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Continued from preceding page der boundaries. Finally, Christians have to admit while Jesus affirmed and embraced the body as good, Paul only tolerated the body. Paul was a Plalonist who subordinated the body to the spirit and felt that marriage was not the ideal response and permissi ble for those who could not control their burning passions. Paul did some remarkable things for early Christianity despite his shortcomings. Let’s surface his shortcomings to fully appreciate his genius. The Word is Out: The Bible Reclaimed for Les bians and Gay Men by Chris Glazer. Harper SanFrancisco. Paperback, $12.00. Reviewed by Dr. Robert Goss Christ Glazer's The Word is Out is a much needed meditation book on the Bible. It takes a scriptural verse for daily meditation and prayer. Each month is organized around a theme from the Christian and the gay/lesbian calendars: epiphany, lamentation, passion, covenant, community among others. Epiphany deals with themes of coming out, bodies, pleasuring. For June, the month of pride festivals, the theme is naturally lib eration. He picks up thematic verses on liberation from the Hebrew and the Christian scriptures since the Bible, after all, is a book about liberation and our struggles center on freedom. I confess that I read The Word is Out with a mental check list. Here are a few of the questions that I brought to my reading: Does Glazer read and apply scripture appropriately to the context of our lives? Can the meditations be used for daily prayer? Does he deal with AIDS and breast can cer? Does he address the issues of justice, discrim ination, and violence? How does Glazer integrate sexuality and spirituality? Glazer passed my men tal check list with flying colors, for he deals with the whole spectrum of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered issues. There are two points that I would particularly highlight. First, Glazer is feminist-identified and takes the time not to fender lesbians invisible with the category of gay. On his meditation of the widow who contributed all that she possessed, Glazer concludes, "‘Embracing feminism is not just a lesbian thing. It’s an appropriate spiritual connection for us all.’’ Furthermore, what I found balanced with the daily meditation is Glazer’s consistent integration of spirituality and sexuality. The pleasures derived from sexuality and spirituality are gifts from God. Glazer boldy states, “the pleasure of sexual pas sion is divine.-.Pleasurable sensation is God’s way of rewarding passion toward a person or a cause. That's why to love someone or to do a good deed makes us feel good inside.” Gay, lesbian, bisexu al, and transgendered Christians have raised in a climate of body-negative Christianity where sexu al pleasure is identified with guilt and shame. Many of us have divorced spirituality from sexual ity, but Glazer consistently brings his reader back continued on next page .Richard Rendrick Home Inspections Residential Drafting Service Rt 5, Box 779 Danville, VA 24540 (804) 836-3237 ONE-OF-A-KIND YOU WILL ONLY SEE THEM HERE. One-of-a-kind furniture creations by William Strickland. Whatever your tastes, from REFINED TO ECCENTRIC, DESIGNS BY WILLIAM ARE SURE TO ACCENTUATE MOST ANY INTERIOR. Stop in today. Ask about custom painted walls and FURNITURE SERVICES. Gallery hours: Wed. ■ Sat. 10-5 pm Mon. & Tues., By appointment only. 600 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh 919/833-2600 '8 YEARS OF DESIGN EXCELLENCE* William Strickland Interiors _hand painted furniture gallery Anchor Financial Group , "Specialists in Real Estate Finance" 1 4020 Westchase Boulevard, Suite 460, Raleigh, NC 27607 Please Call J. Dawn Zimmerman Today! We are a very forward thinking, progressive mortgage company. We specialize in helping people in unique situations and in providing creative mortgage products. We are a very open-minded financial group and we are delighted to work with each individual's circumstances. I urge you to call me today at (919) 833-7130 or (800) 448-7331 for a free analysis of your mortgage needs. ■
The Front Page (Raleigh, N.C.)
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