{"product_id":"god-vs-gay-isbn-9780807001479","title":"God vs. Gay?","description":"\u003cb\u003eA passionate argument for LGBTQ equality within religious communities—“a book for our times and a book for the ages” (\u003ci\u003eEDGE\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality—the myth of “God versus Gay”—is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day. In this provocative and game-changing book, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that the Bible does not prohibit same-sex intimacy but does quite the opposite. In fact, the vast majority of the Bible’s teachings support the full equality and dignity of LGBTQ people, from the first flaw it finds in creation (“It is not good for a person to be alone”) to the way religious communities grow through reflection and conscience. Michaelson argues passionately for equality—not despite religion, but because of it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith close readings of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the latest data on the science of sexual orientation, and a sympathetic, accessible, and ecumenical approach to religious faith, Michaelson makes the case that sexual diversity is part of the beauty of nature. The recognition of same-sex families will strengthen, not threaten, the values religious people hold dear. Whatever your views on religion and sexual diversity, \u003ci\u003eGod vs. Gay\u003c\/i\u003e is a plea for a more compassionate, informed conversation—and a first step toward creating one.A Note from the Series Editor\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePart One\u003c\/b\u003e Why our fundamental values support, rather than oppose, equality for sexual minorities\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e “It is not good for a person to be alone”\u003cbr\u003e Intimate relationship heals the primary flaw in creation\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 2\u003c\/b\u003e “I am asleep but my heart is awake: the voice of my beloved knocks”\u003cbr\u003e A loving God could never want the “closet”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 3\u003c\/b\u003e “Love your neighbor as yourself”\u003cbr\u003e Love demands authentic compassion for others\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 4\u003c\/b\u003e “By the word of God were the heavens made”\u003cbr\u003e Sexual diversity is natural and part of God’s creation\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 5\u003c\/b\u003e “Thou shalt not bear false witness”\u003cbr\u003e Honesty and integrity are sacred; “coming out” is a religious act\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 6\u003c\/b\u003e “Justice—justice shall you pursue”\u003cbr\u003e Inequality is an affront to religious values\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part Two\u003c\/b\u003e What the “bad verses” really say about homosexuality\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 7\u003c\/b\u003e Leviticus\u003cbr\u003e One form of male intimacy is related to worship of foreign gods\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 8\u003c\/b\u003e Sodom\u003cbr\u003e Cruelty and inhospitality are the “sins of Sodom”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 9\u003c\/b\u003e The Gospels\u003cbr\u003e What Jesus didn’t say about homosexuality\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 10\u003c\/b\u003e Romans\u003cbr\u003e Men not being dominant is a consequence of turning from God\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 11\u003c\/b\u003e Corinthians and Timothy\u003cbr\u003e Christians should not mingle with a pagan, idolatrous, lascivious society\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 12\u003c\/b\u003e David and Jonathan\u003cbr\u003e Love between men in the Bible\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 13\u003c\/b\u003e Sexual diversity in Christian theology\u003cbr\u003e How did we get here from there?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePart Three\u003c\/b\u003e Why inclusion of sexual minorities is good, not bad, for religious values\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 14\u003c\/b\u003e “You shall be holy, for I am holy”\u003cbr\u003e Equality for LGBT people is good for families, marriage, and sexual ethics\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 15\u003c\/b\u003e “When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me”\u003cbr\u003e The growth of religious values is good for individuals and religious communities\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 16\u003c\/b\u003e “Everyone whose spirit moved him brought an offering to God”\u003cbr\u003e Sexual diversity, like other forms of diversity, enriches religious lives and communities\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 17\u003c\/b\u003e “And I have filled him with the spirit of God . . . to devise subtle works in gold, silver, and brass”\u003cbr\u003e What is homosexuality for?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChapter 18\u003c\/b\u003e “For nothing in creation can separate you from the love of God”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Postscript\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Table of Scriptural Authorities\u003cbr\u003e For Further Reading\u003cbr\u003e LGBT Religious Organizations\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index“The first part’s  insistence that Judeo-Christian values require gay equality is so confidently  and cogently asserted that it amounts to something new and invigorating in gay  religious apologetics.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003e“God vs. Gay \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eis an excellent resource for those struggling to  reconcile their sexual feelings — or those of a loved one — with being a person  of devout religious faith. Michaelson never panders, attempts to set aside all  biases and simply lets the text speak for itself. What happens when he clears  the smoke of punditry and bigotry is a beautiful thing, and the discussion over  equality and human diversity is elevated because of Michaelson’s willingness to  have faith in the words of the Torah — and in human dignity.”