Sexuality, Faith & the Art of Conversation

IMAGINE… Three gay men turn up at a local church one Sunday morning. Jonathan is single and celibate. Simon and Jim are in a civil partnership. Each of them is more than a little unsure of how they might be received… Just after the service has begun, Tina and Suzie arrive with their toddler, Jake. They look a bit flustered, and unsure of themselves, but are reassured when they catch sight of Gabby, their friend from the church playgroup, who has been inviting them along to church for months. She is waving enthusiastically and pointing to some empty seats next to her… At the front of the church, greeting the congregation, is Sahib, who has been attracted to men as long as he can recall, yet has never dared speak of it to anyone...How might a church community respond to people like Jonathan, Simon, Tina, Suzie, Jake and Sahib? That is what this book is about. Stephen Elmes' careful, caring, and thoughtful approach to this charged topic is not only rooted in a readiness to listen to different views but also to accurately represent them. What emerges is a model of biblically faithful, pastorally involved engagement that points a way forward not only on this issue but on many others.