Religion is a Queer Thing: A Guide to the Christian Faith for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered People

Many will no doubt claim that a book like Religion Is a Queer Thing is unnecessary. Christianity is Christianity, they will argue; there is only one version of it and it applies to all. Christianity has nothing to do with race, sexuality, class, or bodily differences. Christianity addresses us in our common humanity. This is a clever argument, not only because it immediately attempts to separate God from issues of racism, sexism, classism, and so on, and make them purely "human" concerns, but because it identifies Christianity as the theology of those who are not themselves economically or socially disadvantaged. In the name of a God who joined the struggles of human life and stood with the marginalized, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Christians have challenged the notion of what constitutes Christianity -- and what defines a Christian -- by refusing to accept on trust that a white, straight, male Christianity is the sole Christian truth.Queer theology is a generic term for a theology that embraces and encompasses a whole set of theologies -- gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered -- that need to be in dialogue with one another. Religion Is a Queer Thing makes this theology accessible and understandable to a general audience.Religion Is a Queer Thing is designed to be used by a variety of groups and individuals and provides a comprehensive guide to the Christian faith from a new and important perspective. Formatted as a study guide, the book presents aims and suggests activities, exercises, and readings.