—\u003ci\u003eNewVoices.org\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mixing memoir and academic analysis in this  well-researched and concisely written treatise, Michaelson embarks on a mission  to reconcile sexuality with Judeo-Christian religious traditions… Inclusive and  modern theology that will give both Jewish and Christian readers a reason to  celebrate sexual diversity.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This  title is very much worth reading and particularly useful for those interested in  religion, civil rights, and social progress.”—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eGod  vs. Gay\u003c\/i\u003e is a game-changer and highly recommended in the debate…Michaelson has  packed so much into his slim volume. A pleasurable and intelligent read, this is  a book for our times and a book for the ages.”—\u003ci\u003eEDGE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“As a salvo in the  case for equality, however, it shows how to reframe the debate and stop seeing a  chasm between God and gay.”—\u003ci\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Michaelson looks at  the Hebrew and Christian Bible with keen intellect, wit, and often surprising  insights. He roots his arguments not in dry exegesis but in hard-won  self-acceptance and passionate concern for others. I highly recommended \u003ci\u003eGod vs. Gay?\u003c\/i\u003e for anyone seeking to  understand how being homosexual and religious are not  antithetical.\"—Joe  Perez, author of \u003ci\u003eSoulfully  Gay\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"'The  irony of God versus Gay is that actually Gay and God go together.  Opening to  one leads to the other.'  So writes Jay Michaelson in the postscript to this  beautiful, soulful book.  Michaelson charts a journey from rejection to full  acceptance, from religious alienation to spiritual wholeness that will brings  the reader closer to the Divine. It did for me and it will for anyone who has  felt abandoned by their faith and rejected for who they are. This is a healing  book that yearns to be read.\"—Sharon  Groves, Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign  Foundation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eGod vs. Gay?\u003c\/i\u003e is a timely and important  book in this religious and political moment. Michaelson’s book prepares us,  regardless of religious or sexual identity, to delve deeper into our souls, our  traditions, and into the truth that religion is in fact a source of  liberation.”—Rabbi  Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the largest  gay and lesbian synagogue in the world\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Through  careful discussions of Jewish and Christian teachings on homosexuality  Michaelson masterfully reveals that both religions allow for the full embrace of  LGBT persons. This religious-ethical work is illuminating and a must read for  anyone who wants to understand the current debate over religion and  homosexuality.”—Rabbi David  Ellenson, President Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of  Religion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Michaelson shows that ‘God versus  gay’ is a myth and that the overwhelming majority of our shared religious values  favor equality for LGBT people.” —Michael Lerner, editor of  \u003ci\u003eTikkun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eGod vs. Gay?\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for  people of all faiths who want to be allies of our gay and lesbian brothers and  sisters. This book articulates what many of us have felt in our hearts for a  long time: that our religious conscience compels us to support equality, not  oppose it.\"—Rabbi  Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, co-author of \u003ci\u003eJewish with Feeling\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFrom Age-ing to Sage-ing, Blessings for Health, Peace  of Mind, and Prosperity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eJay Michaelson\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of three books and numerous articles about the intersections of religion, sexuality, and law. A leading activist on behalf of LGBT people in faith communities, Michaelson and his work have been featured in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and on NPR and CNN. He is the founder of Nehirim, the leading national provider of community programming for LGBT Jews and their allies, and lives in upstate New York. Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“God  versus Gay” is a myth. It is untrue, unsupported by Scripture, and  contradicted every day by the lives of religious gay people. Yet it is  also among the most pervasive and hurtful untruths in America today, and  people all across the ideological spectrum believe it. Religious  conservatives, secular liberals, and millions of people across the gamut  of American political and religious opinion talk past one another, in  heated agreement that it’s either “gay rights” or traditional religion,  the Constitution or the Bible. Pro-gay folks can’t see how anyone could  be opposed to equality, while opponents can’t see how anyone could  change thousands of years of tradition. The conversation goes nowhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorse,  this conflict is an internal one as well—inside each of us who has ever  wrestled with sexuality and religion. I’ve worked in gay religious  communities for over a decade, and in that time, I’ve met thousands of  people wounded by what they see as the conflict between religion and  homosexuality. I have counseled