Gifted by Otherness: Gay and Lesbian Christians in the Church

by L. William Countryman, M.R. Ritley

Proactive and self-affirming book provides new hope for those who feel that it is impossible to be both gay or lesbian, as well as Christian. Gay and lesbian Christians are in the awkward position of trying to explain themselves to two mutually hostile audiences. On the one side, the gay-lesbian community is often deeply suspicious of anyone connected with Christianity. On the other side sits the church, which often wishes that gays and lesbians would go away, or at least disappear into the woodwork quietly. But the gay and lesbian community has a unique vocation in today’s church, one of challenging the church’s to be inclusive of all God’s children―the central message of the Gospel. Based on retreats they have presented to churches and seminaries, authors L. William Countryman and M. R. Ritley explore what it means to affirm, not merely accept, being gay and lesbian, as well as being Christian. This pro-active and self-affirming book provides new hope for the LGBT community, their families, and confidently appropriating and retelling the Biblical story of this unique and gifted minority’s spiritual journey. “[A] powerful Magna Carta for gay and lesbian Christians and a compelling call to the church not to stand in the way of Jesus’s unconditional love.”―Malcolm Boyd, author of Are You Running with Me, Jesus?

Genres: Queer, Religion, LGBT, Nonfiction, Christian, Spirituality, Theology

164 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Bill Countryman is a retired seminary professor and Episcopal priest (still assisting at Good Shepherd Church in Berkeley, CA). He and his spouse, Jon Vieira, live in Oakland, CA, where he tends the garden and writes mostly poetry these days.

I'm a lover of poetry, classical music (with a particular fondness for choral and chamber music and for late-ninteenth-early-twentieth-century orchestral music. I spread my reading broadly: poetry, fiction, history, theology.

And I blog on gardening, reading the Scriptures, and whatever else interests me at billcountryman.com.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for LGBT people struggling with whether to stay in a mainline protestant denomination (probably won't do much for those in conservative churches). Countryman and Ritley alternate chapters while making the case for coming out and being a gay Christian witness in the church. I find a lot of it resonates with where I am in the process now. Ritley, in particular, relates some interesting stories from the Sufi tradition of Islam that seem to find the blessing in otherness.

[Malcolm McPherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a joint effort by a gay man, Bill Countryman, and a gay woman, M. R. Ritley. I am not sure whether I can put my finger on why I have given the book five stars. It is on a par with the lovely book by the Australian Catholic Michael Bernard Kelly: Seduced by Grace. Neither book attempts a coherent argument but is an assembly of reflections. As an Anglican, once a Catholic, I identify with both books. I guess I was pleased to find a book from an Anglican perspective that was as good as Michael's.

Ritley and Countryman both possess a sense of fun and of deep insight. Theirs is a book I will return to over and over again and recommend to friends. It is not the final word on being gay and Christian but it certainly moves the conversations forward especially for gays and lesbians in the Anglican Communion.

[Kim Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the time in my life that I was reading this book, I found it extremely informative and helpful. Great book for more progressive Christians who want to understand more about LGBT identity and the church. Conservatives won't like it.