cover image Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto

Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto

Robert Goss. HarperOne, $19 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-06-063318-9

In this audacious work, a former Jesuit priest throws down the gauntlet, challenging organized religion to abandon its homophobia, closeted clerics to come out of the closet and gays and lesbians to leave their churches. Goss also lays the groundwork for a new theology that deconstructs the Bible to find new meaning for homosexuals. He calls for ``a queer critical reading'' to uncover what he believes is the Bible's true message: social justice and love of the marginal, including same-sex relationships. Much of his discussion relies on the theories of gay philosopher Michel Foucault, who suggested that alternate forms of knowledge could be found by deconstructing the dominant discourse. Goss and the other theologians he quotes claim that supposed biblical proscriptions of homosexuality are based on misinterpretations of scripture. Unfortunately, those without a firm grip on theological terms will find some of the analysis hard to follow. (July)