends who share the common bond of
the Mormon experience. Its purpose is to provide a supportive
environment for relieving the needless fear, guilt,
self-oppression and isolation that LDS gays and lesbians can
experience in an era where willful ignorance about human sexuality
is too often a reality. We believe that a same-gender orientation
and same-gender relationships can be consistent with and supported
by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We affirm that we are children of
Heavenly Parents who love us the way they created us and will
judge us, as they do all, based on what we make of our lives here
and how we have treated our sisters and brothers.
With chapters
around the world, Affirmation serves the needs of gays, lesbians,
bisexual LDS and their supportive family and friends through
social and educational activities.
AFFIRMATION: Gay & Lesbian Mormons
P.O. Box 46022
Los Angeles, CA 90046-0022
Phone: (323) 255-7251
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. . . a group of dedicated Christians, working
within the boundaries of existing Presbyterian
Church (USA) policy. Through education and dialogue, we strive
to open barriers in order to permit gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) people to serve openly as clergy, elders, and
deacons within the denomination.
That All May Freely Serve is a mission
project of Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY) in
partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church (Tiburon, CA). As
such, That All May Freely Serve therefore has the same
tax status as the sponsoring church and qualifies as a 501(c)(3)
organization under IRS rules. Please confirm your personal tax
situation regarding the tax-deductibility of contributions.
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ACCNET.ORG is the official web site for the Alliance of Christian
Churches and its affiliate members. We are a
fellowship of churches ministering God's unconditional Grace both
in the gay and lesbian community and the body of Christ at large.
This website is for all who understand that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is for everyone.
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Members of the Association of Welcoming &
Affirming Baptists (AWAB) are churches, organizations, and
individuals who are willing to go on record as welcoming and
affirming all persons without regard to sexual orientation, and
who have joined together to advocate for the full inclusion of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons within American
Baptist communities of faith.
A Welcoming & Affirming (W&A)
congregation is one which reaches out to the LGBT community with
the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and welcomes lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender Christians into full membership and
participation.
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming
Baptists was initiated at a gathering of pastors at the 1991
Biennial in Charleston, West Virginia, and was formally organized
at the 1993 Biennial in San Jose, California. By 1995 the
Association had grown to over 30 churches and organizations in
Regions throughout the ABC/USA.
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Affirmation is an independent, not-for-profit
organization with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.
Affirmation is 100% supported by contributions from interested
individuals. It receives no support from any official body of The
United Methodist Church. Tax-deductible contributions to
Affirmation are welcome and can be sent to PO Box 1021, Evanston,
IL 60204. All contributors of $25 or more will be considered
members of Affirmation (unless they request otherwise) and
will receive the quarterly newsletter.
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By calling ourselves progressive, we mean
that we are Christians who:
- proclaim Jesus Christ as our Gate to the
realm of God;
- recognize the faithfulness of other people
who have other names for the gateway to God's realm;
- understand our sharing of bread and wine in
Jesus's name to be a representation of God's feast for all
peoples;
- invite all sorts and conditions of people to
join in our worship and in our common life as full partners,
including (but not limited to):
 | believers and agnostics,
| conventional Christians and questioning
skeptics,
| homosexuals and heterosexuals,
| females and males,
| the despairing and the hopeful,
| those of all races and cultures, and
| those of all classes and abilities,
without imposing on them the necessity of becoming like
us;
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think that the way we treat one another and
other people is more important than the way we express our
beliefs;
find more grace in the search for meaning
than in absolute certainty, in the questions than in the
answers;
see ourselves as a spiritual community in
which we discover the resources required for our work in the
world:
| striving for justice and peace among all
people, and
| bringing hope to those Jesus called the
least of his sisters and brothers;
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recognize that our faith entails costly
discipleship, renunciation of privilege, and conscientious
resistance to evil--as has always been the tradition of the
church.
For an amplification of these points
and for questions to facilitate discussion of them, turn to the Study
Guide for the Eight Points by which we define Progressive
Christianity.
