Struggling in Good Faith: LGBTQI Inclusion from 13 American Religious Perspectives

by Mychal Copeland MTS, D'vorah Rose BCC, Bishop Gene Robinson (Foreword)

A multifaceted sourcebook telling the powerful story of reconciliation, celebration and struggle for LGBTQI inclusion across the American religious landscape.

"No matter what stage in the process of change, religious belief is unveiled in all its dynamism in this book.... Wrestling with issues and struggling for better understanding of one's fellow human beings is at the center of every religion, no matter how old or new, narrow or expansive, Western or Eastern, that religion is. The struggle itself is a sign of life in these religious endeavors, and with life there is hope." from the Foreword by Bishop Gene Robinson

We are at a critical turning point in American religious and political life over LGBTQI inclusion. How each spiritual community approaches the question will profoundly impact the American political and social climate of the future. This accessible resource explores thirteen faith traditions that wrestle with LGBTQI inclusion, documenting the challenges and transformation of American religion.

Faith Traditions Covered The Black Church Buddhism The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) The Episcopal Church First Nations (Native American) Hinduism Judaism The Lutheran Church Islam The Presbyterian Church Protestant Evangelical Traditions The Roman Catholic Church Unitarian Universalism"

Genres: Spirituality, LGBT

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2015

Reviews

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter of this book was written by a different author, a voice within the particular denomination being covered. So, for me, the quality ranged from excellent to marginal. Therefore, my rating represents an average. That being said, it was a good choice for our group (Sunday School class) to read. Here's a quote: "It is these human stories that highlight how faith ought to be practiced; by illuminating the world with love and light, challenging discrimination, misogyny, and patriarchy in the name of religion with love, compassion, and inclusivity for all peoples."

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting overview of several religions' stances on LGBTQ+ rights/inclusion. Some chapters gave me new insights, others were a bit vague, but overall, I liked how hopeful the tone of the book was and was pleasantly surprised by how many religious organisations are actively including LGBTQ+ people.

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religion and queerness are often portrayed in American media as hostile forces antithetical to one another. While there are many high-profile conflicts between religious and queer communities, the situation is in fact much more complicated. In Struggling in Good Faith, queer and allied representatives from 13 different American faiths — Judaism, Islam, Evangelical/Lutheran/Presbyterian/Episcopal Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, indigenous religions, historically Black churches, Buddhism, and Hinduism — write on their religion's relationship with queerness. Each chapter addresses a specific religion's attitudes towards and efforts to include queer members, the evolution of how the religion has come to view queer people, differences in attitudes/practices within the religion, and what challenges lie ahead.
It is quite fascinating to read about this issue from so many different religious perspectives. Each has its own methods of accommodating queer members, with even more conservative faiths (Evangelical Protestantism, LDS, Orthodox Judaism) taking baby steps towards more welcoming policies and doctrines. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in queer and/or religious issues.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Struggling in Good Faith" edited by Mychal Copeland is a phenominal book that I'd recommend to almost anyone especially people that are LGBTQI. The book is a collection of essay like readings by leaders within various faith systems. Each writer unpacks a little of their faith's history and goes into various views people of their faith have when it comes to LGBTQI. I found the book extremely informative, helpful, and encouraging. I greatly appreciated learning the history of different faiths as many of them I was unaware of. I also appreciate that Copeland didn't just include the major American religious of Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Judaism, and Muslim. There are other faiths that are included and discussed. Even as a quick primer on different religions I found the book to be extremely valuable and helpful. I would strongly recommend this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by: Rev. Joanne Sanders