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Tenderness: A Gay Christian's Guide to Unlearning Rejection and Experiencing God's Extravagant Love
Winner of a second-place award in the category gender issues, inclusion in the Church from the Catholic Media Association.What would happen if gay Christians began to believe the truth about God—that he loves all people unconditionally?
In Tenderness, Catholic writer and speaker Eve Tushnet says trusting God’s love would be the beginning of a transformation, not only in the lives of gay Christians but also in the Body of Christ itself. She offers hope and companionship to those who have been deeply hurt by their parishes, a wound that also damaged their relationship with God. Tushnet also offers practical guidance from her own journey as a celibate lesbian.
Tenderness explores scripture and history to find role models for gay Christians—including Jesus, King David, Ruth, St. John, Mary, poets, mystics, penitents, leaders, and ordinary gay people who have found unexpected paths of love. The book also offers guidance on living through or recovering from the painful experiences that are all too common in gay Christian life—from familial rejection and weaponized Christianity to ambivalence and doubt. Weaving her own story with resources, prayers, and practical actions that can help gay people trust that God loves them, Tushnet renews our understandings of kinship, friendship, celibacy and unmarried life, ordered love, personal integrity, solidarity with the marginalized, obedience, surrender, sanctification, and hope.
This book is primarily for gay Christians, but it also offers a window into their experiences and needs that will make it useful for anyone in pastoral care or who wants to be a better friend to the gay people they know.
In Tenderness, Catholic writer and speaker Eve Tushnet says trusting God’s love would be the beginning of a transformation, not only in the lives of gay Christians but also in the Body of Christ itself. She offers hope and companionship to those who have been deeply hurt by their parishes, a wound that also damaged their relationship with God. Tushnet also offers practical guidance from her own journey as a celibate lesbian.
Tenderness explores scripture and history to find role models for gay Christians—including Jesus, King David, Ruth, St. John, Mary, poets, mystics, penitents, leaders, and ordinary gay people who have found unexpected paths of love. The book also offers guidance on living through or recovering from the painful experiences that are all too common in gay Christian life—from familial rejection and weaponized Christianity to ambivalence and doubt. Weaving her own story with resources, prayers, and practical actions that can help gay people trust that God loves them, Tushnet renews our understandings of kinship, friendship, celibacy and unmarried life, ordered love, personal integrity, solidarity with the marginalized, obedience, surrender, sanctification, and hope.
This book is primarily for gay Christians, but it also offers a window into their experiences and needs that will make it useful for anyone in pastoral care or who wants to be a better friend to the gay people they know.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 3, 2021
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About the author
Eve Tushnet
10 books66 followersEve Tushnet is a writer in Washington, DC. She has written for publications including the Atlantic, Commonweal, The American Conservative, the New York Post, and the online editions of the New York Times and Washington Post. She mostly covers the arts, from forgotten punk films to the US National Figure Skating Championships. She has published fiction in Dappled Things, Doublethink, and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet.
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May 5, 2022
Thank You, Eve
A beautiful book. As a straight married person, I am not, frankly, the target reader. I initially started the book to find empathy with people whose experiences most likely differed sharply from my own, and twisting the book to make it feel like it's "about me" would be an exercise in narcissism. But it also spoke to deep needs in my own soul--especially the desire to be loved unconditionally and, hopefully, grow into someone who can love others that way (or at least have a growing desire to do so). I choose to believe that my response is less about dragging myself into the discussion and more about the author's empathy and vulnerability, which draw out a like response in her readers.
Thank you, Eve. I hope to better see through your eyes and those of the others whose stories and experiences you have shared here.
A beautiful book. As a straight married person, I am not, frankly, the target reader. I initially started the book to find empathy with people whose experiences most likely differed sharply from my own, and twisting the book to make it feel like it's "about me" would be an exercise in narcissism. But it also spoke to deep needs in my own soul--especially the desire to be loved unconditionally and, hopefully, grow into someone who can love others that way (or at least have a growing desire to do so). I choose to believe that my response is less about dragging myself into the discussion and more about the author's empathy and vulnerability, which draw out a like response in her readers.
Thank you, Eve. I hope to better see through your eyes and those of the others whose stories and experiences you have shared here.
Displaying 1 of 1 review