AltXmasArt, a groundbreaking exhibit of alternative Christmas art, will be posted online in 12 daily installments Dec. 14-25 at the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com).
Nine artists combine Christmas imagery with a progressive vision of gay, lesbian, bi and trans (GLBT) rights, racial and gender justice, and a world without war, poverty or environmental destruction.
“We hope that people will visit AltXmasArt daily for progressive inspiration in the 12 days leading up to Christmas,” says lesbian art historian and minister Kittredge Cherry, curator of the show. “Many people feel left out of the traditional Christmas scenes, but AltXmasArt breaks the stereotypes and shows Christ for ALL of us -- gay and straight, male and female, black and white, rich and poor.”
The series offers a superb fusion of high-quality art, deep spirituality and socio-political commentary. Surprising variations on the traditional Nativity scene include black madonnas, lesbian madonnas, father-and-son scenes of Jesus and Joseph, and a multi-racial trio of female Magi. The AltXmasArt series starts Sunday, Dec. 14 and ends on Christmas Day.
“Christian rhetoric is used to justify hate and discrimination these days, but AltXmasArt frees people to think differently. We hope to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love,” Cherry says. It’s important to imagine the Christmas story in new and different ways because it empowers people to grow in their relationship with each other and with God.”
The sometimes controversial art was created by a diverse group of nine artists, including openly gay or lesbian artists such as Keith Haring, Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and Becki Jayne Harrelson of Atlanta.
Artists who dare to picture Jesus’ mother as a lesbian have faced censorship and even death threats, but now their liberating images can be seen and celebrated. Explicitly queer Christian imagery in AltXmasArt includes “Annunciation” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, in which a gay angel gives a lesbian couple a test tube for insemination, and “Madonna, Lover and Child” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, where lesbian parents cuddle the baby Jesus.
Each image in the series will be accompanied by Cherry’s seasonal reflections on its artistic, political and spiritual significance. Cherry is the author of “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.” She holds degrees in journalism, art history, and religion. She served as national ecumenical officer for Metropolitan Community Churches.
Artists in AltXmasArt are: Joseph Giuliani, Keith Haring, Becki Jayne Harrelson David Hewson, Robert Lentz, Armando Lopez, Janet McKenzie, William Hart McNichols, and Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin.
The show includes artists working both inside and outside the church. Five of the artists are also featured in “Art That Dares,” which is filled with color images by 11 contemporary artists from the U.S. and Europe. The artists tell the stories behind their images, including censorship, and a lively introduction puts them into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.
The Jesus in Love Blog promotes artistic and religious freedom by supporting spirituality and the arts for GLBT people and their allies.
For more info, visit the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com), JesusInLove.org, or contact info@JesusInLove.org.
The schedule for the AltXmasArt series is:
Sun, Dec 14: “Annunciation” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin
Mon, Dec 15: “La Anunciación (The Annuciation)” by Armando Lopez
Tue, Dec 16: “Mother of God: Mother of the Streets” by Brother Robert Lentz
Wed, Dec 17: “Black Madonna - Mitochondrial Eve” by David Hewson
Thu, Dec 18: “The Holy Family” by Janet McKenzie
Fri, Dec 19: “San José (Saint Joseph)” by Armando Lopez
Sat, Dec 20: “Joseph and the Christ Child” by Father John Giuliani
Sun, Dec 21: “Mary Most Holy Mother of All Nations” by Father William Hart McNichols
Mon, Dec 22: “Pacha Mama Healing the Earth” by David Hewson
Tue, Dec 23: “Epiphany” by Janet McKenzie
Wed, Dec 24: “Radiant Baby” by Keith Haring
Thu, Dec 25: “Madonna, Lover, and Son” by Becki Jayne Harrelson
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Jesus in Love Newsletter marks 1st year (12/5/08)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Dec. 5, 2008 -- This month the Jesus in Love Newsletter celebrates its first anniversary as an e-newsletter on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender spirituality and the arts.
Free subscriptions are available by signing up here or at JesusInLove.org. The bimonthly e-newsletter has presented a positive vision of GLBT spirituality and tracked censorship of queer religious art since December 2007. Back issues can be viewed online at the Newsletter Archive.
The Jesus in Love Newsletter is edited by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author, minister, and art historian. “I founded the newsletter to keep GLBT people and our allies informed about exciting new developments in spirituality and the arts,” she says. “I hope to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love by displaying and discussing the often-controversial art that affirms GLBT people and our connection to God.”
Readership has grown steadily in the first year, with lots of people saying that they value the newsletter.
"Very nice, sophisticated, uncluttered newsletter -- with some interesting info as well," writes journalist Eileen Lockwood.
"What a gift you are giving to us!!" says Rev. Jane Spahr from That All May Freely Serve.
Free subscriptions are available by signing up here or at JesusInLove.org. The bimonthly e-newsletter has presented a positive vision of GLBT spirituality and tracked censorship of queer religious art since December 2007. Back issues can be viewed online at the Newsletter Archive.
The Jesus in Love Newsletter is edited by Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author, minister, and art historian. “I founded the newsletter to keep GLBT people and our allies informed about exciting new developments in spirituality and the arts,” she says. “I hope to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love by displaying and discussing the often-controversial art that affirms GLBT people and our connection to God.”
Readership has grown steadily in the first year, with lots of people saying that they value the newsletter.
"Very nice, sophisticated, uncluttered newsletter -- with some interesting info as well," writes journalist Eileen Lockwood.
"What a gift you are giving to us!!" says Rev. Jane Spahr from That All May Freely Serve.
Monday, November 17, 2008
GLBT spiritual site marks third anniversary (11/17/08)
Los Angeles, CA -- Nov. 17, 2008 -- JesusInLove.org is celebrating its third anniversary as an online resource for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) spirituality and the arts. Since November 2005, it has presented a positive vision of GLBT spirituality and tracked censorship of queer religious art.
“I founded JesusInLove.org because Christian rhetoric was being misused to justify hate and discrimination against GLBT people,” says Kittredge Cherry, a lesbian Christian author, art historian and minister. “I hoped to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love, and that has happened over the last three years. JesusInLove.org has taken off and become important in the world.”
JesusInLove.org was launched on Nov. 17, 2005 with a news release titled “New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus.” Since then it has reached thousands of people all over the world and co-sponsored the first National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art. It has grown from a single website into an online network that includes a blog, videos, e-newsletter and an image archive.
