Congregations in Conflict: The Battle Over Homosexuality in Nine Churches

As numerous denominations grapple with the question of how to respond to the presence of gay and lesbian believers, Hartman's evenhanded analysis of how nine communities of faith in North Carolina's Research Triangle have dealt with the issue is an excellent guide. His book should help congregants negotiate the pitfalls of biblical interpretation and culturally entrenched homophobia. Many of the faith communities Hartman portrays have great difficulty accepting homosexuality: a Methodist congregation is alarmed by its pastor's outreach to the local gay community; congregations are expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention for seeking accommodation with homosexual members; Quakers struggle to find accord with same-sex marriages; and a straight minister of the gay Metropolitan Community Church is forced from her pulpit for becoming preoccupied with caring for congregants dying of AIDS. But also among Hartman's cast of searching Christians are lay conservatives whose commitment to reconciling differences within the church triumphed over prejudice. Hartman's book is an invaluable beginning to the healing of misunderstanding on all sides. (Mar.)