Book Review: “Religion as Metaphor”

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Terence

“All of the Bible is true and some of it happened.”
Rev Bosco Peters reviews “Religion as Metaphor”, by David Tracey

Religion as Metaphor: Beyond Literal Belief by David Tacey

I hope David Tacey’s book is another doorway into the realisation of the importance of metaphor. It rightly argues that the new atheism and fundamentalism are both misunderstanding the stories literalistically.

I regularly encounter a fear that if someone questions the historicity (or validity) of a detail in the Bible, then the whole fabric of the Bible might unravel. “You cannot believe half of it, so why believe any of it?”

Many stories in the Bible, however, are not about something that happened somewhere else at another time, they are stories about what is always happening (including here and now) – and that’s what gives them their power. The right question to ask of such stories is not: what actually happened? But: what does it mean?

More at: Liturgy.co.nz

“Queer Virtue”: Liz Edelman and Alison Webster | Quest

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Terence

At Greenbelt Festival this year, One Body One Faith featured Liz Edelman, author of Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How it can Revitalize Christianity.

As a follow-up to her Greenbelt appearance, One Body is hosting her at a series of meetings on tour, where she will be in conversation with Alison Webster.These appearances are all in cities accessible to Quest members in the London, South East, East Midlands and West Midlands regions. Both these women should be well worth hearing. We encourage Quest members to attend one of these meetings.

Full report: Quest

New books say that taking a hard line on sexuality will damage mission

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Terence

WARNINGS that it has become “impossible” to oppose faithful gay relationships without being regarded as an extremist, and that an entire generation is being “lost to faith in Christ” are included in a new book published in the run-up to the Shared Conversations on sexuality taking place at the General Synod in York.

Amazing Love: Theology for understanding discipleship, sexuality and mission, edited by Canon Andrew Davison, the Starbridge Lecturer in Theology and Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, was published last week by DLT.

In the same week, senior Evangelical clergy shared their positions on theology and sexuality in a new book edited by Jayne Ozanne, a member of the General Synod. Among them is the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, who writes about being “profoundly changed” by his interaction with the LGBTI community, and his desire to “make room and to extend the table”.

Both books are being sent, free, to members of the General Synod, who are preparing to participate in the Shared Conversations next month (News, 17 June).

Journeys in grace and truth: Revisiting scripture and sexuality, published by Ekklesia on behalf of Via Media Publications, features ten essays by Evangelicals. Many call for a shift in the current debate within Evangelical circles, and an end to the dismissal of those who have reached a different conclusion on sexuality.

Source: Church Times

New Book on Gay Marriage Raises the Bar on Love

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Terence

Honestly, it was hard for me to read this book. Even as an avid reader, it was hard to stick with it; however, it wasn’t hard for the reasons readers might assume. Some might jump to assume that it wasn’t well-researched, or well-written, or both. Some might even assume that it wasn’t catchy enough to compete with our social media saturated culture.

Not so! Confronting Religious Denial of Gay Marriage: Christian Humanism and the Moral Imagination by Ms. Catherine Wallace is thoroughly researched, gracefully written, and enviably witty.

This book is like a hot date: engaging, intellectually seductive, and charming to boot.

(Prediction: If there were more books out there like this, we’d take longer breaks from Instagram. We would opt for page turners over photo uploaders!)

(Read the full review by Kat Katsanis-Semel at Huffington Post)

La « famille chrétienne » n’existe pas | Témoignage Chrétien

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Terence

La tradition est sauve : « Le Synode sur la famille n’impose ni ne propose rien de nouveau… » Tel est le diagnostic dépité du théologien et historien André Paul, avant la dernière session du Synode. L’auteur connaît bien le dossier du mariage. Le reproche le plus lourd qu’il adresse à l’Église est son ignorance du sexe et de l’eros dans la construction familiale, et d’avoir fait du mariage une excuse pour le sexe, à condition toutefois qu’il soit voué à la procréation. L’amour que défend l’Église, juge-t-il, n’est pas celui selon Jésus mais celui des écoles pythagoriciennes.

Source: La « famille chrétienne » n’existe pas | Témoignage Chrétien

Confessions of a Gay Married Priest; A Must Read for Cardinals and Justices

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Terence

As the College of Cardinals meets to elect a new Pope and as the US Supreme Court meets to address marriage equality, Confessions of a Gay Married Priest: A Spiritual Journey (Maurice L. Monette, Vallarta Institute, 2013) puts a human face on millions who will be impacted by their decisions.

Buy from Amazon UK: Confessions of a Gay Married Priest: A Spiritual JourneyBuy from Amazon USA: Confessions of a Gay Married Priest: A Spiritual Journey

Monette belonged to a Roman Catholic order of priests for 30 years, authored numerous books, and directed graduate programs in church leadership and organizational psychology. He and his husband of 24 years live in Oakland, California.

According to a CBS News Poll released on March 5, 66% of US Catholics favor letting priests get married, 66% favor letting women become priests and 62%believe same-sex marriage should be legal.

Franciscan priest and best-selling spirituality author Richard Rohr says of this book, ““This story illustrates one of the most counter intuitive messages of world religions, how our failings, heartbreaks and disappointments can be stepping stones to the spiritual joys of the second half of life.”

Sister Jeannine Gramick, a Huffington Post contributor with a longtime ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics, says, “Through little cameos in prose and poetry, Monette’s faith journey shows the triumph of the human spirit over religious messages to suppress sexuality. This is a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance that brings about freedom for a more authentic God-relationship.”

Former marketing director for the National Catholic Reporter Dan Grippo says, “It’s the one book I recommend for each Cardinal before he casts his vote for the next Pope. The lessons Monette shares are lessons for the future church where all women, men and children are appreciated in their diversity.”

In reference to the Church’s transition, Monette comments, “My story and the stories of so many others offer healthy alternatives to a Church that has become better known for its sex scandals and cover ups than its spirituality and social justice. A mature sexual ethics would go a long way to healing this wounded Church.”

-continue reading at Religion Press Release Services.