“We have won many honors -- and we also get a lot of hate mail from conservative Christians,” Cherry says. She reports that a typical comment is, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.”
“Right-wing Christian bloggers labeled me ‘a hyper-homosexual revisionist’ and denounced my projects as ‘garbage,’ ‘insanity,’ and ‘a blatant act defamation and blasphemy,’” Cherry says. “The ongoing religious bigotry proves that JesusInLove.org is needed now as much as ever. Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts.”
JesusInLove.org will continue to promote spirituality and the arts for GLBT people and their allies by displaying and discussing art on progressive religious themes. Cherry outlined the following dreams for the future:
• Sponsor a contest of GLBT and/or progressive spiritual art with cash prizes and a well known judge. Winners can be displayed online, made into a calendar, even shown at a gallery. There are many possibilities.
• More complete tracking and reporting of censorship of GLBT religious and spiritual artistic/literary expression. This aspect of JesusInLove.org generates a lot of inquiries and interest.
• Build an archive of GLBT religious and spiritual images with permission from each artist for use -- acting as agent for the artists and possibly collecting fees for them. JesusInLove.org already gets many permission requests from people who want to use the images.
The first JesusInLove.org news release from the original launch is available in the Jesus in Love media room, along with other major news releases from the past three years.
For more info, visit the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com), JesusInLove.org, or contact info@JesusInLove.org.
“I founded JesusInLove.org because Christian rhetoric was being misused to justify hate and discrimination against GLBT people,” says Kittredge Cherry, a lesbian Christian author, art historian and minister. “I hoped to stimulate dialogue and consciousness of love, and that has happened over the last three years. JesusInLove.org has taken off and become important in the world.”
JesusInLove.org was launched on Nov. 17, 2005 with a news release titled “New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus.” Since then it has reached thousands of people all over the world and co-sponsored the first National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art. It has grown from a single website into an online network that includes a blog, videos, e-newsletter and an image archive.
“We have won many honors -- and we also get a lot of hate mail from conservative Christians,” Cherry says. She reports that a typical comment is, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.”
“Right-wing Christian bloggers labeled me ‘a hyper-homosexual revisionist’ and denounced my projects as ‘garbage,’ ‘insanity,’ and ‘a blatant act defamation and blasphemy,’” Cherry says. “The ongoing religious bigotry proves that JesusInLove.org is needed now as much as ever. Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts.”
JesusInLove.org will continue to promote spirituality and the arts for GLBT people and their allies by displaying and discussing art on progressive religious themes. Cherry outlined the following dreams for the future:
• Sponsor a contest of GLBT and/or progressive spiritual art with cash prizes and a well known judge. Winners can be displayed online, made into a calendar, even shown at a gallery. There are many possibilities.
• More complete tracking and reporting of censorship of GLBT religious and spiritual artistic/literary expression. This aspect of JesusInLove.org generates a lot of inquiries and interest.
• Build an archive of GLBT religious and spiritual images with permission from each artist for use -- acting as agent for the artists and possibly collecting fees for them. JesusInLove.org already gets many permission requests from people who want to use the images.
The first JesusInLove.org news release from the original launch is available in the Jesus in Love media room, along with other major news releases from the past three years.
For more info, visit the Jesus in Love Blog (www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com), JesusInLove.org, or contact info@JesusInLove.org.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
New novel shows Passion of a queer Christ (2/1/08)
BERKELEY, CA -- Feb. 1, 2008 -- A queer Christ lives out the Easter story of death and resurrection in the new novel “Jesus in Love: At the Cross” by Kittredge Cherry.
The book is being released in time for Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6), which begins the season of Lent when Christians remember the sufferings of Jesus to prepare for Easter.
Jesus commits the ultimate act of love in “At the Cross,” a fictional autobiography of a bisexual Christ. The dramatic events of Christ’s Passion happen in the context of a gay love story between Jesus and his disciple John. The novel covers Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, and Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, ending on Pentecost. Jesus has today’s queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he reveals the erotic, mystical experiences that may have led to the first Easter.
“At the Cross” is a sequel to the popular “Jesus in Love: A Novel,” but there’s no need to read the other book first. “At the Cross” stands alone in its own right.
“Christ’s story is for everyone, but queer people often feel left out because conservatives use Christian rhetoric to justify hate and discrimination,” says Cherry, a lesbian Christian author and minister who promotes queer spirituality and the arts at JesusInLove.org.
“I wrote ‘At the Cross’ so more people could connect with the powerful story of Jesus’ human struggles and how he rose above them,” Cherry says. “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can relate to a queer Christ -- and so can many others.”
The prequel, “Jesus in Love,” became a surprise hit with mainstream readers after achieving success in the GLBT community. Cherry receives fan mail from a diverse range of readers -- male and female, queer and straight, ranging from Roman Catholic priests to atheists and Jews. And she gets hate mail from conservative Christians, too.
Some conservatives labeled Cherry “a hyper-homosexual revisionist” because of the gay love story between Jesus and John. However, her books follow the Biblical text and standard Christian doctrine while speculating on Christ’s erotic inner life.
Meanwhile, secular literary critics and progressive Christians affirm the Jesus in Love series as “profound,” “spiritually mature” and “beautifully written.” Gay spirituality author Toby Johnson praises it as “a real tour de force in transforming traditional myth to modern consciousness.”
The Bay Area Reporter called it “revolutionary religious fiction” and Mel White, founder of Soulforce, says, “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier… a classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
“At the Cross” grows out of Cherry’s own spiritual journey and her experiences as a minister in the LGBT community. One of her duties was promoting dialogue on homosexuality at the National Council of Churches (U.S.A.) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She wrote “At the Cross” after Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forced her into a more contemplative life
Her previous books include “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More,” “Equal Rites” and “Hide and Speak.” The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org, features the growing number of books and art based on the queer Christ, as well as other LGBT spiritual resources. She blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts.
“At the Cross” (ISBN 1933993421) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For review copies or more info, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit:
http://jesusinlove.org
or
http://www.androgynepress.com
# # #
Jesus in Love: At the Cross
By Kittredge Cherry
ISBN: 1933993421
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Price: $18.95
Paperback: 312 pages
Publication date: Feb. 2008
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
The book is being released in time for Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6), which begins the season of Lent when Christians remember the sufferings of Jesus to prepare for Easter.
