Resources for Affirming Theology

Apologetics (Defending against the “clobber passages”):
  • God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
  • Unclobber by Colby Martin
  • https://www.1946themovie.com - This is a documentary about how the word “homosexuality” wasn't added to the Bible until 1946 because it was a mistranslation. 
  • Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Hartke
  • A Transgender Journey Toward Pride: A Creation Theology by Rev. Kalie
  • The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It by Pete Enns
    • This book helped me understand that "The problem isn’t the Bible. The problem is coming to the Bible with expectations it’s not set up to bear." - Dr. Pete Enns
  • Another book that was really helpful for me on my journey to affirming theology was this book by Mark Noll which isn’t even about that subject in particular: The Civil War as a Theological Crisis. The parallels were so obvious to me: seeing how those who used the Bible to defend slavery line were treating Scripture the same way non-affirming folks do, and the way the abolitionists interpreted the Bible parallels the way affirming theology interprets the Bible. 

On Changing Minds:
Beyond Apologetics:

LGBTQ+ Christian Memoirs:

  • Leather & Lace: A Gay Man, Lost Love, and a Road Trip With His Dead Sister by Matt Bays

  • Undivided: Coming Out, Becoming Whole, and Living Free from Shame by Vicky Beeching

  • Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile

  • Untamed by Glennon Doyle

  • One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins by Emmy Kegler 

  • Facing the Music: My Story by Jennifer Knapp

  • Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story by Julie Rodgers

  • As a Woman: What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy after I Transitioned by Paula Stone Williams


Other:



Affirming Resources for Parents of LGBTQ+ kids (and some for their kids too)


Websites


  • https://pflag.org - PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.

  • https://www.harborhere.com - An Online Support Program for Christian Parents of LGBT Kids

  • https://www.belovedarise.org/ - Mission: To celebrate and empower LGBTQ+ youth of faith.

  • https://www.thenamingproject.org/ - Mission: to create places of safety for youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities where faith is shared and a healthy life-giving community is modeled. 

  • https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ - Mission: To end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer 
& questioning young people. Vision: A world where all LGBTQ young 
people see a bright future 
for themselves.

  • https://www.realmamabears.org/ - Supporting, Educating, Empowering Parents of LGBTQ Kids & the LGBTQ Community

  • https://www.freedhearts.org/resources - FreedHearts reaches into hurting communities with a message of love, inclusion, belonging, and hope — for parents, LGBTQ+, educators, therapists, and the church. 

  • Louisville, KY also has LYG (Louisville Youth Group) https://louisvilleyouthgroup.org/ MISSION: LYG empowers QTBIPoC/LGBTQIA+ youth to grow into healthy and resilient leaders through community connection, life skills education, and social advocacy.


Books:


YouTube:

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