Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church

by Wendy VanderWal-Gritter

Publisher:

Brazos

, 2014

Overview

Committed Christians may respond differently to gay and lesbian Christians. How can we engage those with whom we might disagree and navigate our journey together in a way that nurtures unity, hospitality, humility, and justice?

Through her extensive experience in ministering to gay and lesbian Christians, Wendy VanderWal-Gritter has come to believe we need a new paradigm for how the church engages those in the sexual minority. She encourages generous spaciousness, a hope-filled, relational way forward for those in turmoil regarding a response to gay and lesbian Christians. This book offers a framework for discussing diversity in a gracious way, showing that the church can be a place that welcomes a variety of perspectives on the complex matter of human sexuality. It also offers practical advice for implementing generous spaciousness in churches and organizations.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Encourages the church to move forward thoughtfully on a difficult subject
• Challenges both sides of the debate
• Encourages Scriptural reflection, kindness, and prayer

Contents

• Reevaluating Evangelical Ex-gay Ministry
• Of Doubt, Tension, and Anxiety
• The Power of Stories
• A Complex Spectrum: Views of Same-sex Sexuality
• Coming Out and the Church
• The Journey of Discipleship
• Understanding Holistic Sexuality
• Our Image of God
• The Role of Scripture
• The Challenge of Interpretation
• A Disputable Matter?
• Engaging the Church
• A Word for Pastors and Leaders
• A Word to Gay Christians
• A Word to Would-be Gay Advocates in the Church

Top Highlights

“My questioners reflected a system of black and white, right and wrong, that I came to realize was often moti” (Page 13)

“In my response I clarified the distinction between justification (our being reconciled to God because of Jesus’s atoning work) and sanctification (the process of becoming holy) and indicated that our sexual behavior fell into the realm of sanctification. I emphasized that only God can truly know where an individual’s heart is.” (Pages 47–48)

“Alan Roxburgh⁶ describes this kind of experience as liminality, where ‘liminal’ means an in-between or transitional state, and ‘liminality,’ in this case, is that confusing and uncertain place of questioning established structures, hierarchies, and tradition.” (Page 15)

“One of the hallmarks of evangelicalism, and by extension ex-gay ministry, is the vigilance with which it guards its own internal content as both normative and binding.” (Page 33)

“However, this theory has been heavily critiqued and disputed.” (Page 37)

Praise for the Print Edition

I can’t imagine a more timely book. Modeling the very ‘generous spaciousness’ that she advocates, VanderWal-Gritter’s heart is on every page. The church is at a crucial moment of transition in relation to gay sisters and brothers, and this wonderfully written book will prove to be one of the most helpful guides in the midst of change. Profoundly and deeply biblical, theologically rich, and rooted in years of humble, respectful, and vulnerable listening, VanderWal-Gritter’s wisdom is precisely what we so desperately need.

—Brian Walsh, Christian Reformed Campus Minister, University of Toronto

‘Loving people changes you,’ says Wendy VanderWal-Gritter in this important new book. The author herself clearly has been changed by loving gay people, in a journey that began when she led a ministry in the ‘ex-gay’ movement. Now Wendy advocates a posture of ‘generous spaciousness’ and offers pastoral and relational insight from her time at the intersection of homosexuality and the church.

—David Gushee, distinguished university professor of Christian ethics and director, Center for Theology and Public Life, Mercer University

This is a truly important book for our time. Regardless of your view, Wendy’s articulate, measured, and comprehensive approach to homosexuality will give you both food for thought and a means of moving forward. She evidences and argues for the kind of fearless vulnerability, rooted in deep conviction, that characterized Jesus himself. This is gospel with flesh on it.

—Greg Paul, author, Close Enough to Hear God Breathe

Product Details

• Title: Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church
• Author: Wendy VanderWal-Gritter
• Publisher: Brazos
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Homosexuality › Religious aspects--Christianity; Church work with gays
• ISBNs: 9781441220943, 9781587433559, 1441220941, 1587433559
• Resource ID: LLS:GNRSSPCSNSS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:17:47Z

About Wendy VanderWal-Gritter

Wendy VanderWal-Gritter (MDiv, Tyndale Seminary) has been executive director of New Direction Ministries of Canada in Mississauga, Ontario, for over a decade. She is an internationally recognized contributor to conversations about faith and sexuality and is an active speaker. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation on the theme of generous spaciousness at Knox College, University of Toronto.