Jesus commits the ultimate act of love in “At the Cross,” a fictional autobiography of a bisexual Christ. The dramatic events of Christ’s Passion happen in the context of a gay love story between Jesus and his disciple John. The novel covers Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, and Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, ending on Pentecost. Jesus has today’s queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he reveals the erotic, mystical experiences that may have led to the first Easter.
“At the Cross” is a sequel to the popular “Jesus in Love: A Novel,” but there’s no need to read the other book first. “At the Cross” stands alone in its own right.
“Christ’s story is for everyone, but queer people often feel left out because conservatives use Christian rhetoric to justify hate and discrimination,” says Cherry, a lesbian Christian author and minister who promotes queer spirituality and the arts at JesusInLove.org.
“I wrote ‘At the Cross’ so more people could connect with the powerful story of Jesus’ human struggles and how he rose above them,” Cherry says. “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can relate to a queer Christ -- and so can many others.”
The prequel, “Jesus in Love,” became a surprise hit with mainstream readers after achieving success in the GLBT community. Cherry receives fan mail from a diverse range of readers -- male and female, queer and straight, ranging from Roman Catholic priests to atheists and Jews. And she gets hate mail from conservative Christians, too.
Some conservatives labeled Cherry “a hyper-homosexual revisionist” because of the gay love story between Jesus and John. However, her books follow the Biblical text and standard Christian doctrine while speculating on Christ’s erotic inner life.
Meanwhile, secular literary critics and progressive Christians affirm the Jesus in Love series as “profound,” “spiritually mature” and “beautifully written.” Gay spirituality author Toby Johnson praises it as “a real tour de force in transforming traditional myth to modern consciousness.”
The Bay Area Reporter called it “revolutionary religious fiction” and Mel White, founder of Soulforce, says, “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier… a classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
“At the Cross” grows out of Cherry’s own spiritual journey and her experiences as a minister in the LGBT community. One of her duties was promoting dialogue on homosexuality at the National Council of Churches (U.S.A.) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She wrote “At the Cross” after Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forced her into a more contemplative life
Her previous books include “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More,” “Equal Rites” and “Hide and Speak.” The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org, features the growing number of books and art based on the queer Christ, as well as other LGBT spiritual resources. She blogs at the Jesus in Love Blog and edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts.
“At the Cross” (ISBN 1933993421) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For review copies or more info, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit:
http://jesusinlove.org
or
http://www.androgynepress.com
# # #
Jesus in Love: At the Cross
By Kittredge Cherry
ISBN: 1933993421
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Price: $18.95
Paperback: 312 pages
Publication date: Feb. 2008
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sex and spirit mix on Jesus book cover from Germany (12/12/07)
LOS ANGELES, California -- Dec. 12, 2007 -- A homoerotic Christ image on the cover of a new German book is sparking international debate as Christmas approaches.
The provocative cover art appears on the newly released German translation of “Jesus in Love,” a novel about a queer Christ by American author Kittredge Cherry.
The cover art by Berlin painter Alexander von Agoston shows a near-naked Jesus and John the Baptist rising from the water together after Christ’s baptism. The men’s genitals shine through their wet clothes. A shared halo affirms the union of body and spirit.
“My book says that gay sexuality is holy to Christ, but even I thought the image was too frankly erotic for the cover at first,” Cherry said.
Discussions with her German publisher, Edition EuQor convinced the author to approve the powerful cover. “German readers are used to seeing nudity on covers, much more than Americans,” the publisher said. “Sure, the cover attracts attention. That’s what a cover is for.”
Cherry, a passionate promoter of queer spiritual art, is now enthusiastic about the controversial cover. “Gay-positive Christian images are needed now because conservatives are using religious rhetoric to justify discrimination against queer people. The cover goes all the way in showing that God loves gays. It’s the right cover for Germany,” she said.
Cherry is a lesbian Christian author who offers spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org and blogs at the Jesus In Love Blog. She was at the forefront of the international debate on sexuality and spirituality as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. Her other books include “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.”
The German translation of “Jesus in Love” was released in time for Christmas by Edition EuQor, a start-up German press specializing in provocative books.
“When ‘Jesus in Love’ was published in English, websites in Germany buzzed with excitement,” the publisher said. “The idea of a bisexual Jesus seemed to fascinate Germans more than anyone else outside the English-speaking world. Soon Edition EuQor offered to do a German translation.”
Reactions to the “Jesus in Love” cover vary widely from delight to shock and disdain, even within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community.
The original English version of “Jesus in Love” was published in 2006 by AndroGyne Press with a more romantic cover drawing of Jesus and John wreathed in roses. Conservative Christians attacked the novel as blasphemy because it portrays a Jesus who felt sexual attraction to men. However, it received praise from literary critics and GLBT Christian leaders.
Mel White, founder of the GLBT Christian activist group Soulforce, endorsed the English version. “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier,” White said. “This is not a prurient look at the sex life of Jesus, but a classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
Theology professor Carter Heyward called it “a lovely, gentle, playful book.” Toby Johnson, author of “Gay Spirituality,” described it as “a wonderful, gay-sensitive, and delightfully ‘shocking’ reassessment of the stories of the old-time religion.”
For more info and a look at the cover, visit:
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.euqor.de/jesus.html
# # #
Media contacts:
info@JesusInLove.org or verlag@euqor.de
Jesus in Love: A Novel
By Kittredge Cherry
German hardcover: ISBN 978-3-940071-04-0, 288 pages, 34,90 EUR
German paperback: ISBN 978-3-940071-07-1, 288 pages, 24,90 EUR
English paperback: ISBN 1-933993-18-9, 328 pages, $18.95, distributed by Ingram
The provocative cover art appears on the newly released German translation of “Jesus in Love,” a novel about a queer Christ by American author Kittredge Cherry.
The cover art by Berlin painter Alexander von Agoston shows a near-naked Jesus and John the Baptist rising from the water together after Christ’s baptism. The men’s genitals shine through their wet clothes. A shared halo affirms the union of body and spirit.
“My book says that gay sexuality is holy to Christ, but even I thought the image was too frankly erotic for the cover at first,” Cherry said.
Discussions with her German publisher, Edition EuQor convinced the author to approve the powerful cover. “German readers are used to seeing nudity on covers, much more than Americans,” the publisher said. “Sure, the cover attracts attention. That’s what a cover is for.”
