With gay marriage once again a hot topic in the US of A (and consequently worldwide), with opponents claiming that they base their stance on traditional marriage as between one man and one woman, ordained by God, and as described in the Bible, it is worth taking a closer look at just what “biblical marriage” was. There have been numerous learned, valuable discussions of this, but I liked the description by Keith Sharpe in a new book “The Gay Gospels” (not yet published).
This is a book which I wish I could have written. Sharpe clearly states it is not an academic book – and nor need it be. There are many excellent, reliable academic books currently available. What is lacking is good, reliable books that are also readable and accessible for all those queer Christians who are grappling with the widespread misrepresentation of what the Bible message, and what they know to be the truth of their own lives. This book precisely fits that bill: not only easy to read, but also hugely enjoyable. Sharpe has at times a delightful turn of phrase to keep one wide awake, delighting in the fun at the end of a passage.
Here is an example, specifically dealing with marriage in the Bible:
The Bible stories …..offer a rich tapestry of diverse family structures and relationships between and within the sexes. We read, for example, of polygamy, serial monogamy, wife-swapping, concubines, male-male relationships, female-female relationships, rape, child-abuse, incest and all manner of weird and wonderful sexual conduct, most of it simply taken for granted without a hint of condemnation from God. And of course the one thing we do not read about is the domestic nuclear bliss of hubby and the missus and their adorable two children and pets.
Read more about the book, see sample pages and summary sheets, or request an advance copy at The Gay Gospels.
Related articles
- New Books Explore Homosexuality and the Church
- Queering Genesis: “Male and Female (And Others) He Created Them”
- Christ’s Queer Family
- Joseph and His Fabulous Queer Technicolour Dreamcoat.
- Cohabitation, and the Church’s Redefinition of Marriage
- The Pleasure Principle (Part I – A Hedonistic God?)
- Irish Fuss over Jesus’ Two Dads
- Joseph and His Amazing
- Trans in Scripture
- What does the Bible say about Gay Marriage?(Huffington Post)