families who have been torn apart,  people whose parents see them in the grocery store but won’t acknowledge  their existence. And before I came to reconcile my own sexuality and  spirituality, I felt the conflict myself and wondered why God had cursed  me. So long as the false choice between God and gay persists, our  brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends will continue to struggle,  continue to torment themselves, and continue to be excluded from their  families and communities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll of this is unnecessary. Religious  people should support equality, inclusion, and dignity for sexual  minorities because of our religious traditions, not despite them. Not  only does the Bible not say what some people claim, but the Bible and  centuries of religious teaching in Christian and Jewish traditions argue  strongly for what sometimes gets called “gay rights.” You read that  right: for gay rights. While there are half a dozen verses that may say  something about some forms of same-sex behavior, what they have to say  is ambiguous, limited, and widely misunderstood. Meanwhile, there are  hundreds of other verses that teach us about the importance of love,  justice, and sacred relationships. I know it may sound unusual or even  heretical to say so, but after substantial research (both within my  Jewish tradition and, as a scholar of religion and an interfaith  religious activist, in multiple Christian ones as well), years of  soul-searching, and years of working with religious gay people, I  sincerely believe that our shared religious values call upon us to  support the equality, dignity, and full inclusion of sexual and gender  minorities—that is, of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo,  if you are someone who struggles with the question of religion and  homosexuality; if you are questioning your sexuality; if you are trying  to reconcile your faith with the sexuality of a friend or family member;  if you are a pastor trying to remain true to your ideals but  compassionate to your parishioners; or, whatever your own religious or  nonreligious views, if you are concerned about the hurtful, polarizing  tone of political conversations about homosexuality, I hear you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI was like you. And this book is for you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdmittedly,  this book is for me, too. Before I came out, I was certain that being  openly gay would spell the end of my religious life. I was an  Orthodox-practicing Jew, and my religion gave meaning and shape to my  life. But I repressed my sexuality, acting out occasionally but  regretting it afterwards, and I tried, for years, to change. Eventually,  after ten years in the closet—an all-too-cozy metaphor for lying to  yourself and others, and hating yourself for doing so—I had had enough.  The pain, isolation, loneliness, and shame had grown so great—the futile  relationships with women, the arguments with God, the hatred of myself  for being unable to change—that I was ready to forsake my religion for  the sake of my happiness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut what I found was a shock: coming  out was the doorway to true love, faith, and joy. My relationship to God  and to my religious community grew stronger than ever before. My  spiritual path began to unfold, my prayer life began to awaken, and my  love for other human beings slowly unfurled itself and expanded. “God  versus Gay” had very personal consequences for me, and I have written  this book both to save other people from the hell I lived through, and  to clarify and crystallize what I have learned over the years. “God  versus Gay” isn’t just a false dichotomy. It’s a rebellion against the  image of God itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut this is not only a personal story; it is  a political one as well. After all, the “equality” in this book’s  subtitle means not only that all of us are equal before God, or that  same-sex love can be of equal holiness as opposite-sex love—although it  does mean that—but also that this religious value has political  consequences. Today, in most states, I can be fired from my job simply  for having written this book and stating that I am gay. I can’t visit my  life-partner in the hospital. In many countries, I could be jailed for  even telling the truth about myself. And there are many churches and  synagogues where I have to lie in order to fit in. Yes, the gay rights  movement has made remarkable advances, and studies suggest that within a  generation, struggles for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and  transgender—the acronym is strange at first, but one gets used to it)  equality will look like ancient history. But as far as American politics  may have come on these issues, parts of American society are being left  behind. And whether you’re for gay rights or against them, you have to  be concerned about the way our conversation has been taking place. It’s  been bitter and contentious, with little understanding or generosity on  either side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a shame, and a risk. Consider, for example,  the contrasting cases of two national conversations—on civil rights and  on abortion. In the long and continuing struggle for civil rights, Dr.  King and other leaders successfully and authentically framed the case  for equality in religious as well as political terms. Remember, only a  century ago, the Bible was used to enforce segregation as much as to  oppose it. God placed the races on different continents, segregationists  said. God sanctioned slavery in the Bible. And Africans were doomed to  serve Caucasians as punishment for Ham’s sin (“Cursed be Canaan! The  lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers,” says Noah in Genesis  9:25). Dr. King and many others so succeeded in their reframing of civil  rights that these arguments may strike us today as musty, even bizarre.  