Cherry, a passionate promoter of queer spiritual art, is now enthusiastic about the controversial cover. “Gay-positive Christian images are needed now because conservatives are using religious rhetoric to justify discrimination against queer people. The cover goes all the way in showing that God loves gays. It’s the right cover for Germany,” she said.
Cherry is a lesbian Christian author who offers spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org and blogs at the Jesus In Love Blog. She was at the forefront of the international debate on sexuality and spirituality as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. Her other books include “Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.”
The German translation of “Jesus in Love” was released in time for Christmas by Edition EuQor, a start-up German press specializing in provocative books.
“When ‘Jesus in Love’ was published in English, websites in Germany buzzed with excitement,” the publisher said. “The idea of a bisexual Jesus seemed to fascinate Germans more than anyone else outside the English-speaking world. Soon Edition EuQor offered to do a German translation.”
Reactions to the “Jesus in Love” cover vary widely from delight to shock and disdain, even within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community.
The original English version of “Jesus in Love” was published in 2006 by AndroGyne Press with a more romantic cover drawing of Jesus and John wreathed in roses. Conservative Christians attacked the novel as blasphemy because it portrays a Jesus who felt sexual attraction to men. However, it received praise from literary critics and GLBT Christian leaders.
Mel White, founder of the GLBT Christian activist group Soulforce, endorsed the English version. “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier,” White said. “This is not a prurient look at the sex life of Jesus, but a classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
Theology professor Carter Heyward called it “a lovely, gentle, playful book.” Toby Johnson, author of “Gay Spirituality,” described it as “a wonderful, gay-sensitive, and delightfully ‘shocking’ reassessment of the stories of the old-time religion.”
For more info and a look at the cover, visit:
http://www.jesusinlove.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.euqor.de/jesus.html
# # #
Media contacts:
info@JesusInLove.org or verlag@euqor.de
Jesus in Love: A Novel
By Kittredge Cherry
German hardcover: ISBN 978-3-940071-04-0, 288 pages, 34,90 EUR
German paperback: ISBN 978-3-940071-07-1, 288 pages, 24,90 EUR
English paperback: ISBN 1-933993-18-9, 328 pages, $18.95, distributed by Ingram
Monday, November 10, 2008
Poland’s First Coming-Out Book Planned (10/9/07)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Poland’s First Coming-Out Book Planned
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Oct. 9, 2007 -- A Polish press has contracted to publish Poland’s first coming-out guide for lesbians and gay men.
“Hide and Speak: A Coming Out Guide” by lesbian author Kittredge Cherry is being translated into Polish for publication by Helion Press, a major commercial publisher in Poland. The contract was signed shortly before U.S. National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11.
“The ideas in my book are so new in Poland that the expression ‘coming out’ doesn't even have its equivalent in Polish yet,” Cherry said. “I’m delighted to introduce Polish gays and lesbians to the power of coming out.”
Helion Press told Cherry that there are only a few books in Polish about homosexuality, and all of them treat it as a disease or a problem.
“Hide and Speak” offers a powerful program of self-acceptance and appropriate disclosure.
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people -- and anyone else with a story to tell. Each chapter includes real-life examples and tested, highly effective exercises used in coming-out workshops nationwide.
“Sometimes telling the truth is difficult, but living a lie is even harder,” Cherry said. “It’s obvious from the news that coming out of the closet is still difficult even in America. Gay sex scandals have become way too common -- especially among conservative leaders who oppose gay rights such as Senator Larry Craig and Congressman Mike Foley.”
“Hide and Speak” tells positive ways to come out to yourself, create a circle of supporters and deal with family, job and school. Readers will learn how to live proud, free and balanced, no matter what happens.
The book is not just about homosexuality. The life-changing handbook is useful for all people who struggle with secrets and their consequences.
Originally published in 1991, “Hide and Speak” was recently updated and released by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in Berkeley, CA.
For more info, please visit JesusInLove.org or email kitt@JesusInLove.org.
###
Click here for more info on the Polish translation, titled “Coming out: Co ukrywać, a o czym mówić”
ISBN: 978-83-246-1430-1
Poland’s First Coming-Out Book Planned
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Oct. 9, 2007 -- A Polish press has contracted to publish Poland’s first coming-out guide for lesbians and gay men.
“Hide and Speak: A Coming Out Guide” by lesbian author Kittredge Cherry is being translated into Polish for publication by Helion Press, a major commercial publisher in Poland. The contract was signed shortly before U.S. National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11.
“The ideas in my book are so new in Poland that the expression ‘coming out’ doesn't even have its equivalent in Polish yet,” Cherry said. “I’m delighted to introduce Polish gays and lesbians to the power of coming out.”
Helion Press told Cherry that there are only a few books in Polish about homosexuality, and all of them treat it as a disease or a problem.
“Hide and Speak” offers a powerful program of self-acceptance and appropriate disclosure.
for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people -- and anyone else with a story to tell. Each chapter includes real-life examples and tested, highly effective exercises used in coming-out workshops nationwide.
“Sometimes telling the truth is difficult, but living a lie is even harder,” Cherry said. “It’s obvious from the news that coming out of the closet is still difficult even in America. Gay sex scandals have become way too common -- especially among conservative leaders who oppose gay rights such as Senator Larry Craig and Congressman Mike Foley.”
“Hide and Speak” tells positive ways to come out to yourself, create a circle of supporters and deal with family, job and school. Readers will learn how to live proud, free and balanced, no matter what happens.
The book is not just about homosexuality. The life-changing handbook is useful for all people who struggle with secrets and their consequences.
Originally published in 1991, “Hide and Speak” was recently updated and released by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in Berkeley, CA.
For more info, please visit JesusInLove.org or email kitt@JesusInLove.org.
###
Click here for more info on the Polish translation, titled “Coming out: Co ukrywać, a o czym mówić”
ISBN: 978-83-246-1430-1
Author Coaches U.S. Senators on Coming-Out (8/28/07)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Aug. 28, 2007 -- “Hide and Speak: A Coming Out Guide” will be sent free upon request to any U.S. Senator, including scandal-plagued Larry Craig.
”Gay sex scandals have become way too common -- especially among conservative leaders who oppose gay rights,” said Rev. Kittredge Cherry, a lesbian minister and author of “Hide and Speak.”
