Hilary Brand; Love that dares to speak. Darton Longman and Todd £6.99
This is a five-session group study course exploring Christian reactions to homosexuality from someone who has already been author to five popular Lent courses. In her introduction, Hilary examines why a course of this kind is needed. In her own church there was a series of sermons on inclusivity, but it was found that the sermon on homosexuality did not really do the job. There is a better way than from the pulpit and what is needed is a place where people can air their experiences, opinions, questions and, also explore Scripture. The purpose of the course is not to come to a uniform view or even decisions but to build relationships and celebrate difference. The author recognizes that for some talking about sexuality will be a minefield and there will be defensiveness and aggression. The introduction gives helpful guidelines as to how to lead and how members should conduct themselves – respect and confidentiality are key. There is also a chapter on where the author is coming from and her experiences of encountering gay and lesbian individuals that have helped inform her judgements.
The five weeks take us through 1. Responding to a changing world, 2. Looking at Scripture, Reason, Tradition and Experience, 3. First Century Instructions, 4. Marriage and Celibacy, 5. Recreating a welcoming and respecting church. In each session there is a piece called ‘to start your thinking’ and at the end ‘to continue your thinking’. Reading through I am struck by the quality of the material in each session. It is difficult to time each session – the nature of the group will affect what happens and some things may have to be shortened or omitted.
I wonder how many churches and leaders have the courage to engage in this course. The present situation seems to be that sexuality is the elephant in the room. I suspect that church goers of my generation or older have grown up with a complete silence and ignorance about being gay. Most are not gay themselves and fail to really understand. The negative statements of some also preempt proper consideration based on an isolated scripture verse only. There are not many resources out there (the URC church has produced some materials that we used in café church when I was in Yorkshire) for churches to grapple with these important issues and this is surely a valuable addition. I recently met a young person who was transitioning and taking steps to become a man. It made me realize that as a church we are just not “at the races” so to speak, in understanding and being there for people who have made these major decisions. Our challenge today is to be a church for all not just for the ones who conform to our expectations.