Reviews of GAY PERSPECTIVE



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Finding Your Own True Myth - The Myth of the Great Secret III

FINDING YOUR OWN TRUE MYTH: What I Learned from Joseph Campbell: The Myth of the Great Secret III


Gay Spirituality

GAY SPIRITUALITY: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness


Gay Perspective


GAY PERSPECTIVE: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God and the Universe


Secret Matter


SECRET MATTER, a sci-fi novel with wonderful "aliens" with an Afterword by Mark Jordan


Getting Life

GETTING LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE:  A Fantastical Gay Romance set in two different time periods


The Fourth Quill

THE FOURTH QUILL, a novel about attitudinal healing and the problem of evil




Two Spirits
TWO SPIRITS: A Story of Life with the Navajo, a collaboration with Walter L. Williams



charmed lives
CHARMED LIVES: Spinning Straw into Gold: GaySpirit in Storytelling, a collaboration with Steve Berman and some 30 other writers


Myth of the Great Secret


THE MYTH OF THE GREAT SECRET: An Appreciation of Joseph Campbell



In Search of God


IN SEARCH OF GOD IN THE SEXUAL UNDERWORLD: A Mystical Journey



Unpublished manuscripts


About ordering


Books on Gay Spirituality:

White Crane Gay Spirituality Series


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  Toby has done five podcasts with Harry Faddis for The Quest of Life

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  Articles and Excerpts:

Review of Samuel Avery's The Dimensional Structure of Consciousness


Funny Coincidence: "Aliens Settle in San Francisco"


About Liberty Books, the Lesbian/Gay Bookstore for Austin, 1986-1996


The Simple Answer to the Gay Marriage Debate


A Bifurcation of Gay Spirituality


Why gay people should NOT Marry


The Scriptural Basis for Same Sex Marriage


Toby and Kip Get Married


Wedding Cake Liberation


Gay Marriage in Texas


What's ironic



Shame on the American People


The "highest form of love"


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Gay Consciousness


Why homosexuality is a sin


The cause of homosexuality


The origins of homophobia


Q&A about Jungian ideas in gay consciousness


What is homosexuality?


What is Gay Spirituality?


My three messages


What Jesus said about Gay Rights


Queering religion


Common Experiences Unique to Gay Men


Is there a "uniquely gay perspective"?


The purpose of homosexuality


Interview on the Nature of Homosexuality


What the Bible Says about Homosexuality


Mesosexual Ideal for Straight Men



Varieties of Gay Spirituality


Waves of Gay Liberation Activity


The Gay Succession


Wouldn’t You Like to Be Uranian?


The Reincarnation of Edward Carpenter


Why Gay Spirituality: Spirituality as Artistic Medium


Easton Mountain Retreat Center


Andrew Harvey & Spiritual Activism


The Mysticism of Andrew Harvey


The upsidedown book on MSNBC


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Enlightenment


"It's Always About You"



The myth of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara


Joseph Campbell's description of Avalokiteshvara


You're Not A Wave



Joseph Campbell Talks about Aging



What is Enlightenment?



What is reincarnation?



How many lifetimes in an ego?



Emptiness & Religious Ideas



Experiencing experiencing experiencing



Going into the Light



Meditations for a Funeral



Meditation Practice



The way to get to heaven



Buddha's father was right



What Anatman means



Advice to Travelers to India & Nepal



The Danda Nata & goddess Kalika



Nate Berkus is a bodhisattva



John Boswell was Immanuel Kant



Cutting edge realization



The Myth of the Wanderer



Change: Source of Suffering & of Bliss



World Navel



What the Vows Really Mean



Manifesting from the Subtle Realms



The Three-layer Cake & the Multiverse


The est Training and Personal Intention



Effective Dreaming in Ursula LeGuin's The Lathe of Heaven


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Gay Spirituality


Curious Bodies


What Toby Johnson Believes


The Joseph Campbell Connection


The Mann Ranch (& Rich Gabrielson)


Campbell & The Pre/Trans Fallacy


The Two Loves


The Nature of Religion


What's true about Religion


Being Gay is a Blessing


Drawing Long Straws


Freedom of Religion


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The Gay Agenda


Gay Saintliness


Gay Spiritual Functions



The subtle workings of the spirit in gay men's lives.


