Faith & Sexuality

Shane St. Reynolds

Description

"Faith & Sexuality: Reconciling LGBT+ People and Christianity" provides a roadmap for embracing both spirituality and sexuality, with personal stories, resources, and guidance for LGBT+ individuals seeking a more authentic spiritual practice.
"Faith & Sexuality: Reconciling LGBT+ People and Christianity" is a valuable resource for those struggling to reconcile their spirituality with their sexuality. This book by Shane St Reynolds provides guidance and support to individuals seeking a more authentic and fulfilling spiritual practice. It explores the intersection of LGBT+ spirituality with other aspects of identity, such as race, gender, and class.
Throughout the book, Shane shares stories of other LGBT+ Christians who have found ways to embrace both aspects of their identity, offering hope and inspiration to readers. The book also provides tools and resources for those seeking to create a more authentic and fulfilling spiritual practice, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to reconcile their faith with their sexuality.
Shane emphasizes that embracing both spirituality and sexuality can lead to a deeper sense of self-awareness, connection, and purpose in life. The book addresses the challenges that come with reconciling Christianity and sexuality, offering guidance and support to those who may feel lost or alone in their spiritual journey.
Furthermore, "Faith & Sexuality" is also an autobiographical account of Shane's journey to Jesus and discerning his calling to ordained ministry. It provides a unique and personal perspective on the challenges that LGBT+ individuals face when reconciling their faith and sexuality.
Overall, "Faith & Sexuality" is a must-read resource for LGBT+ individuals seeking to reconcile their faith and sexuality and create a more authentic and fulfilling spiritual practice. Shane's book amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, offering valuable guidance and support to anyone looking to embrace both aspects of their identity.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489747648
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Reconciling LGBT+ People and Christianity.
Faith & Sexuality








SHANE ST. REYNOLDS

















Copyright © 2023 Shane St. Reynolds.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.



LifeRich Publishing
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4763-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4764-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908906




LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/18/2023



“The Church must welcome with open arms all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, and accompany them with mercy and compassion” – Pope Francis
“I want to take this opportunity to say how sorry I am for the hurt and pain that the church has caused LGBTI+ people in the past and continues to do so. I am sorry that there are those within the church who continue to be hostile towards you and question your integrity as a human being and a child of God” - Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, Church of England.
“I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this. I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean, I would much rather go to the other place” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“There is nowhere in the four Gospels where I see anything other than Jesus expressing love to whomever he meets. And as Christians, that is the only expression that we can possibly give to any human being, in any circumstance” - The Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, the Presbyterian moderator of the Church of Scotland.
“Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord? You can’t marginalize these people. People with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God Loves them. God accompanies them” – Pope Francis
“I’d rather be a rebel than a slave” - Emily Pankhurst
“The message of Christianity is one of love, acceptance, and inclusion. We need to be living that message, not just preaching it.” - Rev. Dr. Josephine McDonnell Inkpin
“Theology should be a liberating force, not a constraining one. If our theology is causing harm, then we need to rethink it.” - Rev. Dr. Margaret Mayman
“My faith is a choice. My morality is a choice. My sexual orientation however isn’t.” - Anthony Venn-Brown OAM
“I don’t believe that love has a gender. Love is love” - Sir Elton John
“I always think about the young people who are struggling with their sexuality, and they’re told that their love is invalid, their attraction is invalid, and that they’re somehow broken. And I think it’s important for them to see out-and-proud gay people living full, successful, and happy lives.” - Magda Szubanski, Australian LGBT activist and actress.
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light” (Prof. Albus Dumbledore)
“I’m a Christian. I love Jesus...I think that’s the best way to live your life, is to be Christ-like. And that’s what I strive for.” – Rupaul Charles
“There are two types of Christians in this world: those who merely wave and point their finger, and those who truly embody the faith by keeping their hand on their heart and living a life filled with love, compassion, and empathy”. – Shane St. Reynolds.