Cherry offered the book to Senators today when a media frenzy arose over Craig's arrest for allegedly soliciting gay sex in a public restroom. Craig announced today that he regretted making a guilty plea to a lesser charge and keeping the incident secret from his family, friends and staff.
”Sometimes telling the truth is difficult, but living a lie is even harder,” Cherry said. “Senator Craig is just the latest example of an anti-gay leader caught in a web of lies about a secret gay life.”
Former U.S. congressman Mike Foley and evangelical leader Rev. Ted Haggard officially opposed gay rights until recent gay sex scandals ended their public careers. They all might have prevented their scandals by following the book’s powerful program of self-acceptance and appropriate disclosure. The coming-out guide gives practical help with the coming-out process for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people -- and anyone else with a story to tell.
Each chapter of “Hide and Speak” includes real life examples and tested, highly effective exercises used by Cherry in coming-out workshops nationwide. She tells positive ways to come out to oneself, create a circle of supporters and deal with family, job and school. Readers will learn how to live proud, free and balanced, no matter what happens.
”Senator Craig needs coming-out advice, but so do many others,” Cherry said. “Queer teens are exploring their sexual orientation at younger ages. Lesbian and gay soldiers are facing the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy while they fight in Iraq. Transgender surgery is now common. ‘Hide and Speak’ is the right resource for all of these challenges and more.”
“Hide and Speak” is not just about homosexuality. The life-changing handbook is useful for all people who struggle with secrets and their consequences.
U.S. Senators are invited to request their free copy by contacting kitt@JesusInLove.org or visiting www.JesusInLove.org.
“Hide and Speak” was recently released by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in Berkeley, CA.
###
Publisher: AndroGyne Press (Oct. 2006)
Price: $16.95
Paperback: 162 pages
ISBN: 1933993111
”Gay sex scandals have become way too common -- especially among conservative leaders who oppose gay rights,” said Rev. Kittredge Cherry, a lesbian minister and author of “Hide and Speak.”
Cherry offered the book to Senators today when a media frenzy arose over Craig's arrest for allegedly soliciting gay sex in a public restroom. Craig announced today that he regretted making a guilty plea to a lesser charge and keeping the incident secret from his family, friends and staff.
”Sometimes telling the truth is difficult, but living a lie is even harder,” Cherry said. “Senator Craig is just the latest example of an anti-gay leader caught in a web of lies about a secret gay life.”
Former U.S. congressman Mike Foley and evangelical leader Rev. Ted Haggard officially opposed gay rights until recent gay sex scandals ended their public careers. They all might have prevented their scandals by following the book’s powerful program of self-acceptance and appropriate disclosure. The coming-out guide gives practical help with the coming-out process for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people -- and anyone else with a story to tell.
Each chapter of “Hide and Speak” includes real life examples and tested, highly effective exercises used by Cherry in coming-out workshops nationwide. She tells positive ways to come out to oneself, create a circle of supporters and deal with family, job and school. Readers will learn how to live proud, free and balanced, no matter what happens.
”Senator Craig needs coming-out advice, but so do many others,” Cherry said. “Queer teens are exploring their sexual orientation at younger ages. Lesbian and gay soldiers are facing the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy while they fight in Iraq. Transgender surgery is now common. ‘Hide and Speak’ is the right resource for all of these challenges and more.”
“Hide and Speak” is not just about homosexuality. The life-changing handbook is useful for all people who struggle with secrets and their consequences.
U.S. Senators are invited to request their free copy by contacting kitt@JesusInLove.org or visiting www.JesusInLove.org.
“Hide and Speak” was recently released by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in Berkeley, CA.
###
Publisher: AndroGyne Press (Oct. 2006)
Price: $16.95
Paperback: 162 pages
ISBN: 1933993111
Thursday, November 6, 2008
New Art Book Shows Gay Jesus and Female Christ (4/26/07)
BERKELEY, CA -- April 26, 2007 -- Art that shows Jesus as gay or female has been censored, but now these stunning images by 11 artists fill a beautifully illustrated new art book.
Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More by Kittredge Cherry is packed with color images by 11 contemporary artists from the United States and Europe. Their art shines a spiritual light on justice for women and LGBT people.
The book will be launched at the National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art in Taos, NM, on May 11-12. An online gallery of selected images from the book has just been added to Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org.
“Christ belongs to everyone,” says Cherry, an art historian and lesbian Christian author. “The gay Jesus and the woman Christ are here to free and empower people who feel left out when Jesus is presented as a straight man.”
The 11 artists in Art That Dares are a diverse group. They work both inside and outside the church, but all of their art respects the teachings of Jesus.
In the book, the artists tell the stories behind their images, including censorship, hate mail, violence, death threats, and vandalism that destroyed their work. A lively introduction puts the art into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.
“These new images are much needed now because Christian rhetoric is used to justify discrimination against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” Cherry explains.
Explicitly queer Christian imagery in Art That Dares includes photos of Jesus with contemporary LGBT people by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin of Sweden, a 24-panel gay vision of the Passion by New York painter F. Douglas Blanchard, and the notorious “faggot crucifixion” painting by Atlanta’s Becki Jayne Harrelson. Gary Speziale sculpts a sensuous moment between a nude Adam and the new Adam, while Alex Donis shows Jesus kissing a Hindu god.
Female Christ figures in the book range from Edwina Sandys’ famous bronze crucifix Christa to Janet McKenzie’s award-winning Jesus of the People, which Sister Wendy of PBS chose to represent Christ in the new millennium. Jill Ansell and Sandra Yagi use the symbolism of the cross to explore the suffering of women.
Cherry operates JesusInLove.org, which offers spiritual resources for LGBT people and their allies. She was at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She holds degrees in journalism, art history, and religion.
Cherry’s other books include Jesus in Love, Hide and Speak, Equal Rites and Womanword. The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Art That Dares (ISBN 1-933993-29-4) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For more information, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit: JesusInLove.org or AndroGynePress.com.
###
Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More
By Kittredge Cherry
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Paperback with color images: 100 pages
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
Price: $38.95
ISBN: 1-933993-29-4
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2007
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More by Kittredge Cherry is packed with color images by 11 contemporary artists from the United States and Europe. Their art shines a spiritual light on justice for women and LGBT people.
The book will be launched at the National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art in Taos, NM, on May 11-12. An online gallery of selected images from the book has just been added to Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org.
“Christ belongs to everyone,” says Cherry, an art historian and lesbian Christian author. “The gay Jesus and the woman Christ are here to free and empower people who feel left out when Jesus is presented as a straight man.”