The Sinfulness of Homosexuality


Proposal for a study of gay nondualism


Priestly Sexuality


Having a Church to Leave


Harold Cole on Beauty


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Marian Doctrines: Immaculate Conception & Assumption


Not lashed to the prayer-post


Monastic or Chaste Homosexuality


Is It Time to Grow Up? Confronting the Aging Process


Notes on Licking  (July, 1984)


Redeem Orlando


Gay Consciousness changing the world by Shokti LoveStar


Alexander Renault interviews Toby Johnson



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Mystical Vision


"The Evolution of Gay Identity"


"St. John of the Cross & the Dark Night of the Soul."


Avalokiteshvara at the Baths


 Eckhart's Eye


Let Me Tell You a Secret


Religious Articulations of the Secret


The Collective Unconscious


Driving as Spiritual Practice


Meditation


Historicity as Myth


Pilgrimage


No Stealing


Next Step in Evolution


The New Myth


The Moulting of the Holy Ghost


Gaia is a Bodhisattva


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The Hero's Journey


The Hero's Journey as archetype -- GSV 2016


The  Gay Hero Journey (shortened)


You're On Your Own


Superheroes


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Seeing Differently


Teenage Prostitution and the Nature of Evil


Allah Hu: "God is present here"


 
Adam and Steve


The Life is in the Blood



Gay retirement and the "freelance monastery"


Seeing with Different Eyes


Facing the Edge: AIDS as an occasion for spiritual wisdom


What are you looking for in a gay science fiction novel?


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The Vision


The mystical experience at the Servites'  Castle in Riverside


A  Most Remarkable Synchronicity in Riverside


The Great Dance according to C.S.Lewis


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The Techniques Of The World Saviors

Part 1: Brer Rabbit and the Tar-Baby


Part 2: The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara


Part 3: Jesus and the Resurrection


Part 4: A Course in Miracles


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The Secret of the Clear Light


Understanding the Clear Light


Mobius Strip


Finding Your Tiger Face


How Gay Souls Get Reincarnated


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Joseph Campbell, the Hero's Journey, and the modern Gay Hero-- a five part presentation on YouTube


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About Alien Abduction


In honor of Sir Arthur C Clarke


Karellen was a homosexual


The D.A.F.O.D.I.L. Alliance


Intersections with the movie When We Rise


More about Gay Mental Health


Psych Tech Training


Toby at the California Institute


The Rainbow Flag


Ideas for gay mythic stories


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People


Kip and Toby, Activists


Toby's friend and nicknamesake Toby Marotta.


Harry Hay, Founder of the gay movement


About Hay and The New Myth


About Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, the first man to really "come out"


About Michael Talbot, gay mystic


About Fr. Bernard Lynch


About Richard Baltzell


About Guy Mannheimer


About David Weyrauch


About Dennis Paddie


About Ask the Fire


About Arthur Evans


About Christopher Larkin


About Mark Thompson


About Sterling Houston


About Michael Stevens


The Alamo Business Council


Our friend Tom Nash


Second March on Washington


The Gay Spirituality Summit in May 2004 and the "Statement of Spirituality"


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Book Reviews



Be Done on Earth by Howard E. Cook


Pay Me What I'm Worth by Souldancer


The Way Out by Christopher L  Nutter


The Gay Disciple by John Henson


Art That Dares by Kittredge Cherry


Coming Out, Coming Home by Kennth A. Burr


Extinguishing the Light by B. Alan Bourgeois


Over Coffee: A conversation For Gay Partnership & Conservative Faith by D.a. Thompson


