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October 2014
Jesus in Love Newsletter
LGBT spirituality and the arts
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In This Issue
Passion book is out
Matthew Shepard
Sergius & Bacchus
Vida Scudder
Queer St. Francis
Annual newsletter fee
Hildegard & Richardis
Nouwen's struggle
Africa's lesbian martyr
Gay King Wenceslas
1000 subscribers


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Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi trans and queer  (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world.

 

Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal gift to the world.  

 


October brings many queer reasons to reflect. I'm delighted to announce that my new book on the gay Passion of Christ is out!

Learn more at the book's new website: passionofchristbook.com.  
Gay Passion of Christ book available now
 
Book cover Passion of Christ A Gay Vision

Meet Jesus as a young gay man of today in a modern city with "The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision," a new book by Kittredge Cherry (author) and Douglas Blanchard (artist).   

Passion book open to Jesus Rises  

The book was released today and readers can buy it now.

 

More info
Buy book
See book trailer video
Gay martyr Matthew Shepard lives on
 
Passion of Matthew Shepard by William Hart McNichols

Matthew Shepard brought international attention to anti-gay hate crimes when he died Oct. 12, 1998. He was a 21-year-old gay student at the University of Wyoming at the time. 

 

Shepard has become a cultural icon, inspiring dozens of paintings, films, plays, songs and other artistic works. More info  

    

(Credit: "The Passion of Matthew Shepard" by William Hart McNichols)  

Sergius and Bacchus: Paired saints 

Marriage of Sergius and Bacchus by Tony de Carlo Saints Sergius and Bacchus were third-century Roman soldiers, Christian martyrs and men who loved each other. Their close bond has been emphasized since the earliest accounts, and recent scholarship has revealed their homosexuality. Scholar John Boswell names Sergius and Bacchus as one of the three primary pairs of same-sex lovers in the early church.  More info

(Credit: "Marriage of Saint Sergius and Saint Bacchus" by Tony De Carlo)

Vida Scudder: Lesbian saint and teacher  

 
Vida Dutton Scudder

Vida Dutton Scudder (1861-1954) was a social reformer, Wellesley professor, prominent lesbian author -- and an official saint in the Episcopal Church.

 

For 35 years until her death, Scudder lived with author Florence Converse in a lesbian relationship. Scudder was active in the Social Gospel movement. Her spirituality went hand in hand with her social conscience and love of learning. More info 

Queer side of St. Francis revealed

St. Francis and the Sultan by Robert Lentz
St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata by Kevin Raye Larson Historical records reveal a queer side to Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most beloved religious figures of all time. The 13th-century friar is celebrated for loving animals, hugging lepers, and praying for peace, but few know about his love for another man and his gender nonconformity. More info

(Left: "St. Francis and the Sultan" by Robert Lentz. Right: "St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata" by Kevin Raye Larson)
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Visit the newsletter archive for 7 years of back issues.
Hildegard and Richardis:
Medieval nuns who loved each other


Hildegard of Bingen and Richardis by Lewis Williams
Nouwen struggled with his homosexuality
Henri Nouwen by Robert Lentz

 

Henri Nouwen was a Catholic priest and bestselling author who wrestled with his homosexuality. Nouwen never discussed his gay sexual orientation in his 40 books, but he confided his conflict over it in private journals and conversations. Some say that this personal struggle added depth to his books such as "The Wounded Healer." More info 

 

(Credit: "Henri Nouwen" by Robert Lentz, trinitystores.com)

FannyAnn Eddy: Lesbian martyr in Africa

FannyAnn Eddy
FannyAnn Eddy was a major activist for LGBT rights in Africa. She testified at the United Nations and founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association.

She was murdered 10 years ago on Sept. 29, 2004. Nobody was ever convicted of the crime. More info 
Good (Gay?) King Wenceslas

St. Wencelaus and Podiven by Lewis Williams
There's good reason to believe that Good King Wenceslas was gay.  Yes, the king in the Christmas carol.
 
The carol is based on real historical figures, a Bohemian duke and his loyal page.  Author Dennis O'Neill researched the love between the two men.  More info
 
(Credit: "St. Wenceslaus and Podiven, his Assistant" by Lewis Williams, trinitystores.com)
1000 subscribers: Who will be next?

1000 contacts image
This month the Jesus in Love Newsletter mailing list grew to 1,000 subscribers.

Subscriptions are free, so forward this email to a friend and invite them to sign up.



A thousand thanks to the 1,000 current subscribers!
Click to see recent highlights from the Jesus in Love Blog:

      

Two-spirit Native Americans bridge genders on Columbus Day

 

Rumi: Poet and Sufi mystic inspired by same-sex love

 

Tyler Clementi: Gay teen driven to suicide by bullies

I close with a favorite quote from Rumi, a Sufi poet inspired by his love for another man. He was born in 13th-century Afghanistan:  

 

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

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Kittredge Cherry
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