Their Own Receive Them Not
African American Lesbians and Gays in Black Churches
Horace L. Griffin
In addition, Griffin examines the six or seven passages from the Bible that supposedly condemn homosexuality and offers alternative explanations and interpretations. For example, Griffin spends time critically examining the writings of the apostle Paul, especially 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ‘sodomites… will not inherit the kingdom of God.’ Whereas black ministers often zero in on this passage, Griffin points out that they conveniently ignore the passages where Paul endorses the practice of slavery. Their Own Receive Them Not is well researched and a useful resource for African American clergy and researchers interested in this topic. Griffin notes that many African Americans perceived homosexuality to be the behavior of the ‘other’ (mainly whites), whose sexual perversion spilled over into the African American community, and that homosexuality did not exist in African societies historically.
To shed light on the latter view, Griffin cites Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities, edited by Will Roscoe and Stephen O. Murray, which records numerous instances of homosexuality in Africa. Roscoe and Murray note that many scholars have claimed that historically homosexuality was a European and Arab import, something that colonized Africans tolerated or were forced to accept. As late as the early 20th century, some white scholars believed that African Americans represented ‘uncivilized man,’ were ‘close to nature,’ and did not practice ‘unnatural sex acts’ such as homosexuality.
Griffin’s Their Own Receive Them Not provides background information on homosexuality in the African American community, examines African American LGBT churches, and discusses ways in which the teachings of ‘liberation theology’ can aid black church leaders in overcoming their homophobia and heterosexism by emphasizing love and acceptance. One flaw in Griffin’s discussion is that it reads as if all black churches are homophobic, though to be fair, this book is directed towards those church leaders who condemn homosexuality, or for those who might want to confront homophobia within their congregations. ~ Angelique C. Harris, The Journal of African American History, Vol. 93, No. 2, Discourses on Race, Sex, and African American Citizenship (Spring, 2008), pp. 262-270
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Details
| ISBN | 9781608995950 |
| Genre | Black Interest; Religion & Spirituality |
| Publication Date | 01-Nov-10 |
| Publisher | Wipf and Stock |
| Format | Trade Paperback |
| No. of Pages | 256 |
| Language | English |
| Rating | Good |
| Subject | Religion |
| BookID | 13082 |