Dark Knowledge by Kenneth Low


Janet Planet by Eleanor Lerman


The Kairos by Paul E. Hartman


Wrestling with Jesus by D.K.Maylor


Kali Rising by Rudolph Ballentine


The Missing Myth by Gilles Herrada


The Secret of the Second Coming by Howard E. Cook


The Scar Letters: A Novel by Richard Alther


The Future is Queer by Labonte & Schimel


Missing Mary by Charlene Spretnak


Gay Spirituality 101 by Joe Perez


Cut Hand: A Nineteeth Century Love Story on the American Frontier by Mark Wildyr


Radiomen by Eleanor Lerman


Nights at Rizzoli by Felice Picano


The Key to Unlocking the Closet Door by Chelsea Griffo


The Door of the Heart by Diana Finfrock Farrar


Occam’s Razor by David Duncan


Grace and Demion by Mel White


Gay Men and The New Way Forward by Raymond L. Rigoglioso


The Dimensional Stucture of Consciousness by Samuel Avery


The Manly Pursuit of Desire and Love by Perry Brass


Love Together: Longtime Male Couples on Healthy Intimacy and Communication by Tim Clausen


War Between Materialism and Spiritual by Jean-Michel Bitar


The Serpent's Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion by Jeffrey J. Kripal


Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion by Jeffrey J. Kripal


The Invitation to Love by Darren Pierre


Brain, Consciousness, and God: A Lonerganian Integration by Daniel A Helminiak


A Walk with Four Spiritual Guides by Andrew Harvey


Can Christians Be Saved? by Stephenson & Rhodes


The Lost Secrets of the Ancient Mystery Schools by Stephenson & Rhodes


Keys to Spiritual Being: Energy Meditation and Synchronization Exercises by Adrian Ravarour


In Walt We Trust by John Marsh


Solomon's Tantric Song by Rollan McCleary


A Special Illumination by Rollan McCleary


Aelred's Sin by Lawrence Scott


Fruit Basket by Payam Ghassemlou


Internal Landscapes by John Ollom


Princes & Pumpkins by David Hatfield Sparks


Yes by Brad Boney


Blood of the Goddess by William Schindler


Roads of Excess, Palaces of Wisdom by Jeffrey Kripal


Evolving Dharma by Jay Michaelson


Jesus in Salome's Lot by Brett W. Gillette


The Man Who Loved Birds by Fenton Johnson


The Vatican Murders by Lucien Gregoire


"Sex Camp" by Brian McNaught


Out & About with Brewer & Berg
Episode One: Searching for a New Mythology



The Soul Beneath the Skin by David Nimmons


Out on Holy Ground by Donald Boisvert


The Revotutionary Psychology of Gay-Centeredness by Mitch Walker


Out There by Perry Brass


The Crucifixion of Hyacinth by Geoff Puterbaugh


The Silence of Sodom by Mark D Jordan


It's Never About What It's About by Krandall Kraus and Paul Borja


ReCreations, edited by Catherine Lake


Gospel: A Novel by WIlton Barnhard


Keeping Faith: A Skeptic’s Journey by Fenton Johnson


Dating the Greek Gods
by Brad Gooch


Telling Truths in Church by Mark D. Jordan


The Substance of God by Perry Brass


The Tomcat Chronicles by Jack Nichols


10 Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Improve Their Lives by Joe Kort


Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same Sex Love by Will Roscoe


