Family of Origin, Family of Choice
Stories of Queer Christians
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- USD 20.99
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- USD 20.99
Descripción editorial
First-person testimonies from LGBTQ+ Christians about coming out and navigating their family dynamics
What happens in a family when one member comes out? How does LGBTQ+ identity affect relationships with parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins? What does Christian love require and make possible for families moving forward together?
A social scientist and a pastor, both from Galileo Church on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, asked their LGBTQ+ friends from church to help them understand how they navigate relationships with their affirming, non-affirming, and affirming-ish families of origin, even as they also find belonging in other families of choice. The resulting stories, crafted from interviews with fifteen queer Christians and family members, kept anonymous at their request, are as varied as the colors of the rainbow. Over the years, some grew closer to their families of origin; others grew more distant. Some were surprised by the hardness of heart they encountered; others were amazed by the breadth of their family’s love. Most all describe a trajectory, a journey, from the coming-out moment till now and beyond, as their families of origin, like all families, remain a work in progress.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hays (We Were Spiritual Refugees), pastor at the Galileo Christian Church in Fort Worth, Tex., teams up with parishioner and social scientist Chiasson for this illuminating anthology of oral histories that focus on how queer Christians who worship at Galileo have navigated relationships with their families. The entries represent a range of sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as different strategies for handling aspects of familial relationships, including unconditional love, tentative truce, and estrangement. For example, one parishioner feels relieved when his coming out means "finally articulating what everybody knew" and he returns to church after many years. For another, being the mother to a gender-fluid child causes "fissures in her marriage and family life," but it also leads her to finally find clarity. One of the book's strengths are the accounts of several families that include adult LGBTQ children, their partners, and affirming parents who all offer perspectives on building bridges and setting boundaries with their extended families—in some cases helping relatives better understand their children's identities, in others drawing boundaries to protect a child from harm. The book offers no blanket prescriptions, instead sharing personal stories that demonstrate the hurdles and opportunities provided by what are often difficult relationships. Christian readers who are LGBTQ, or those with a friend or family member who is, will find hope, comfort, and solidarity here.