Dedication
For Braithen and all those past and present who have struggled to reconcile their faith with their LGBT+ identity, may this book offer hope, healing, and the knowledge that you are not alone.
*
Acknowledgments
I want to sincerely thank everyone who supported me in creating this book. Special thanks to my partner Tristan, my parents, God parents, family, close friends, and beloved pets for their constant support.
I am deeply grateful to the faculty and staff at St. Francis and St. Mark’s Theological College, particularly Rev Dr Jo Inkpin from Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney 1 , for their invaluable guidance and support throughout my vocational journey. Additionally, I am thankful to the City of Gold Coast and Centers for Spiritual Living 2 for their generous grants and to Dr Peter Lewis for his wise counsel and friendship.
Additionally, I want to thank the congregation and my church family at Universal Church 3 for their love, support, and encouragement throughout my spiritual journey. Thank you all for believing in me and your unwavering support as I continue exploring my path and serving others.
*
Abbreviations
KJV

King James Version
LGBT+
An acronym that stands for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and other sexual or gender minorities.” It is used to refer to individuals or groups who identify as part of a diverse range of sexual orientations and gender identities beyond the heteronormative and cisgender identities.

NRSV

New Revised Standard Version

UDHR
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights



1 Rev Dr. Inkpin, Josephine, “Australia’s First Trans Priest” Blessed Imp

2 Centers for Spiritual Living” https://csl .org/

3 Universal Church of Love Inc https://www.universalchurch.co m.au/



Foreword by Dr. Peter E. Lewis, BD, FRCS, FRACS
Dr. Lewis was a volunteer surgeon in Bangladesh before becoming the supervisor of an A & E Centre at a hospital in Sydney. He was then the surgeon for the Solomon Islands before returning to the Gold Coast where for twenty years he was the vice-president of Hopewell Hospice Services. Hopewell Hospice is an all-inclusive palliative care facility, renowned for its exceptional care of individuals with life-limiting illnesses. Currently, Dr. Lewis is a distinguished research associate at the Centre for Coins, Culture, and Religious History, and his recent publication, The Ending of Mark’s Gospel: The Key to Understanding the Gospels and Christianity , demonstrates his profound theological expertise.
Shane’s story is very important, and he has shared it with us with a generous spirit and Christian love. Through his experiences, he highlights the lack of acceptance that many gay individuals face in the church. It is a message that challenges the misunderstandings surrounding homosexuality and emphasizes that gay people are special children of God who are loved just as intensely as anyone else. Shane, as one of these special children, has personally experienced the difficulties of being gay and has also felt called by God to be a minister in the Church. As Pastor Shane, he has much wisdom to impart to us, and this book serves as a guide to embracing love and inclusion.
Christians who condemn and oppose gay people will never prevail, as Jesus stands with the LGBT+ community. Jesus himself was unique and did not discriminate when interacting with people. In fact, there are valid reasons to suggest that he may have been gay. Regardless, he treated everyone as individuals and was even welcoming towards children.
Aware that some members of the clergy and the church have deeply ingrained beliefs and attitudes that are not supportive of the LGBT+ community, Shane and his partner Tristan founded the Universal Church of Love. It is for anyone who wants to learn more about Christianity in a non-judgmental, loving environment, and for anyone who might feel uncomfortable for whatever reason in their local church. I pray that the Lord will bless Shane and Tristan in this ministry, and that everyone who is different in some way will know that as dearly beloved children of God, they should be imitators of God and “live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” (Eph 5:2)




Inclusive Acknowledgement

God of many names, we acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the sovereign and unceded country of indigenous nations. 4 We give thanks to their elders, who have cared for this country for many thousands of years. Give us the courage to work toward a more just settlement for all Indigenous people.
We acknowledge and celebrate LGBT+ people who have faced marginalization and exclusion from many faith communities. We honour and thank those who have fought for the recognition and rights of the LGBT+ community within and outs