The Third Appearance by Walter Starcke


The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann


Surviving and Thriving After a Life-Threatening Diagnosis by Bev Hall


Men, Homosexuality, and the Gods by Ronald Long

An Interview with Ron Long


Queering Creole Spiritual Traditons by Randy Conner & David Sparks

An Interview with Randy Conner


Pain, Sex and Time by Gerald Heard


Sex and the Sacred by Daniel Helminiak


Blessing Same-Sex Unions by Mark Jordan


Rising Up by Joe Perez


Soulfully Gay by Joe Perez


That Undeniable Longing by Mark Tedesco


Vintage: A Ghost Story by Steve Berman


Wisdom for the Soul by Larry Chang


MM4M a DVD by Bruce Grether


Double Cross by David Ranan


The Transcended Christian by Daniel Helminiak


Jesus in Love by Kittredge Cherry


In the Eye of the Storm by Gene Robinson


The Starry Dynamo by Sven Davisson


Life in Paradox by Fr Paul Murray


Spirituality for Our Global Community by Daniel Helminiak


Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society by Robert A. Minor


Coming Out: Irish Gay Experiences by Glen O'Brien


Queering Christ by Robert Goss


Skipping Towards Gomorrah by Dan Savage


The Flesh of the Word by Richard A Rosato


Catland by David Garrett Izzo


Tantra for Gay Men by Bruce Anderson


Yoga & the Path of the Urban Mystic by Darren Main


Simple Grace by Malcolm Boyd


Seventy Times Seven by Salvatore Sapienza


What Does "Queer" Mean Anyway? by Chris Bartlett


Critique of Patriarchal Reasoning by Arthur Evans


Gift of the Soul by Dale Colclasure & David Jensen


Legend of the Raibow Warriors by Steven McFadden


The Liar's Prayer by Gregory Flood


Lovely are the Messengers by Daniel Plasman


The Human Core of Spirituality by Daniel Helminiak


3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke


Religion and the Human Sciences by Daniel Helminiak


Only the Good Parts by Daniel Curzon


Four Short Reviews of Books with a Message


Life Interrupted by Michael Parise


Confessions of a Murdered Pope by Lucien Gregoire


The Stargazer's Embassy by Eleanor Lerman


Conscious Living, Conscious Aging by Ron Pevny


Footprints Through the Desert by Joshua Kauffman


True Religion by J.L. Weinberg


The Mediterranean Universe by John Newmeyer


Everything is God by Jay Michaelson


Reflection by Dennis Merritt


Everywhere Home by Fenton Johnson


Hard Lesson by James Gaston


God vs Gay? by Jay Michaelson


The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path by Jay Michaelson


Roxie & Fred by Richard Alther


Not the Son He Expected by Tim Clausen


The 9 Realities of Stardust by Bruce P. Grether


The Afterlife Revolution by Anne & Whitley Strieber


AIDS Shaman: Queer Spirit Awakening by Shokti Lovestar


Facing the Truth of Your Life by Merle Yost


The Super Natural by Whitley Strieber & Jeffrey J Kripal


Secret Body by Jeffrey J Kripal


In Hitler's House by Jonathan Lane


Walking on Glory by Edward Swift


The Paradox of Porn by Don Shewey


Is Heaven for Real? by Lucien Gregoire


Enigma by Lloyd Meeker


Scissors, Paper, Rock by Fenton Johnson




Toby Johnson's Books on Gay Men's Spiritualities:




Gay
Perspective cover
Gay Perspective

Things Our [Homo]sexuality
Tells Us about the
Nature of God and
the Universe


Gay Perspective audiobook
Gay Perspective is available as an audiobook narrated by Matthew Whitfield. Click here







Gay
Spirituality cover
Gay Spirituality

Gay Identity and 
the Transformation of
Human Consciousness



gay-spirituality-audiobook
Gay Spirituality   is now available as an audiobook, beautifully narrated by John Sipple. Click here








charmed lives
Charmed Lives: Gay Spirit in Storytelling

edited by
Toby Johnson
& Steve Berman







secret matter
Secret Matter

Lammy Award Winner for Gay Science Fiction

updated







Getting Life
Getting Life in Perspective

A Fantastical Romance





Getting
Life in Perspective audiobook
Getting Life in Perspective is available as an audiobook narrated by Alex Beckham. Click here 






The Fourth Quill

The Fourth Quill

originally published as PLAGUE




johnson-the-fourth-quill-audiobook
The Fourth Quill is available as an audiobook, narrated by Jimmie Moreland. Click here






Two
Two Spirits: A Story of Life with the Navajo

with Walter L. Williams




Two Spirits
audiobookTwo Spirits  is available as an audiobook  narrated by Arthur Raymond. Click here






Finding Your Own True Myth - The Myth of the Great Secret III
Finding Your Own True Myth:
What I Learned from Joseph Campbell

The Myth of the Great Secret III








In
Search of God in the Sexual Underworld
In Search of God  in the Sexual Underworld










The Myth of the Great Secret II

The Myth of the Great Secret: An Appreciation of Joseph Campbell.