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By John Boswell, People
With A History
Excerpts from the keynote address made by
Prof. Boswell to the Fourth Biennial Dignity International
Convention in 1979.
"Homosexuality," Plato wrote, "is
regarded as shameful by barbarians and by those who live under
despotic governments just as philosophy is regarded as shameful by
them, because it is apparently not in the interest of such rulers
to have great ideas engendered in their subjects, or powerful
friendships or passionate love-all of which homosexuality is
particularly apt to produce." This attitude of Plato's was
characteristic of the ancient world, and I want to begin my
discussion of the attitudes of the Church and of Western
Christianity toward homosexuality by commenting on comparable
attitudes among the ancients.
To a very large extent, Western attitudes toward
law, religion, literature and government are dependent upon Roman
attitudes. This makes it particularly striking that our attitudes
toward homosexuality in particular and sexual tolerance in general
are so remarkably different from those of the Romans. It is very
difficult to convey to modern audiences the indifference of the
Romans to questions of gender and gender orientation. The
difficulty is due both to the fact that the evidence has been
largely consciously obliterated by historians prior to very recent
decades, and to the diffusion of the relevant material...
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The Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples
Alliance, Inc., is a presence working for the full dignity and
integrity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and affirming people within
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). GLAD Alliance welcomes
all who make common cause with us and conducts its activites
through the congregations, regions and general agencies and bodies
of the Disciples of Christ. Communications with members and
friends are carried on through two quarterly publications, Crossbeams
and Crosscurrents, and periodic mailings.
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Dignity/USA is the largest and most progressive
national lay movement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (GLBT)
Catholics, our families, and our friends.
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ECWR is a nationwide ministry of
Christ-centered, Bible-believing, evangelical gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) Christians. ECWR is not a
church, but a network of groups of friends whose primary purpose
is to provide reconciliation, integration and opportunities for
Christian growth for Christian GLBT peoples.
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Integrity is a nonprofit organization of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trangendered Episcopalians
and our straight friends. For over 25 years, since our founding
by Dr. Louie Crew in rural Georgia, Integrity has been the
leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of homosexual
persons in the Episcopal Church and our equal access to its rites.
However, advocacy is only one facet of our ministry. In over
60
chapters in the United States the primary activities are:
| worship in a supportive environment |
| emotional support and counseling |
| spiritual nourishment and Christian education |
| service to the church, and |
| outreach to the gay/lesbian community. |
Through Integrity's evangelism, thousands of
lesbians and gay men, estranged from the Episcopal Church and
other denominations, have returned to parish life.
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The Lesbian and Gay Catholic Handbook is
an attempt to organize and present a great deal of information,
discussion, and argumentation that will be helpful to lesbian,
gay, and bisexual Catholics. I have spent much time organizing,
writing, and researching this information. Please let me know what
you think.
The Handbook is specifically a
copyrighted document [although parts of it are links to texts
copyrighted by others]. At some point I hope to publish this in
print.
Note: The abbreviation "LGB" stands
for "Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual". Although I am
supportive of transgendered people, I think the issues are
different, and have not addressed them fully here. Sometimes, for
brevity, I have just used "gay", but I wish to make it
clear that my approach is always meant to be inclusive.
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This is a "network" of friends around
the world. Our position is that there is no "sin"
in homosexuality. Our "membership" draws support
from a great variety of faith traditions, and our strength lies in
this rich diversity. We affirm God's acceptance and love of
ALL people, regardless of their sexual or affectional orientation.
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Get to know gay people of faith and their support groups. Help stop the culture wars over faith, politics and sexuality.
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Various Religions in connection to gay people. Homosexuality and religion. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Bible, New Testament, Old testament, Sexuality, Sexual moral, morality, ethic, gay rights, human rights
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The Interfaith Alliance is a non-partisan,
faith-based organization with supporters from over 50 faith
traditions, including Muslims, Catholics, Protestants and Jews. We
are dedicated to promoting the positive role of religion as a
healing and constructive force in politics and in public life.