The 11 artists in Art That Dares are a diverse group. They work both inside and outside the church, but all of their art respects the teachings of Jesus.
In the book, the artists tell the stories behind their images, including censorship, hate mail, violence, death threats, and vandalism that destroyed their work. A lively introduction puts the art into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.
“These new images are much needed now because Christian rhetoric is used to justify discrimination against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” Cherry explains.
Explicitly queer Christian imagery in Art That Dares includes photos of Jesus with contemporary LGBT people by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin of Sweden, a 24-panel gay vision of the Passion by New York painter F. Douglas Blanchard, and the notorious “faggot crucifixion” painting by Atlanta’s Becki Jayne Harrelson. Gary Speziale sculpts a sensuous moment between a nude Adam and the new Adam, while Alex Donis shows Jesus kissing a Hindu god.
Female Christ figures in the book range from Edwina Sandys’ famous bronze crucifix Christa to Janet McKenzie’s award-winning Jesus of the People, which Sister Wendy of PBS chose to represent Christ in the new millennium. Jill Ansell and Sandra Yagi use the symbolism of the cross to explore the suffering of women.
Cherry operates JesusInLove.org, which offers spiritual resources for LGBT people and their allies. She was at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She holds degrees in journalism, art history, and religion.
Cherry’s other books include Jesus in Love, Hide and Speak, Equal Rites and Womanword. The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Art That Dares (ISBN 1-933993-29-4) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For more information, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit: JesusInLove.org or AndroGynePress.com.
###
Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More
By Kittredge Cherry
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Paperback with color images: 100 pages
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
Price: $38.95
ISBN: 1-933993-29-4
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2007
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
New Book Stirs Gay Jesus Debate (4/4/07)
BERKELEY, CA -- April 4, 2007 -- A new novel about the sexual and spiritual awakening of a queer Christ is sparking controversy this Easter.
“Christ taught love, but some of his followers preach hate,” says Kittredge Cherry, the lesbian Christian author of “Jesus in Love.” “Conservative Christians are calling me names and saying I’ll go to hell -- all because I wrote a novel with a gay love story between Jesus and his disciple John.”
Right-wing Christian bloggers labeled Cherry “a hyper-homosexual revisionist” and denounced her book as “garbage,” “insanity” and “a blatant act defamation and blasphemy.” Her website, JesusInLove.org, got many emails with warnings such as, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.”
This kind of religious bigotry is exactly why “Jesus in Love” is needed, Cherry noted. “Christian rhetoric is used to justify hate and discrimination against LGBT people, but Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts,” she says.
Cherry was at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She wrote “Jesus in Love” after Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forced her into a more contemplative life.
“Jesus in Love” closely follows the Biblical text and standard Christian doctrine while speculating on Christ’s erotic inner life. It presents a gender-blind Jesus who blends masculinity and femininity as he does humanity and divinity. Enchanted by people’s souls, he barely notices their gender and ends up falling in love with John, Mary Magdalene and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit as he teaches and heals people in first-century Palestine.
“Every community presents Jesus in their own way,” Cherry explains. “There’s black Jesus, Asian Jesus -- and now queer Jesus to heal the damage being done by homophobes in Christ’s name.”
LGBT spiritual leaders affirm “Jesus in Love.” Rev. Mel White, founder of Soulforce, says, “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier” and urges people to read her “classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
Theology professor Carter Heyward calls it as “a lovely, gentle, playful book” and gay spirituality author Toby Johnson praises it as “a real tour de force in transforming traditional myth to modern consciousness.”
“Jesus in Love” is also getting good reviews in the secular LGBT community, and translations into German and Portuguese are underway. Syndicated gay book critic Richard Labonte proclaimed it “a winsome affirmation of erotic love’s sacred potential.” The Bay Area Reporter described it as “sensuous, courageous, and unique.”
“Jesus in Love” (ISBN 1-933993-18-9) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For more info, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit:
http://jesusinlove.org
or
http://www.androgynepress.com.
“Christ taught love, but some of his followers preach hate,” says Kittredge Cherry, the lesbian Christian author of “Jesus in Love.” “Conservative Christians are calling me names and saying I’ll go to hell -- all because I wrote a novel with a gay love story between Jesus and his disciple John.”
Right-wing Christian bloggers labeled Cherry “a hyper-homosexual revisionist” and denounced her book as “garbage,” “insanity” and “a blatant act defamation and blasphemy.” Her website, JesusInLove.org, got many emails with warnings such as, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.”
This kind of religious bigotry is exactly why “Jesus in Love” is needed, Cherry noted. “Christian rhetoric is used to justify hate and discrimination against LGBT people, but Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts,” she says.
Cherry was at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches as National Ecumenical Officer for Metropolitan Community Churches. She wrote “Jesus in Love” after Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forced her into a more contemplative life.
“Jesus in Love” closely follows the Biblical text and standard Christian doctrine while speculating on Christ’s erotic inner life. It presents a gender-blind Jesus who blends masculinity and femininity as he does humanity and divinity. Enchanted by people’s souls, he barely notices their gender and ends up falling in love with John, Mary Magdalene and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit as he teaches and heals people in first-century Palestine.
“Every community presents Jesus in their own way,” Cherry explains. “There’s black Jesus, Asian Jesus -- and now queer Jesus to heal the damage being done by homophobes in Christ’s name.”
LGBT spiritual leaders affirm “Jesus in Love.” Rev. Mel White, founder of Soulforce, says, “Kitt Cherry has broken through the stained-glass barrier” and urges people to read her “classic re-telling of the greatest story ever told.”
Theology professor Carter Heyward calls it as “a lovely, gentle, playful book” and gay spirituality author Toby Johnson praises it as “a real tour de force in transforming traditional myth to modern consciousness.”
“Jesus in Love” is also getting good reviews in the secular LGBT community, and translations into German and Portuguese are underway. Syndicated gay book critic Richard Labonte proclaimed it “a winsome affirmation of erotic love’s sacred potential.” The Bay Area Reporter described it as “sensuous, courageous, and unique.”
“Jesus in Love” (ISBN 1-933993-18-9) is published by AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press in Berkeley, CA. Ingram Book Group distributes it.
For more info, contact info@JesusInLove.org or publisher@androgynepress.com, or visit:
http://jesusinlove.org
or
http://www.androgynepress.com.