This was the second edition of this book.




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Toby Johnson's titles are available in other ebook formats from Smashwords.




Reviews of GAY PERSPECTIVE

Lambda Literary Award Nominee 2004


eRIK, manager of a Lambda Rising store, and contributor to the yahoo group Rainbow_Readership posted this review:

 

gay perspective coverGay Perspective: things our [homo]sexuality tells us about the nature of God and the universe

by Toby Johnson (2003; Alyson Books; 206 pgs.)

<**** of 5>

 

With a clear vision, Toby Johnson explores how being homosexual, and thus non-standard, allows us queers a unique view on religion, society, spirituality, sexuality, and gender roles. Embracing a variety of faiths and a range of progressive and feminist doctrines, he shapes a brave redefinition of how to live as gay and lesbian individuals, fully in tune with the concepts of God's whole nature. "Gay Perspective" is a thought-provoking volume, and is intended as such, to create a discourse for us to express in our relationship with the non-gay world in which we live. I found it quite inspiring, especially in its reaffirmation of simple truths that are easily forgotten in our modern world, and I heartily recommend it to anyone willing to imagine the world as a tapestry of beauty.

 :) eRIK

 




Lori L. Lake, author of DIFFERENT DRESS, GUN SHY, UNDER THE GUN, and RICOCHET IN TIME http://www.LoriLLake.com., Associate Editor: http://www.JustAboutWrite.com, and Book Reviewer for: http://www.midwestbookreview.com wrote this review:

 

GAY PERSPECTIVE: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God and the Universe --- 5 out of 5 ****

 

I don't tend to read a lot of non-fiction, and that which I do read I choose carefully. I am thankful I chose to read GAY PERSPECTIVE. This is a book full of hope and heart, and every person--gay or straight--would benefit from reading it. Toby Johnson, the author of the previous groundbreaking book, GAY SPIRITUALITY, takes his points from that earlier book one step further and delineates a careful examination of all the ways that an "outsider" perspective -- such as a non-heterosexual point of view -- allows for a unique and life-giving take on true spirituality, as opposed to old-time religion of superstition, fear, and exclusion. He includes chapters on how our homosexuality tells us things about: Life, Sex, Religion, the Church, God, and the World, and in so doing, weaves together a wonderful narrative about all the ways gay people can help society transcend ignorance and embrace true love and compassion.

 

In thoughtful, clear language, Johnson presents positive affirmation that the spiritual consciousness that gay people--indeed, all GLBTQ people--are now expressing is a vital and evolutionary step forward for everyone on the planet. No longer need we be trapped in meaningless, dogmatic, fear-based, or male-dominated religious practices. He writes, "It is not a negative, fatalistic, or materialistic secularism our homosexuality reveals to us, but a universe full of mystery, wonder, beauty, and magic" (p. 203). We "outsiders" have the opportunity to rise above that and lead the way for all people to a more loving, accepting, and spiritually fulfilling place.

 

Early on, Johnson says that gay men may find the book to be more about them than lesbians will. He indicates that since he is writing from the experience of a gay man, he doesn't assume to speak for women; however, as a lesbian reading this book, I found that the author accorded respect toward all women and advocated for a holistic and feminist view of relationships for all.

 

Author, psychotherapist, activist, and community organizer Toby Johnson is also a religious scholar and former Catholic monk. His experience and insight shine in this fantastic new book. I highly recommend it to anyone--gay or otherwise.

 



Living Traditions Online ran this review:

 

2003 is a fascinating year in the development of gay and lesbian culture. We have slowly transitioned from the radical days of gay liberation and seem, at times, to be plummeting towards a new conservativism nearly as fast as the governments and cultures that surround us. All too often we seem to emphasis how much the "same" we are as straight people, how similar we are in "so many ways". We even try to turn our long-term relationships into marriages, just like the good old straight world around us. The sad thing in this process is that we forget we are different. Whether we like it or not gay, lesbian and transgender people think differently, they have a different angle on the world equation. While we have many things in common with our straight brothers and sisters, being outsiders we have a unique worldview, a unique queer perspective.