Across the country, The Interfaith Alliance
organizes people of faith to promote shared religious values:
compassion, civility, and mutual respect for diversity and human
dignity. The pursuit of our agenda makes us a target for criticism
from the political-religious movement known as the Religious
Right, whose words and actions undercut the promise offered by
faith-based civic participation.
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We believe that the characterization of religion
as inherently conservative, and the subsequent portrayal of social
debates as disagreements between the religious and the
irreligious undermine faith in religious institutions and the
ideal of religious diversity.
Our mission is to inform
the public of the diversity of religious opinion on social
issues where it is not widely recognized by providing a voice and
a forum for religious
organizations, congregations and clergy who support equal
rights for sexual minorities, reproductive
freedom, and the
separation of church and state.
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We help people reconcile their spirituality and
sexuality in an uplifting way. We also seek to lead the church by
example. We cannot wait for everyone in the church to understand
how acute the need is. We are called to minister to people now.
Even as we continue to nurture worshipping communities that
proclaim the Gospel while affirming sexual diversity, we are
called to do more.
Our vision is to take the lead in creating new
ministries for those the institutional church is ignoring. Through
our understanding of the Gospel, we believe that reaching out
first and helping others helps each of us grow in our faith and
understanding of God's grace.
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Seeking the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people of in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Site Includes:
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Queer Theology for 14 Sexual Minorities
Excerpt:
...Christocentricism, Not Sexual Docetism. As
Waldo Beach put it in his Foreward to To Will and To Do: "Ellul
is dogmatically Christocentric. `Everything derives from the fact
that Jesus is God'" (1964/69:vii; cf.1969:88). The history of
Christian thought is strewn with the wreckage of sexual ideologies
that have sought to build on other foundations: the "creation
orders" of Genesis; cultic cleanliness codes of Leviticus;
decontextualized, obscure expressions and portions in the pauline
letters, etc. I cannot here offer a full defense of Ellul's
christocentric starting point, but only express my conviction that
if Christian theology is to maintain any semblance of credibility
in sexual matters and make any significant contribution to the
debate that rages, Ellul's Christocentric starting point (similar
to Karl Barth's) must be maintained in the face of all attempts to
reduce Jesus' praxis and teaching to some kind of footnote to Paul
(usually misinterpreted), or to exalt the Law over the Gospel. As
Paul himself insisted: "For no one can lay any foundation
other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1
Cor. 3:11)...
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Rainbow Christian Youth Ministries' purpose is
to provide youth with information on the Biblical passages that
are often times misused to condemn homosexuality. We are here to
help those that have been kicked out of, and rejected by churches
because of homosexuality. Our hope is that this Ministry, RCYM
will help those that are broken hearted, to understand that they
can be young, gay, and Christian.
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"The United Methodist Book of Discipline
states that God's grace is available to all and commits us to be
in ministry with all persons. However, in principle and practice,
the United Methodist church excludes some people, particularly
lesbians, gay and bisexual persons, from full participation in its
life and work. The result is a Body of Christ that is broken and
incomplete and that often acts in unjust ways. A Reconciling
Congregation Program exists to be a healing voice within this
climate of fear, ignorance, intolerance and injustice. The program
encourages and equips individuals, congregations, campus
ministries, and church bodies to be instruments of justice within
the church by inviting all persons to be full participants in the
life of the church, both in policy and practice. In this endeavor,
the program provides a supportive network, educational and worship
resources, and strategies that enable and empower individuals and
church organizations for Christian ministries with lesbian, gay
and bisexual and other persons."
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The Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality,
Justice, and Healing is not copyrighted and can be duplicated in
its entirety without permission. If appropriate, please
credit its development to the Sexuality Information and Education
Council of the United States. Religious institutions are
encouraged to reprint the Religious Declaration in bulletins,
newsletters, flyers, responsive readings, study guides, and the
like. Copies to SIECUS will be gratefully received.
