6 Inspiring Books for Christians on LGBTQ Inclusion

And now, a few words from …
ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm …

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Here are quick summaries and links to the six books we are recommending:

6 Inspiring Books for Christians on LGBTQ Inclusion

A Letter to My Congregation by Ken Wilson

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This is the first book we published on LGBTQ inclusion, telling the true story of one courageous pastor who wrote a letter to his congregation to help move everyone toward hospitality. Dr. David Gushee calls this book “a breakthrough work coming from the heart of evangelical Christianity. Ken Wilson shows how God has led him on a journey toward a rethinking of what the fully authoritative and inspired Bible ought to be taken to mean in the life of the church today.” The late Christian author Phyllis Tickle called this book “one of the most exquisite, painful, candid, brilliant pieces … that I have ever seen.”

Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

Solus Jesus by Ken Wilson and Emily Swan

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Ken Wilson—along with his co-pastor Emily Swan—went on to write a much more substantial book about the Christian basis for LGBTQ inclusion. What’s special about this book for Christians is that both Ken and Emily come from the evangelical tradition and take a very high view of scripture. They also draw on a range of other theologians as they carefully share what the Bible really says about inclusion. Best-selling christian author Brian D. McLaren says about this book: “Solus Jesus challenges us to see the authoritative Jesus in a fresh light, so that his life, message, death, and rising summon us to live in a new way as individuals and congregations.” The Rev. Susa Bock of Grace Episcopal Church in Michigan wrote: “Ken and Emily’s book is loving and courageous, compelling and convicting, scholarly and personal all at once.”

Availablein paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

Changing Our Mind by Dr. David Gushee

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This book by the famous Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee truly is a landmark volume read by individuals, small groups and congregations around the world, today. In 2019, for example, we are planning to release a Chinese-language edition of his book. Dr. Gushee is highly respected by his scholarly peers. He currently heads two of the largest nationwide academic organizations serving his colleagues. Earlier in his career, Dr. Gushee literally wrote the book that evangelicals used to establish the ethical rules by which their congregations should live. Then, Gushee had a profound spiritual experience that changed his mind! This book—Changing Our Mind—tells the deeply inspiring story of how Dr. Gushee came this dramatic transformation in his personal and theological journey. “For decades now, David Gushee has earned the reputation as America’s leading evangelical ethicist. In this book, he admits that he has been wrong on the LGBT issue.” writes Brian D. McLaren, author and theologian. In the definitive third edition of this book, David Gushee issues a scholarly response to his critics.

Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

Blue Ocean Faith by Dave Schmelzer

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In early 2019—following a turbulent United Methodist global conference in St. Louis that narrowly voted to condemn LGBTQ inclusion—millions of people are talking about forming a new denomination. The book Blue Ocean Faith is the story of a handful of evangelical churches nationwide who successfully did that. In this book, founder Dave Schmelzer details six profound paradigm shifts that unlock a depth of connection to God that’s new for many churchgoers—and that’s unprecedented for their secular neighbors. Rather than retreating from our increasingly secular world, people of faith can join Jesus—as followers like Saint Francis of Assisi have done for millennia—in joyfully entering the world around them with profound wonder and renewed inspiration. Dr. Gushee calls this “a riveting book about an exciting new movement of churches emerging out of the ashes of American evangelicalism/fundamentalism. This could be a charter document for a new kind of Jesus movement. Everyone should read it.”

Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

100 Questions & Answers about
by Michigan State University School of Journalism

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We also publish two secular books, researched and published by the MSU School of Journalism. The subject of gender and sexual orientation is so complex that MSU journalists divided the issues into two books in their ongoing series about diversity. Fairness, accuracy and balance are the core values MSU teaches young journalists, so both of these volumes are not only painstakingly fact checked—they also have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field. Considering how many books are available on these issues, why should you buy these MSU volumes? Because, as good journalists, MSU’s students know that that they need to cover issues that affect the lives of ordinary people. Their guiding principle for this series is: “We’re answering the questions everybody’s asking, but nobody’s answering.” These are the books where you’ll find the answers you need to know, everyday. This first volume is about gender identity, because one of the most important topics nationwide, right now, is how we will relate to transgender neighbors.

Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

100 Questions & Answers about
by Michigan State University School of Journalism

The MSU School of Journalism team, then, continued to explore these issues that millions of Americans are discussing every day. After covering gender identity and focusing on transgender issues in the first volume, this second volume is a clear, introductory guide to issues concerning people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or who have other sexual orientations. The questions come from interviews with gay people who say these are issues they frequently get asked about or wish people knew more about. It has answers about identity, relationships, families, health, safety, school, work, visibility, coming out and civil rights. This guide is for people in business, education, religion, government, medicine, law and human resources who want to learn or teach about gay people.

Available in paperback and Kindle from Amazon. Also, available in paperback and Nook from Barnes & Noble. Also available via Apple bookstores, Google Books and other online retailers.

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Comments

  1. Tom Fishburn says

    I’ve read three of these books. These are eye opening reads that show there is a better Good News interpretations of scripture than the prejudiced views which I heard most of my life. Some folks are getting to know Jesus better.