 

Too often, especially as gay men, we think that this difference is primarily sexual and certainly gay men do have a very different approach to sex than straight men. However, sex and intimacy is where we begin, not where we end. Since we are sexual outsiders we bring a different view to questions of love, intimacy and society and well as to the big questions of religion and God.

 

This is where Toby Johnson comes in. Johnson is the well-respected author of Gay Spirituality (among other books) as well as the editor of White Crane, A Journal of Gay Men's Spirituality. His new book, Gay Perspective, examines the gay view of the world from the perspective of spirituality. It is a challenging and powerful read. Johnson challenges the notion that we should emphasize our sameness and explores what the "gay difference" means to us. He considers how we view the world, spirituality and our relationship to God through the unique lens of being gay.

 

Gay Perspective looks at the unfolding of the new spiritual worldview as illustrated in the ideas of such writers as Joseph Campbell and Teilhard de Chardin to name a couple and places us within the context of this spiritual evolutionary process.

 

So while the fight for equal rights and related issues are certainly significant, Johnson reminds us that our focus should also include our spirituality and we should not "sell ourselves short" by ignoring the uniqueness, beauty and power of our difference.


Gay Perspective is an easy read and sometimes like a good conversation with a long lost friend. It is gentle and kindly reminds us of our potentials and possibilities and nudges us forward towards the greater goal. This is an important work for the present time.




The Gay & Lesbian Review

a wonderful magazine, a journal of ideas about gay life, that deserves community support.

Donald Boisvert's review (which appeared in a somewhat shortened form in The G&L Review) includes Theodore Jennings' book The Man Jesus Loved and Toby Johnson's Gay Perspective in an interesting discussion of the nature of "gay spirituality."

       

In recent years, queer scholars have been paying a great deal of attention to religion.  This may seem odd, or perhaps even perverse, considering the negative attitudes of most religious traditions with respect to all things homosexual or even slightly queer.  Some might say this is an honest attempt at struggling with our most oppressive demons, while others might opt for a more cynical explanation, arguing that it is all simply a dead-ended attempt at further collective delusion.  As Toby Johnson would no doubt claim, perhaps "being gay" and "being spiritual" fit together quite naturally, like Gilbert and Sullivan.  Or more appropriately, in this case, like top and bottom.

There now exists a fairly well-defined field of study called gay spirituality.  Its practitioners tend to fall into two camps: those concerned with scripture and the rehabilitation of biblical texts that have been historically dismissive and intolerant of homosexuality, and what could be called the Higher Consciousness group, more in the tradition of Edward Carpenter and Harry Hay, who believe that gays (and yes, even lesbians) share a unique vocation as spiritual guides and change agents.  In most cases, this latter group tends to draw its inspiration from pre- or non-Christian androgynous traditions.  Theodore Jennings and Toby Johnson represent rather well, each in his own way, these two complementary outlooks.

 

 Jennings' The Man Jesus Loved is, by far, the more scholarly of the two books.  Though its central theme is not totally original, the book has garnered a modest amount of attention in claiming that Jesus was gay and that he had a lover, something shocking, if not downright blasphemous, for most fervent Christians. A professional theologian and United Methodist clergyman, Jennings provides what he terms "a gay reading" of the New Testament scriptures by exploring in detail some of their more mysterious yet compelling homoerotic narratives, such as the centurion's lad and the naked youth in the Garden of Gethsemane.  For Jennings, the teachings of Jesus were powerfully subversive of traditional gender and family arrangements, primarily those that were ascetic or body-denying in nature, and his own open and generous lifestyle was defiantly affirmative of same-sex desire.  To the question of whether Jesus was gay, he answers rather cautiously by asserting that "Jesus' primary affectional relationship was with another man, one who is called in the Gospel of John "the disciple Jesus loved" and the reading of the references to this relationship that makes the most sense is one which infers a relationship of physical and emotional intimacy, a relationship that we might otherwise suppose would be the potential subject of erotic mediation, of sexual expression." (p. 233)

