Unrepentant, Self-Affirming, Practicing Lesbian/Bisexual/Gay People within Organized Religion

by Comstock, Gary David

• ISBN13: 9780826414298
• ISBN10: 082641429X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-06-14
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Praise for Unrepentant ... :"For open-minded religious leaders, there are nuggets of enlightenment in this ecumenical array."--Publishers Weekly "Surprisingly readable as well as informative." - San Francisco Chronicle "A significant body of knowledge." - Theology Today "Publishers' catalogues are full of books on the church's view of homosexuality; Comstock here offers gay views of the church. Given the often hostile environment, he asks why gay people stay in religious institutions. Using social scientific methods, he summarizes thirty-six surveys of gay attitudes toward religious communities, including Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, and Native American traditions. He adds data from his survey of gay people in two mainline Protestant denominations." --Religious Studies Review "Explores how each religions accepts, half-accepts, or rejects gays and lesbians and how they themselves feel about their religion. The book is also filled with personal stories of how spiritual people who discovered they are homosexual came out within their community and their congregation, and how they feel about the central figures and tenets of their belief." --Gatherings "With its succinct, accessible language and rich collection of empirical research findings on lesbigay peoples, Unrepentant, Self-Affirming Practicing, would be an excellent addition to academic libraries and could be appropriately used as well in an undergraduate religion or sociology classroom." --Journal for Scientific Study of Religion>

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Preface	xiii
Historical Overview	1	(21)
Colonial Origins and Heritage	1	(2)
Post-World War II Changes	3	(5)
Post-Stonewall Debates and Activism	8	(5)
Positions Taken by Religious Bodies	13	(4)
Efforts to Change Official Policy and Practice	17	(3)
Summary	20	(2)
Methodology and Studies	22	(27)
Methodology: Ways of Knowing	22	(8)
Empirical Studies	30	(13)
My Own Study	43	(4)
Conclusion	47	(2)
Belonging, Switching, Leaving, and Shopping	49	(37)
Religious Upbringing and Backgrounds	49	(7)
Current Religious Affiliations	56	(3)
Switching	59	(10)
Leaving Established Religious Bodies	69	(3)
Creating Independent, Alternative Religious Bodies	72	(4)
Finding New Opportunities within Established Religious Bodies	76	(9)
Conclusion	85	(1)
Service, Participation, Leadership, and Advocacy	86	(42)
A Tradition of Spirituality: Connection and Service	86	(4)
Pervasive and Diverse Participation	90	(5)
Obstacles and Encouragement	95	(10)
Leadership and Responsibilities	105	(10)
Advocacy	115	(13)
Seminary, Ordination, Ministry, and Employment	128	(38)
Overview of Employment Opportunities and Job Security	128	(2)
Sexual Behavior	130	(5)
Seminary	135	(6)
Ordination	141	(3)
Coming Out after Ordination	144	(8)
Ordained Ministry	152	(6)
Employment Other Than Ordained Ministry	158	(3)
Preference and Discrimination	161	(3)
Conclusion	164	(2)
Belief, Theology, Support, and Community	166	(36)
Belief	166	(2)
Theology	168	(6)
Faith	174	(3)
Faith Communities	177	(12)
The Black Church	189	(4)
Welcoming Congregations	193	(7)
Conclusion	200	(2)
Evaluations, Feelings, Reasons, and Challenges	202	(35)
Gay and Non-gay Views	202	(2)
Feelings	204	(8)
Evaluations	212	(7)
Reasons for Staying	219	(9)
Summary	228	(2)
Conclusion	230	(7)
Appendixes	237	(18)
Notes	255	(58)
Selected Bibliography	313	(8)
Index	321