Edited by Duncan Dormor and Jeremy Morris
About the book
This book is subtitled Homosexuality and the Church and includes contributions form a wide range of writers. Its major themes are:
- The use of scripture
- History and tradition
- Reason and personhood
- The wider horizon
Here is an oasis in the desert of the Anglican debate . . .This book is rightly aimed at those who are unresolved on questions about homosexuality. Its contention that these questions are important but should not be church-dividing will ring true with many.
Professor David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge
...an extremely useful and sympathetic guide for the ordinary lay or clerical reader who wants to learn more about the issue which seems to be pulling the Anglican Communion apart ...
David Jones, former Deputy Director of Oxfam and a member of General Synod
'An Acceptable Sacrifice?' The answer is simple: No. It is not acceptable for us to discriminate against our brothers and sisters on the basis of sexual orientation just as it was not acceptable for discrimination to exist on the basis of skin colour under Apartheid.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
You can buy An Acceptable Sacrifice? here.
About the authors
Edited by Duncan Dormor and Jeremy Morris, the impressive list of contributors is:
Michael Beasley, Chaplain of Westcott House
Malcolm Brown, Principal of the Eastern Region Ministry Course within the Cambridge Theological Federation
Arnold Brown, former fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and an honorary fellow of Royal Holloway, University of London
Maggi Dawn, Chaplain to Robinson College, Cambridge
Duncan Dormor, Dean of St. John's College, Cambridge
John Hare, Quondam Fellow of Hughes Hall, Cambridge
Jessica Martin, Fellow and Lecturer in English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge
Andrew Mein, Old Testament Tutor at Westcott House, Cambridge
Jeremy Morris, Dean of Trinity Hall, Cambridge; Robert Runcie Fellow in Ecclesiastical History.
Questions about An Acceptable Sacrifice?
- From the introduction: '...we seek here to explore a position that is attentive to the authority of scripture, alert to the unity of the church and sensitive to the integrity and experience of practising gay Christians... Our hunch is that a large number of ordinary churchgoers basically are searching too for something like the balance of commitments we have outlined here.' (page 6)
Do you agree? Does this reflect your experience and understanding?
- How do you view 'scripture' - are there a variety of views within the group. Has anyone's approach altered after reading Part 1: The use of scripture?
- Within the group, where do you get your ideas of sexual morality from?
- Take a piece of paper and write the word 'Tradition' at the centre; now take a few moments to add any words that come to mind around this central word.
Finally circle any that seem relevant to the church and box in any words that seem applicable to the subject of this book.
Discuss your findings together asking questions such as;
Is there such a thing as 'my tradition'?
What is the appropriate role for tradition in the life of the church?
How do tradition and history relate to 'change'
What arguments are there from tradition and history that support a more positive attitude towards homosexuality?
How should the traditions of the church relate to changes in society?
- As you read Part 2, what phrases or arguments stuck in your mind as challenging? What phrases or arguments stuck in your mind as illuminating?
- 'Bodiliness is then at the sacred heart of Christianity' (page 89)
What do you make of this statement? Do you find it surprising?
Create a list together of the ways that bodiliness is at the sacred heart of Christianity.
- In Part 3 Archbishop Desmond Tutu is quoted on page 123 as saying, 'To discriminate against our sisters and brothers who are lesbian or gay on grounds of their sexual orientation for me is as totally unacceptable and unjust as Apartheid ever was'.
Chapter nine draws powerfully on the use of scripture to support slavery and racism; do you see the same approach today with homosexuality?
- In relation to HIV/Aids, Chapter 11 states, 'Christian concepts of grace, acceptance, new beginnings and new creation need to be asserted...' (page 154)
In the light of this chapter and Part 4 as a whole, what do you understand by this and how could it be realised in practice?
- What is your answer to the question posed at the end of the book: How is the gospel good news if you're gay?
- How have your views changed through reading this book and sharing in the discussion? Have your horizons been widened? Do you have a greater understanding of the issues and challenges? Do you have practical suggestion for how your community can move forward?
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