It's precisely this sort of careful crafting that makes Jennings' argument so compelling.  But who exactly was the so-called disciple Jesus loved?  Tradition has it that it was John the Evangelist.  There are other suspects, however, and Jennings explores the pros and cons of all of them: Lazarus, Andrew, Nathaniel, Philip, Thomas, Joseph of Arimathea, among others, perhaps even someone not named.  Jennings' conclusion is that he can't conclude with certainty.  This does not mean, however, that the quest, in and of itself, was not an exciting one.  That, in fact, is the most engaging thing about this book.  It leaves no stone unturned.  It takes a holistic view of New Testament teachings on sexuality, specifically their homoerotic dimensions, and it builds a solid case for a man-loving Jesus.  If that isn't enough to excite any queer, I'm not sure what would.

Jennings' writing is lucid, reasoned, precise, and well referenced, and his argumentation is nothing if not persuasive.  All the appropriate New Testament passages, canonical and not, find themselves dissected.  This is the sort of book that, by some strange and wonderful twist of fate, you hope might fall into the hands of all those self-righteous and insufferable televangelists, only to be the cause of their sudden demise by heart attack (a most unchristian thought, I readily confess).  Though the book does bite back, it is a quiet masterpiece of reasoned discourse: calm, soothing, and brilliantly thorough in its theological analysis and implications.  You cannot help but admire its fine and elegant structure.  Jennings' inspired method of not doing the texts violence, of letting them speak at their most obvious level of discourse, works wonders.  You walk away fully confident that Jesus was a gay man, that he lived openly with "the beloved disciple," and that who it was does not ultimately matter.  If only, however, everyone were as calm and rational — and ultimately convinced — as Jennings.

For that is the problem.  Not everyone will be convinced, try as you may.  But then again, why should you even want to?  There can be no doubt that, down through history and still today, the Judeo-Christian scriptures have been a (if not the) major source of institutionalized homophobia.  The efforts of those scholars, such as Jennings, who systematically and eloquently refute such argumentation are therefore important and needed.  We cannot let the religious bigots, of whatever denominational persuasion, lay exclusive claim to the biblical terrain.  Our lives can depend on it.  Other scholars, however (and I admit I am one of them), are becoming increasingly impatient with the constant need for scriptural refutation, playing, as it were, the game of the enemy, wasting time engaging them on their turf, always being on the defensive.  Is it not better to move beyond the bible, to begin crafting a spirituality emerging from our own lives, one not requiring some scriptural justification or blessing, as feminists have been doing for so long?  If Jennings can prove that Jesus was a man-loving man, all the more power to him and, by extension, to all of us.  But to the church-going homophobe, will it really make any difference?  Doubtful.  Is it not perhaps time to move on?

 

To Toby Johnson, the answer is a resounding "yes."  For him, all religion is a metaphor, and this is succinctly and engagingly expressed in Gay Perspective.  The author of Gay Spirituality and former editor of White Crane Journal, Johnson has long been a staple in the field.  His gamble in this most recent book is to argue, somewhat too prosaically, that gay men possess a unique "perspective," a special intuition that, by virtue of their marginality, makes them particularly susceptible to spiritual insight.  Unfortunately, such observations, though they may ring true at the level of anecdote, are all too often coupled with quick-and-easy clichés.  He writes, for example: "There are certain talents that seem to come with being gay: the ability to decorate a room or to assemble an outfit, for example.  These talents come from what we earlier called gay intuition.  Also among these gay talents are mythopoesis, religion, and the creation of liturgy and ritual." (p. 130)  While it may be sadly true that the world possesses an over-abundance of liturgy queens, it is highly doubtful that they all partake equally of the collective pool of good taste.  Such statements unfortunately tend to discredit Johnson's main argument about the distinctive cultural role of gay men, which, though it remains a battered tenet of much gay spirituality, he still manages to defend with eloquence, insight, and much vigor.