But just fifty years ago, they were preached from pulpits around the  country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat Dr. King and his allies knew was that religion must  become an ally of social change if that change is going to take root in  people’s hearts. And so he preached as well as picketed. He didn’t just  make onstitutional arguments but appealed to conscience, and spoke in  the language of Scripture. He didn’t spend much time explaining why  racist readings of the Bible were false—he focused on why liberating\u003cbr\u003ereadings  were true. As a result, while we still have a long way to go in terms  of civil rights for everyone, few people today would argue that equality  is an affront to God’s will—even though many would have a century ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContrast  that with our national “conversation,” if that’s what it is, about  abortion. Here, the left makes secular, constitutional arguments, and  the right makes religious ones. Not surprisingly, they talk past one  another, and get angrier and angrier as time goes on. It’s a  battlefield, not a conversation. Whatever one’s views on this  contentious issue, surely we can all agree that sloganeering, political  scheming, and lots of angry shouting are not the best ways to engage  with an issue with so much religious and political significance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow,  gay rights are not the same as African American civil rights. The  struggles of LGBT people and African Americans are similar in some  respects, but different in others. But the lesson I take from Dr. King  and other heroes of the civil rights movement is that if we are to be  responsible citizens of American democracy, we must engage with  religious values, because these political questions are ultimately  religious ones as well. We must have the religious conversation—not to  win arguments, but to speak heart to heart with the millions of  Americans who are not bigots or homophobes, but who are sincerely  troubled by equality for gay people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe have only barely begun  this conversation today. So far, except for a few outliers, religion has  been used on only one side of the argument. The Bible forbids  homosexuality, we are told. Heterosexual marriage is at the core of  God’s design for the universe. Most liberals, in response, simply  deflect these points, talking instead about separation of church and  state. This has been a tragic mistake. Dr. King did not succeed in  changing hearts because he invoked the Fourteenth Amendment; he opened  hearts, and changed minds, because he invoked God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs with “God  versus Gay” itself, the consequences of this failure to speak  religiously about gay rights are personal as well as political. It  perpetuates a kind of spiritual schizophrenia, one that is deeply  wounding and painful. Now, it’s unsurprising that many gay people have  given up on religion—religion gave up on them first. But to perpetuate  this despair alienates family members from one another, forfeits the  opportunity for religious growth and conversation, and ignores the  millions of gay people who have not given up on religion. By  perpetuating “God versus Gay,” secular rhetoric alienates gay people  from themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet as John 8:32 says, the truth will set you  free. The Bible does not forbid homosexuality, a concept invented in  nineteenth-century Europe. But it does preach the centrality of love and  relationship in God’s design of the universe. It teaches how God loves  us, and wants us to be happy, ethical, just, and fulfilled human beings.  It demands that we create a just and compassionate world. And in both  the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, it demands that we sanctify  physical intimacy, and open our hearts to love. (Incidentally, because I  am writing for people of all faiths, I use each tradition’s name for  its sacred text. What Christians call the Old Testament, Jews call the  Hebrew Bible.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is the conversation I want to have, because  it connects me to my values, and to the values I share with other  religious communities. Christian and Jew, progressive and conservative,  Protestant and Catholic—we differ on many important details, but our  shared fundamental values lead us to a different kind of conversation  than the noisy shouting of TV talk shows and radio call-ins. If, like  me, you have wrestled with the conundrum of how a loving God could  possibly ask gay people to repress and distort themselves, then this  book is about the good news that the God of Christianity and Judaism  wants no such thing. If, like me, you despair of dialogue between  religious and secular people on this divisive issue, then this book  offers a way forward into meaningful, heartfelt, and sincere  conversation. And if, like me, you are searching not only for tolerance  but for authentic, spiritual, and respectful affirmation, then read on,  because once the closet doors are opened, light comes streaming in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI  want to be clear about what this book is, and what it is not. It is a  religious case, not a political one. It is affirmative, not negative. It  is neither biblical apologetics nor an apology for acceptability of  sexual diversity. And it embraces hard truths, not easy answers.","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302317936869,"sku":"NP9780807001479","price":20.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807001479.jpg?v=1767728252","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/god-vs-gay-isbn-9780807001479","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}