Gay Jesus Art May Stir Controversy at Taos Festival (1/25/07)
TAOS, NM -- Jan. 25, 2007 -- A gay Jesus and a black female Christ are among the startling images that will go on display at the National Festival of Progressive Spiritual Art in Taos, NM on May 11-12.
The festival will feature gay Jesus paintings by F. Douglas Blanchard of New York, who painted a gay Passion series, and Becki Jayne Harrelson of Atlanta, who put the word “faggot” over the crucified Christ. JHS Gallery and JesusInLove.org are sponsoring the celebration, which includes an art exhibit and book launch banquet honoring more than a dozen artists from across the United States and Europe.
In addition, Vermont painter Janet McKenzie’s famous JESUS OF THE PEOPLE will be shown. McKenzie’s black female Jesus was chosen by Sister Wendy of PBS to represent Christ in the new millennium.
All the artists use a spiritual perspective to examine issues such as lesbian and gay rights, gender and racial justice, peace and environmental protection. They are part of a worldwide artistic renaissance in progressive sacred art.
The highlight of the festival will be a gala opening reception Sat., May 12, for the art exhibition at JHS Gallery, a destination gallery for high-quality sacred art in New Mexico. The landmark show takes its title from the words of Christ: WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? VISIONS OF CHRIST, GENDER AND JUSTICE. It features a variety of cutting-edge artists who give visual form to the debate over some of the most important, controversial issues today. The show will continue through June 23.
Festivities will kick off Fri., May 11, with a banquet honoring the artists and launching the book ART THAT DARES: GAY JESUS, WOMAN CHRIST AND MORE by Kittredge Cherry, an art historian and the lesbian Christian author of JESUS IN LOVE. Her new illustrated art book will tell the stories behind the art, including how some images led to censorship and death threats. A lively introduction puts the art into context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.
For more information, please visit JHSGallery.com or JesusInLove.org. JHS Gallery carries fine devotional and liturgical art by established, mid-career and emerging artists. JesusInLove.org, offers gay-friendly Christian art, books and other resources.
###
For a press kit or more info, contact:
Michael Roberts, manager of JHS Gallery
jhsgallery@taosnet.com, 505-758-0280
or visit:
http://jhsgallery.com/news.php
http://jesusinlove.org/taostour.php
The festival will feature gay Jesus paintings by F. Douglas Blanchard of New York, who painted a gay Passion series, and Becki Jayne Harrelson of Atlanta, who put the word “faggot” over the crucified Christ. JHS Gallery and JesusInLove.org are sponsoring the celebration, which includes an art exhibit and book launch banquet honoring more than a dozen artists from across the United States and Europe.
In addition, Vermont painter Janet McKenzie’s famous JESUS OF THE PEOPLE will be shown. McKenzie’s black female Jesus was chosen by Sister Wendy of PBS to represent Christ in the new millennium.
All the artists use a spiritual perspective to examine issues such as lesbian and gay rights, gender and racial justice, peace and environmental protection. They are part of a worldwide artistic renaissance in progressive sacred art.
The highlight of the festival will be a gala opening reception Sat., May 12, for the art exhibition at JHS Gallery, a destination gallery for high-quality sacred art in New Mexico. The landmark show takes its title from the words of Christ: WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? VISIONS OF CHRIST, GENDER AND JUSTICE. It features a variety of cutting-edge artists who give visual form to the debate over some of the most important, controversial issues today. The show will continue through June 23.
Festivities will kick off Fri., May 11, with a banquet honoring the artists and launching the book ART THAT DARES: GAY JESUS, WOMAN CHRIST AND MORE by Kittredge Cherry, an art historian and the lesbian Christian author of JESUS IN LOVE. Her new illustrated art book will tell the stories behind the art, including how some images led to censorship and death threats. A lively introduction puts the art into context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.
For more information, please visit JHSGallery.com or JesusInLove.org. JHS Gallery carries fine devotional and liturgical art by established, mid-career and emerging artists. JesusInLove.org, offers gay-friendly Christian art, books and other resources.
###
For a press kit or more info, contact:
Michael Roberts, manager of JHS Gallery
jhsgallery@taosnet.com, 505-758-0280
or visit:
http://jhsgallery.com/news.php
http://jesusinlove.org/taostour.php
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Shocking New Book Dares to Show Bisexual Jesus (12/1/2006)
LOS ANGELES, CA — Dec. 1, 2006 — A controversial novel about a bisexual Jesus is being published now by AndroGyne Press.
“Christ’s story is for everyone,” said Kittredge Cherry, author of “Jesus in Love,” the first novel ever published about a queer Christ. “It’s okay to imagine yourself in the story of Jesus. He is ALL of us.”
Like the bestseller “Da Vinci Code,” “Jesus in Love” is a work of fiction that sparks debate by raising the issue of Christ’s sexuality. “Jesus in Love” includes a gay love story between Jesus and his beloved disciple John. Cherry is not trying to prove that the historical Jesus had a homosexual relationship, although some pioneering Bible scholars do say so.
Controversy began even before publication. Hundreds of gay news sites covered the launch of Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org, which features the growing number of books and art based on the queer Christ. Bloggers battled over whether it was “sick and disgusting” or “a rather heavenly idea.”
“The queer Christ is a sign of hope when Christians and gays seem to be at war. He loves and stands for all people, including the sexually marginalized,” said Cherry, a lesbian Christian author whose ministry put her at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches.
Cherry was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches and served as clergy in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for seven years. Her previous books include “Hide and Speak,” “Womansword” and “Equal Rites.” The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Toby Johnson, author of “Gay Spirituality,” described “Jesus in Love” as “a wonderful, gay-sensitive, and delightfully ‘shocking’ reassessment of the stories of the old-time religion.”
Virginia Mollenkott, author of “Omnigender,” also praised Cherry’s book. “People who want to understand how erotic love can be sacred, and divine love can be erotic, will delight in this novel.”
Many publishers rejected “Jesus in Love” because it was too gay for the church presses, and too Christian for the gay publishers. AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in
Berkeley, CA, finally dared to publish it.
Jesus has today’s queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he lives out his legendary life in “Jesus in Love.” The novel shows how Jesus grows over a one-year period—from his decision to get baptized until the day he sends his disciples away to teach others.
