On the Discourse about Sexual Orientation and Relationships (2024)

Lange, Werner E., Dennis Meier, and Reinder Bruinsma, eds. Queer Insights: Contributions to a More Balanced Discussion on Sexual Orientations and Relationships. Association of Adventist Forums/SPECTRUM, 2024. 353 pp.

“In the fall of 2023, the leadership of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists launched a campaign to counter the growing criticism of its denial of biological causes for sexual orientations, its assertion of their changeability, and its theological rejection of same-sex monogamous relationships.

However, already at the beginning of that year, the editors of this book had decided to ask Adventist scholars in Germany and elsewhere to present alternative views in order to promote a more balanced discussion of these issues. The book Queergedacht (queer thinking with a phonetic allusion to thinking outside the box), was published in September 2023, and almost sold out within three months. Therefore, this second, expanded edition was printed.

The editors felt the time had come to also prepare an English edition since no Adventist work with contributions from experts in their fields has been published since Christianity and Homosexuality: Some Seventh-day Adventist Perspectives by Adventist Forum in 2008. The contributions of over 20 authors to this book will enrich and balance the debate about sexual orientations and relationships through new biological findings, experiences of conversion therapy attempts, and by offering better biblical interpretations to harmful texts. The authors aim to encourage a rethinking and above all a change in attitude towards queer church members and their monogamous relationships.”

Text from Amazon.com.