Rachel's Spiritual Reading List
Gospels
| What I’m learning about the true good news of the gospels is that their message is about love and acceptance. About everyone not just those who think they are holy. About showing mercy and forgiveness. About avoiding judgment and condemnation. About relying on God for strength and guidance. About being salt and light to the world. About being a good neighbor like the Samaritan. About shunning the self-righteous hypocrisy of the Pharisees. About welcoming back strays like the Prodigal Son. About using God’s gifts to me faithfully. About being a servant to all. About exercising the humility of the Publican. About having a childlike faith in God. And about His grace that frees me from the bondage of legalism. I think what God is trying to tell me is that over the years I have asked Him for many things. He wishes that I would ask for one more thing - for the help I need to love Him and to love others as much as He loves me. Then I would have the right idea. When I read the Gospels with my heart and really internalize the message, I want to open the church doors to everyone. Everyone exactly as they are. Once we let everyone in, we’ll be amazed at what God can do. | ||
40 heart-wrenching stories personal stories of the religious intolerance, family and community rejection, and school, social and workplace discrimination that are faced by those who are growing up gay in America. This book will change America by awakening us to the truth.
"The reality is that Crisis needs to be read by absolutely everyone, not only to recognize what gay people go through in this culture, but to break through the denial of how cruel and insensitive people can be when they are controlled by a belief system that they allow to substitute for the loving human response they would otherwise find automatic." | |||
| By the Grace of God | Lee Frances Heller and Friends; Edited by Julie Ann Johnson. Lee devoted the last 15 years of her life to sharing God's love with persons who, like herself, had been scorned and rejected by the established religious leadership. On an ancient typewriter in her Jackson, Mississippi home, she began her newsletter, The Grace and Lace Letter, with the question, "Is God Against Us?" Her passion, sincerity and wit left the reader certain that God is indeed not against persons like Lee Frances Heller - persons who happen to be transgendered. This book is a compilation of her essays. Julie Ann Johnson has developed a powerful ministry that supplies free copies of the book to all transgendered people upon request. Email her at julie@fwwv.net. Others can order the book from the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE) . Phone: (781) 899-2212. I consider this book an important read for transgendered Christians and other Christians who wish to understand transgendered people in the context of the teachings of Jesus Christ. | ||
Philip Yancey | What’s So Amazing About Grace - This incredible book convinced me that grace is the ingredient that will enable us to love those we consider unlovable. He said, "Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it craves above all else -- for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world." He sees legalism as the greatest threat to grace and envisions churches as places where grace is "on tap" and readily available to everyone who needs it. Isn't that what Jesus would do? | ||
David Johnson and | The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse - My catechism experiences and battering because of cross-dressing aren't unique. For those who have felt the sting of legalism, shame and guilt in a religious context, help is available. A good place to start is this book. For those religious leaders who find themselves trapped in the role of the abuser, the same source offers help in breaking that role. God loves us all and His healing is always available. | ||
Dr. George Lamsa | Aramaic Bible Society - Founded to preserve and distribute the writings and translations of Aramaic-English, Bible scholars such as Dr. Lamsa and the Yonan Codex Foundation writers. During the past 50 years the Society has kept many of these writings in publication and available to readers worldwide. Since 1995 additional printings with new formats and covers have been done for six English Language Biblical works having interpretations from original Aramaic phrases. While spending most of his adult life writing Bible commentaries, Dr. Lamsa based them not only on his training at theological schools but on his first-hand knowledge of Middle East customs and manners that hadn't changed since the time of Jesus and even to back the time of Abraham. He also translated the whole Bible from the ancient Aramaic scriptures during a 30 year period, culminating in the publishing of his New Testament translation in the 1930s and his translation of the whole Bible by the mid-1950s. | ||
Ann Thompson Cook | In Made in God’s Image: A Resource for Dialogue about the Church and Gender Differences, Ann Thompson Cook communicates a gently assertive expectation that we as Christians need to get up to speed on something too rarely discussed but very important for the life of the church and its ministries. Combining valuable information, personal sharing, and resources, this booklet is a perfect starting place for any congregation, family, or individual seeking to better understand transgender issues and to provide a supportive environment for all of God’s children. | ||
Ann Thompson Cook |
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| Americans cherish the greatness of our homeland, but many do not realize how extensive and profound are the transformations that are now taking place in our nation's basic moral values and political philosophy. Our people have been justifiably proud to see America's power and influence used to preserve peace for ourselves and others, promote economic and social justice, raise high the banner of human rights, protect the quality of our environment, alleviate human suffering, and cooperate with other peoples to reach these common goals. We have learned the value of providing our citizens with accurate information and treating dissenting voices with respect. Most political leaders have attempted to control deficit spending, preserve the separation of church and state, and protect civil liberties and personal privacy. All of these historic commitments are now being challenged. | ||
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