As My Own Soul. Chris Glaser

       Other books by Chris Glaser:

       Uncommon Calling

       A Gay Christian's Struggle to Serve the Church

       Come Home!

       Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Gay Men and Lesbians

       Coming Out to God

       Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families and Friends

       The Word Is Out

       Daily Reflections on the Bible for Lesbians and Gay Men

       Coming Out as Sacrament

       Reformation of the Heart

       Seasonal Meditations by a Gay Christian

       Unleashed

       The Wit and Wisdom of Calvin the Dog

       Communion of Life

       Meditations for the New Millennium

       Henri's Mantle

       100 Meditations on Nouwen's Legacy

       Troy Perry

       Pastor and Prophet

      Copyright © 2009 by Chris R. Glaser

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Cover design by Jennifer Glosser

      Interior design and layout by MediaLynx Group, Inc.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Glaser, Chris.

      As my own soul : the blessing of same-gender marriage / Chris Glaser.

      p. cm.

      Includes bibliographical references.

      ISBN 978-1-59627-118-0 (pbk.)

      1. Same-sex marriage—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

      BT706.7.G63 2009

      261.8'3581—dc22

      2009016935

      Seabury Books

      445 Fifth Avenue

      New York, New York 10016

      www.seaburybooks.com

      An imprint of Church Publishing Incorporated

      5 4 3 2 1

       And it came to pass … that the soul of Jonathan was knit with

       the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him

       as his own soul.

      1 Samuel 18:1 (King James Version)

       In thanksgiving to God for

       John Boswell

       Contents

       Introduction

       Acknowledgments

       Chapter One Claiming the Blessing

       Chapter Two Deeper than Scripture: Taboo, Shame, and Sex-Negativity Biblical, Cultural, and Visceral Responses

       Chapter Three Traditional Family Values: Marriage, Procreation, and Family

       Chapter Four The Sacred Source of Marriage: Holy Origins and Sacramental Dimensions

       Chapter Five Sex and the Body of Christ

       Chapter Six As My Own Soul: Marriage as a Spiritual Discipline

       Selected Bibliography Related to Marriage

       Introduction

      This book is written for those who want to understand more of what the debate around homosexuality and same-gender marriage is about within the Western Christian tradition in biblical, historical, cultural, and spiritual terms. It is intended for general readers, some of whom might be led to more detailed study in the books referenced and included in the bibliography. For some, this book will be covering familiar ground, but I hope from a fresh perspective, with different twists and emphases than other writings on the subject.

      It is my opinion that the public debate on same-gender marriage has proven a blessing for the institution of marriage itself, just as the public debate on homosexuality has served as a blessing for the understanding of human sexuality. And for Christians, such conversations may help each of us discern and disclose not only our own views on marriage and human sexuality, but also our own ways of reading the Bible, encountering God, and following Jesus, guided by the Spirit, within the context of our faith and faith tradition.

      May this book help all of us to look more deeply within ourselves and within marriage as well as within the mysteries of sexuality and companionship.

      The Rev. Chris Glaser

      Atlanta, Georgia

       Acknowledgments

      Thanks be to God that we live in a time when dialogue on same-gender marriage is possible! And that we may do so in the Body of Christ, the church!

      And thanks be to God for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community that has been an extended family for me!

      Thanks to publisher Davis Perkins and editor Susan Erdey and others at Church Publishing for believing in this book, and to Susan for serving as an encouraging and helpful editor.

      I am grateful for the scholarship of all whose work has shaped my thinking and graced this book, but in particular I wish to thank John Boswell, Bernadette Brooten, Stephanie Coontz, Bill Countryman, Marvin Ellison, Margaret