Resources for Affirming Theology

Apologetics (Defending against the “clobber passages”):

• God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
• YouTube video of Matthew talking about key points from this book
• 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:

• Love Makes Room: And Other Things I Learned When My Daughter Came Out by Staci Frenes
• "Just Because He Breathes" - Rob & Linda Robertson at Gay Christian Network 2014 conference: https://youtu.be/Jk_-9Jlx1Bs
• Podcast episode where Jen Hatmaker talks about her shift from non-affirming to affirming theology: https://peteenns.com/changing-mind-bible-survivors-guide-jen-hatmaker/
• Sarah Bessey’s answer to the question “how did you move to become LGBT affirming, and what did that journey look like for you?” https://www.sarahbessey.com/essays/penny-in-the-air
• Rachel Held Evans’ post on how this changed for her: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/lgbtq
• Changing Our Minds by David Gushee

Beyond Apologetics:

• https://www.queertheology.com/listen/ (podcast)

• https://www.qchristian.org/resources/theology

• https://matthiasroberts.com/queerology/ (podcast)

• http://queergrace.com/ 

• Queer Theology: Beyond Apologetics by Linn Marie Tonstad

• Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick S. Cheng

• Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology by Pamela R. Lightsey

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:

• https://www.ourbibleapp.com – Our Bible App is a Bible app with devotionals that are pro-LGBTQ+, pro-women, and encouraging of interfaith inclusivity, which provides a tool that is needed to create healthy prayer and meditation habits.
• Queer theology and the Bible: https://invisiblecakesociety.com/2021/06/05/queer-theology-and-the-bible/
• Pray Away (Netflix) – A documentary about conversion therapy and the harm it has done (trigger warnings for self-harm, suicide, religious trauma, sexual assault)
• https://www.prayawayfilm.com/resources – Mental health hotlines, support organizations, a discussion guide, and more for those who have been through conversion therapy, as a companion to the Netflix documentary, Pray Away
• Link to a playlist that I (Neyhart) am putting together of helpful content on YouTube

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:

• Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens edited by Leigh Finke

• Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Youth edited by Leigh Finke

• Still Stace: My Gay Christian Coming-of-Age Story | An Illustrated Memoir by Stacey Chomiak

• Rainbow Boy (Picture Book) by Taylor Rouanzion, illustrated by Stacey Chomiak

• Embracing the Journey by Greg McDonald, Lynn McDonald (A sympathetic, compassionate, and inspiring guide for parents, from the founders of one of the first Christian ministries for parents of LGBTQ children.)

YouTube:

• 5 Tips For Parents of LGBTQ Kids! - Susan Cottrell