The real story behind “ex-gay” ministries and reparative therapy!

Nationally known activist Wayne Besen spent four years examining the phenomenon of “ex-gay” ministries and reparative therapies—interviewing leaders, attending conferences, and visiting ministries undercover as he accumulated hundreds of hours of research. The result is Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a groundbreaking exposé of the controversial movement that's revered by independent religious groups and reviled by gay and lesbian organizations. The book presents a historical perspective on the dispute, examining “ex-gay” groups such as Love In Action, Exodus International, Homosexuals Anonymous, and profiling a cast of characters that includes Pat Robertson, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, “ex-gay” poster boy John Paulk, National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality activist Richard Cohen, and psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer.

"Can a person be gay and a Christian?"

This is a question that countless thousands of people have asked themselves in the course of their lives. Whether they are struggling with this issue themselves or if they know loved ones who are wrestling with their sexual orientation, there's now hope!

The Rainbow Kingdom: Christianity & the Homosexual Reconciled, a new book by David W. Shelton, answers that question and many others that we deal with as GLBT and GLBT-affirming Christians. In the first half, The Rainbow Kingdom addresses the "clobber" verses that are used to condemn gay and lesbian people throughout the world. Then, the message shifts from instruction to ministry, meeting many of today's issues head-on.

The Rainbow Kingdom: Christianity & the Homosexual Reconciled is a practical, Biblical approach to interpreting Scripture. There are no apologies, no attacks, and no condemnation. The Rainbow Kingdom sets aside complex theology and presents its message in an easy-to-read format that's appropriate for everyone. The message of this book is simple: reconciliation with Jesus Christ and with our deeply-held faith.

If you or someone you love is unsure whether or not they can be gay and Christian, you owe it to yourself to find the answer. With this book, you can begin that process to the kind of peace and contentment that Christ has for ALL of us!

David W. Shelton is a pastor, writer, columnist, activist, and artist.He currently lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, with his life partner and their five cats.

The bestselling author of Stranger at the Gate provides an inside exposé of the Christian Right's agenda-and a playbook in how to resist it.

This Fall's midterm elections will see much discussion about the enhanced power of the Christian fundamentalist Right, leaving many people to wonder: just who are these people and what exactly do they want? What are their ultimate goals? The Reverend Mel White, a deeply religious man who sees fundamentalism as "evangelical Christian orthodoxy gone cultic," believes that it is not a stretch to say that the true goal of today's fundamentalists is to break down the wall that separates church and state, superimpose their "moral values" on the U.S. Constitution, replace democracy with theocratic rule, and ultimately create a new "Christian America" in their image. White's new book, Religion Gone Bad, is a wake-up call to all of us to take heed.

The Silence of Sodom by Mark D. Jordan, a professor of theology at Emory University, is a smart, graceful, important book about homosexuality and modern Catholicism. It transcends discussion of sexual identity and contends that theology cannot, fundamentally, be argued--it must be lived. "Serious moral theology cannot be principally the framing and manipulation of quasi-legal propositions. It must begin and end in the discovery of particular lives under grace." Consequently, Jordan writes, "lesbian and gay lives will have to become audible to the church, readable within it, before their graces can be discerned and described." The way for gay lives to become audible in the church, Jordan argues, is to demonstrate an intimate relationship between "'homosexuality' and holiness--that is, human fullness." To demonstrate that relationship, gay people must rethink their notions of identity by questioning the descriptive power of terms such as gay and homosexual, and perhaps even abandoning such terms.

Joretta Marshall writes this book not only for pastoral caregivers, but also for the general public. She clearly defines words such as lesbian, homosexuality, heterosexism, sexism and identity. This book is a wonderful introduction for how the wider public can best relate to and affirm women who are in covenantal partnerships with other women. She also emphasizes the crucial importance of the role that pastoral caregivers play in counseling women in lesbian relationships. It is imperative, she says, that pastoral caregivers affirm lesbians in their relationships as well as challenge institutions, such as the church, to accept and affirm the relationships that women have with women.

(Review by Camille Reeves at Amazon.com)

The author did a very good job of examining in a logical and scholarly fashion exactly what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality. I appreciated the lack of political rhetoric in the book. The cultural background information was very helpful in understanding how to interpret the Biblical passages often quoted on both sides of the debate.
I found the list of Biblical passages referenced in the back of the book very helpful. I used the index to read all of the referenced passages in the NIV translation of the Bible.

To get the maximum out of this book, you have to be willing to put some intellectual effort into exploring the Bible as a Bible scholar does. This doesn't mean that the book is hard to read - on the contrary, it is written very clearly. This book is most useful if you have an honest desire to understand how the Bible addresses the issue. It will not be as useful if you are simply trying to find ammunition to support your already stated viewpoint.

(Review by a reader at Amazon.com)

Teoloogiadoktor Jaan Lahe kritiseerib 2009. aasta sügisesel kirikukogul vastu võetud deklaratsiooni "Suhtumisest homoseksuaalsesse käitumisse kirikutes ja kirikuteosadusest", mis mõistab hukkka homoseksuaalsete paaride kooselu kirikliku õnnistamise. Jaan Lahe seab küsimärgi alla luterliku kiriku deklaratsioonis ja selles tsiteeritud Eesti Kirikute Nõukogu 2008. a seisukohavõtus toodud väited: 1) homoseksuaalsust käsitletakse nii Vanas kui ka Uues Testamendis negatiivses valguses; 2) pühakirjatraditsiooni ei saa ümber tõlgendada homoseksuaalset praktikat heakskiitvas valguses; 3) homoseksuaalsus on Piibli järgi patt.

While it occurs near the close of the calendar year, Advent marks the commencement of the liturgical one, beginning the Christian calendar afresh with its weeks of hushed expectation. In Reformation of the Heart: Seasonal Meditations of a Gay Christian, Chris Glaser challenges readers to emulate Mary, who prayed, "Let it be with me according to your Word." Glaser's honest daily meditations will help many gay and lesbian Christians understand the Advent season (and other liturgical events) in fresh and comforting ways.

With the removal of sexual orientation as a bar to ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), pending approval of a majority of presbyteries, and the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention, at which sexuality issues (ordination, rites for blessing of same-gender couples) will be debated yet again, sexual orientation, especially with regard to marriage, is a central issue. Secularly, too, the topic is front-page news with the recent California same-gender marriage ruling and subsequent Proposition 8 vote and the update of the Massachusetts same-gender marriage law. This book sets forth the case for religious institutions' blessing of same-gender marriage, positing that same-gender marriage does not detract from the sacredness of heterosexual marriage, but rather enhances and nourishes the institution.