Johnson's approach is that of the eclectic pedagogue.  With chapter titles such as "Things our Homosexuality Tells Us About:," he discusses a surprising mix of topics running the gamut from Life to God, while passing through Sex and Religion.  All the biggies, in fact.  Throughout, he sticks to his core argument that gay men are "blessed" in some very special way, the carriers of a higher (and no doubt more refined) form of consciousness.  There are some perceptive, if slightly off kilter insights, such as when he refers, in chapter 9, to the Mystical Body of Christ: "All of us are organs in the Body of Christ.  Following this metaphor, we might say gay men play the role of the penis of the body of Christ (and lesbians, that of the clitoris of this sexually androgynous body)." (p. 198)  Christocentrism aside, this might well be a gay man's fantasy.  It certainly provides erotic food for thought.  This is what Johnson does best.  You may disagree with him, consider his ideas outlandish, you can't help but resonate to their inner logic and appeal.  We all know we're different as queers, without really being able to put our finger on why.  Johnson puts his whole hand -- all five fingers -- on, or rather into, it.                    

For a gay man looking for pride in who and what he is, and particularly for young just-came-out men, Gay Perspective comes as a godsend.  It is a passionate, defiant, and challenging piece of work.  Thankfully, Johnson gives straight men a run for their money, laying blame for much of the world's problems at their cocky and insecure feet.  Few authors have dared to tackle this issue head-on, but he does so with all the aplomb and verve one would expect from an intelligent gay man.  He even asks sardonically: "Doesn't it sometimes seem that homosexuality might be the cure for all the problems of straight men?" (p. 90)  I can hear a deafening echo of affirmative gay voices from sea to shining sea.  Spiritually, however, Johnson is not without his favorites.  A Catholic by upbringing (he spent several years in seminary with two different religious orders), he now practices Buddhism, with a splash of New Age flavor (his glowing reference to A Course in Miracles is telling in this regard).  In the latter part of his book, he spends several chapters expounding the non-dualistic Buddhist way, thereby suggesting that it and the so-called "gay perspective" are one and the same.  Though this may be a valid spiritual insight, it further dilutes his earlier defense of gay intuition as something critical, marginal, and ultimately subversive of both mainstream culture and religion.

There can be no doubt that, through these texts, Jennings and Johnson make important and relevant contributions to a queer understanding of the dynamic that is religion.  In itself, this is laudable, considering the natural dislike, if not outright fear, that many gay men tend to exhibit when it comes to this topic.  Jennings' The Man Jesus Loved will endure, if only because of the boldness and eloquence of its thesis.  Johnson, however, is not to be neglected.  What he has succeeded in doing, in Gay Perspective and in his earlier works, is to anchor solidly the gay experience in the language and mythos of spiritual enlightenment, certainly no small task.  If Theodore Jennings' Jesus is delightfully queer and sexual, then Toby Johnson is the guy who makes him resonate with post-modern, cosmic vibes.     

All of which brings us back to the dilemma of gay spirituality.  Will Jesus being gay, or queers being more enlightened, really make a difference in our lives?  For the gay man, believing or not, perhaps; for the homophobe, one can only hope.  In fact, that's what gay spirituality is really all about at heart: conversion.  An old fashioned religious idea if there ever was one.  

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Toby Johnson, PhD is author of nine books: three non-fiction books that apply the wisdom of his teacher and "wise old man," Joseph Campbell to modern-day social and religious problems, four gay genre novels that dramatize spiritual issues at the heart of gay identity, and two books on gay men's spiritualities and the mystical experience of homosexuality and editor of a collection of "myths" of gay men's consciousness. 

Johnson's book GAY SPIRITUALITY: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness won a Lambda Literary Award in 2000.

His  GAY PERSPECTIVE: Things Our [Homo]sexuality Tells Us about the Nature of God and the Universe was nominated for a Lammy in 2003. They remain in print.

FINDING YOUR OWN TRUE MYTH: What I Learned from Joseph Campbell: The Myth of the Great Secret III tells the story of Johnson's learning the real nature of religion and myth and discovering the spiritual qualities of gay male consciousness.

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