Description
There has been considerable debate in recent years in the Anglican Church of Australia about issues of sexual diversity. To this end, two collections of essays have been published. The first, Five Uneasy Pieces, addressed the texts that have frequently been used to argue against the legitimacy of homosexual expression within Christian life and leadership. A second collection followed, Pieces of Ease and Grace. This collection broke significant new ground in the way the Bible can contribute to contemporary debates. The collection utilized a range of methodologies and unlocked authentic, significant and original readings that restored the Bible to a pastoral and transformative support for those whose self-identification was not shaped by a dominant and norm-assuming heterosexuality. The project raised significant issues for wider theological analysis touching on issues of marriage, family and authentic friendship, of ordination and leadership, of the church’s relationship to wider society, of decision-making in the church and the Anglican Communion and the resources the church can summons to its aid as it seeks to move forward. This book takes up the need to address these issues.