Committed Christians may respond differently to gay and lesbian Christians. How can we engage those with whom we might disagree and navigate our journey together in a way that nurtures unity, hospitality, humility, and justice?
Through her extensive experience in ministering to gay and lesbian Christians, Wendy VanderWal-Gritter has come to believe we need a new paradigm for how the church engages those in the sexual minority. She encourages generous spaciousness, a hope-filled, relational way forward for those in turmoil regarding a response to gay and lesbian Christians. This book offers a framework for discussing diversity in a gracious way, showing that the church can be a place that welcomes a variety of perspectives on the complex matter of human sexuality. It also offers practical advice for implementing generous spaciousness in churches and organizations.
Publishers Weekly,VanderWal-Gritter, executive director of New Direction Ministries of Canada, charts a middle course in the evangelical outreach to gay Christians. She opens with her personal story of her leadership of the ministry and its move away from Exodus Ministries' approach of trying to change same-sex orientation. She focuses on the harmful effects of the emphasis on change and obsession with causation of same-sex attraction. After this groundwork, she moves on to consider ways the church can be more open to gay people. She particularly focuses on the struggle toward discipleship, a view of sexuality that moves beyond sex, and how to understand scripture. Throughout, she is gentle in her urging for Christians to be more hospitable and for gays to be clearer about their expectations from any given congregation. Shying away from major debates about the Bible's stance, VanderWal-Gritter remains faithful to an open if not fully affirming Christianity. Using the stories of individuals from across the gay/ex-gay spectrum, she articulates the complexity of the issues and leaves final solutions open ended. The work will be of particular interest to those in ministry attempting to navigate interactions with gay Christians. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