Excerpt:
Sexuality is God's life-giving and
life-fulfilling gift. We come from diverse religious
communities to recognize sexuality as central to our humanity and
as integral to our spirituality. We are speaking out against
the pain, brokenness, oppression, and loss of meaning that many
experience about their sexuality.
Our faith traditions celebrate the
goodness of creation, including our bodies and our sexuality.
We sin when this sacred gift is abused or exploited.
However, the great promise of our traditions is love, healing, and
restored relationships.
Our culture needs a sexual ethic
focused on personal relationships and social justice rather than
particular sexual acts. All persons have the right and
responsibility to lead sexual lives that express love, justice,
mutuality, commitment, consent, and pleasure. Grounded in
respect for the body and for the vulnerability that intimacy
brings, this ethic fosters physical, emotional, and spiritual
health. It accepts no double standards and applies to all
persons, without regard to sex, gender, color, age, bodily
condition, marital status, or sexual orientation.
God hears the cries of those who
suffer from the failure of religious communities to address
sexuality. We are called today to see, hear, and respond to
the suffering caused by violence against women and sexual
minorities, the HIV pandemic, unsustainable population growth and
over-consumption, and the commercial exploitation of sexuality.
Read
More...
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Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International,
Inc. (Kinship) is a
nonprofit support organization which ministers to the spiritual,
emotional, social, and physical well-being of Seventh-day
Adventist lesbian, gay men, bisexual, and trans-gendered
individuals and their families and friends. Kinship facilitates
and promotes the understanding and affirmation of homosexual and
bisexual Adventists among themselves and within the Seventh-day
Adventist community through education, advocacy, and
reconciliation. Kinship is an organization which supports
the advancement of human rights for all people.
Founded in 1976, the organization was incorporated in 1981 and
has a board of 15 officers and 10 regional coordinators. The
current list
of members and friends includes well over a thousand people in 20
countries. Kinship operates solely on contributions from its
members and friends.
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Determined to help end the suffering of God’s
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered children…
Determined to help change the minds and hearts
of religious leaders whose anti-homosexual campaigns lead
(directly and indirectly) to that suffering...
Determined to be guided in our every action by
SOULFORCE the principles of relentless nonviolent resistance as
lived and taught by M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr…
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. . . a group of dedicated Christians, working
within the boundaries of existing Presbyterian
Church (USA) policy. Through education and dialogue, we strive
to open barriers in order to permit gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) people to serve openly as clergy, elders, and
deacons within the denomination.
That All May Freely Serve is a mission
project of Downtown United Presbyterian Church (Rochester, NY) in
partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church (Tiburon, CA). As
such, That All May Freely Serve therefore has the same
tax status as the sponsoring church and qualifies as a 501(c)(3)
organization under IRS rules. Please confirm your personal tax
situation regarding the tax-deductibility of contributions.
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This is the Unitarian Universalist Association's
web directory of information. Here you will find links to our
Principles and Purposes, who we are, who our sponsored
organizations and committees are, our offices, departments, and
related organizations. You can also find information on awards and
scholarships, and our bylaws and rules.
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This is the official home page of Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches UFMCC World Center, MCC headquarters.
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Whosoever is an online magazine dedicated to the
spiritual growth of
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians. Whosoever
seeks to dispel the myths and outright lies spread shamelessly by
Christian extremists who seek to keep gays, lesbians, bisexuals
and transgendered people from God's realm. Whosoever's mission is
to reach gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people around
the world and tell them the Good News of God's unconditional love
for all people, as shown through the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Through biblical scholarship, personal testimonies and prayerful
commentary on timely topics, Whosoever strives to show God
constantly at work in the daily lives of gays, lesbians, bisexuals
and transgendered people. Whosoever is determined to break the
bonds of extremist tyranny and rescue the Bible from
fundamentalists who use the scripture to exclude and injure any of
God's children.
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