A Book of Prayer: For Gay and Lesbian Christians

Rating:
Summary: the good scribe
Review: A saying of Jesus applies well to Dr. Storey's "A Book of Prayer": "Every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven is like the steward who brings forth from his store room things both old and new." The "new" in this book include eloquent prayers for the good stewardship of our human sexuality, and laments for the loss of certain dear relationships that coming-out usually entails for gay people. The Ceremony of Holy Union, offered with many prayer alternatives, will surely influence most future gay ceremonies of life commitment. "Old" in this book is the masterful marshalling of scripture and liturgical tradition is every section--and, going back to Jesus Himself is a confidence, visible throughout Dr. Storey's book, in the almost reckless accessibility of God.

Rating:
Summary: Celebrating the Sacredness of Sexual Oorientation
Review: This is a fine prayer book that is simultaneously steeped in the tradition of Christian hours and sensitive to the lives of lesbians and gay men. It contains the time-honored morning and evening prayer, but it is more than just a conventional Psalter. With its devotional prayers, this book of hours marks the times of joy and sorrow in the lives of gay and lesbian Christians. Bill Storey has included prayers for a coming-out party, the gift of a spouse, and a holy union; he has also incorporated prayers for times of sickness and abandonment by family and friends, as well as prayers for enemies. In these prayers for special occasions and for the everyday, Storey demonstrates a deep awareness of the spirituality, the joys, difficulties, and the predicaments of lesbians and gay men. His prayers tenderly address a God who loves the hearts, minds, and bodies of gay people. Storey's "Book of Prayer" will nourish those who use it and make them clap their hands with holy glee.

Rating:
Summary: Celebrating the Sacredness of Sexual Oorientation
Review: This is a fine prayer book that is simultaneously steeped in the tradition of Christian hours and sensitive to the lives of lesbians and gay men. It contains the time-honored morning and evening prayer, but it is more than just a conventional Psalter. With its devotional prayers, this book of hours marks the times of joy and sorrow in the lives of gay and lesbian Christians. Bill Storey has included prayers for a coming-out party, the gift of a spouse, and a holy union; he has also incorporated prayers for times of sickness and abandonment by family and friends, as well as prayers for enemies. In these prayers for special occasions and for the everyday, Storey demonstrates a deep awareness of the spirituality, the joys, difficulties, and the predicaments of lesbians and gay men. His prayers tenderly address a God who loves the hearts, minds, and bodies of gay people. Storey's "Book of Prayer" will nourish those who use it and make them clap their hands with holy glee.