Readers can relate to his struggles: Society doesn’t understand him. He falls in love with people of both sexes. He feels like his real self is both male and female. Jesus, the narrator, speaks in an engaging, up-to-date tone as he reveals his intimate relationships with John the beloved disciple, Mary Magdalene and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit
“I wrote the novel to introduce readers to the all-loving Jesus who I met in my own prayer life,” Cherry said. “My Jesus is both divine and human -- including the full range of sexual attractions and gender identities.”
For more information on “Jesus in Love” and Kittredge Cherry, visit www.JesusInLove.org or www.AndroGynePress.com.
# # #
JESUS IN LOVE: A NOVEL
By Kittredge Cherry
Publication date: Dec. 2006
ISBN: 1-933993-18-9
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Price: $18.95
Paperback: 328 pages
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
* Publisher’s website: http://www.androgynepress.com
* Author’s web site: http://www.jesusinlove.com
“Christ’s story is for everyone,” said Kittredge Cherry, author of “Jesus in Love,” the first novel ever published about a queer Christ. “It’s okay to imagine yourself in the story of Jesus. He is ALL of us.”
Like the bestseller “Da Vinci Code,” “Jesus in Love” is a work of fiction that sparks debate by raising the issue of Christ’s sexuality. “Jesus in Love” includes a gay love story between Jesus and his beloved disciple John. Cherry is not trying to prove that the historical Jesus had a homosexual relationship, although some pioneering Bible scholars do say so.
Controversy began even before publication. Hundreds of gay news sites covered the launch of Cherry’s website, JesusInLove.org, which features the growing number of books and art based on the queer Christ. Bloggers battled over whether it was “sick and disgusting” or “a rather heavenly idea.”
“The queer Christ is a sign of hope when Christians and gays seem to be at war. He loves and stands for all people, including the sexually marginalized,” said Cherry, a lesbian Christian author whose ministry put her at the forefront of the sexuality debate at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches.
Cherry was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches and served as clergy in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for seven years. Her previous books include “Hide and Speak,” “Womansword” and “Equal Rites.” The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style.
Toby Johnson, author of “Gay Spirituality,” described “Jesus in Love” as “a wonderful, gay-sensitive, and delightfully ‘shocking’ reassessment of the stories of the old-time religion.”
Virginia Mollenkott, author of “Omnigender,” also praised Cherry’s book. “People who want to understand how erotic love can be sacred, and divine love can be erotic, will delight in this novel.”
Many publishers rejected “Jesus in Love” because it was too gay for the church presses, and too Christian for the gay publishers. AndroGyne Press, a new queer studies press based in
Berkeley, CA, finally dared to publish it.
Jesus has today’s queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he lives out his legendary life in “Jesus in Love.” The novel shows how Jesus grows over a one-year period—from his decision to get baptized until the day he sends his disciples away to teach others.
Readers can relate to his struggles: Society doesn’t understand him. He falls in love with people of both sexes. He feels like his real self is both male and female. Jesus, the narrator, speaks in an engaging, up-to-date tone as he reveals his intimate relationships with John the beloved disciple, Mary Magdalene and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit
“I wrote the novel to introduce readers to the all-loving Jesus who I met in my own prayer life,” Cherry said. “My Jesus is both divine and human -- including the full range of sexual attractions and gender identities.”
For more information on “Jesus in Love” and Kittredge Cherry, visit www.JesusInLove.org or www.AndroGynePress.com.
# # #
JESUS IN LOVE: A NOVEL
By Kittredge Cherry
Publication date: Dec. 2006
ISBN: 1-933993-18-9
Publisher: AndroGyne Press
Price: $18.95
Paperback: 328 pages
Distributed by: Ingram Book Group
* Publisher’s website: http://www.androgynepress.com
* Author’s web site: http://www.jesusinlove.com
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Gay Jesus Website Sparks Easter Controversy (4/14/06)
LOS ANGELES, CA – April 14, 2006 – Blogs are buzzing over gay Jesus art as Easter approaches.
Debate was sparked by JesusInLove.org, a new website featuring gay and lesbian Christian art. The Easter controversy has focused on an image with a sign saying “faggot” on the cross above Christ.
“Every time a gay gets bashed, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the new website. “The anti-gay movement uses religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting homophobia from Christian tradition.”
While most applaud the website, some right-wing Christians have objected with online posts such as “That is sick and disgusting. We need to get on track with eliminating the choice of homosexuality.”
On the other hand, some gay visitors posted critiques such as, “I don’t understand why any gay person would support, let alone condone organized religion.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in a queer context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for LGBT people. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php
###
Debate was sparked by JesusInLove.org, a new website featuring gay and lesbian Christian art. The Easter controversy has focused on an image with a sign saying “faggot” on the cross above Christ.
“Every time a gay gets bashed, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the new website. “The anti-gay movement uses religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting homophobia from Christian tradition.”
While most applaud the website, some right-wing Christians have objected with online posts such as “That is sick and disgusting. We need to get on track with eliminating the choice of homosexuality.”
On the other hand, some gay visitors posted critiques such as, “I don’t understand why any gay person would support, let alone condone organized religion.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in a queer context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for LGBT people. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php
###
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Queer Easter Surprise: Gay Jesus on the Cross (March 28, 2006)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- March 28, 2006 -- A sign saying “faggot” hangs on the cross above Christ at JesusInLove.org, the first website to focus on the queer Christ.
“Every time a gay gets bashed, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the new website. “The anti-gay movement uses religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting homophobia from Christian tradition.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in a queer context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at JesusInLove.org’s “Pray with Us” page. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for LGBT people. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit JesusInLove.org.
###
“Every time a gay gets bashed, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the new website. “The anti-gay movement uses religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting homophobia from Christian tradition.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in a queer context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at JesusInLove.org’s “Pray with Us” page. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for LGBT people. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit JesusInLove.org.
###
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Lesbian Easter Surprise: Female Jesus on the Cross (3/28/06)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- March 28, 2006 -- A female Christ is crucified while men loot her purse at JesusInLove.org, a new website featuring progressive images of Jesus.
“Every time a woman is abused, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the website. “Men use religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting sexism from Christian tradition.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in an alternative context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for lesbians. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as female or gay.
The history behind the female Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php
###
“Every time a woman is abused, Jesus is crucified again,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian author and founder of the website. “Men use religion to justify discrimination, so even atheists can see the value in uprooting sexism from Christian tradition.”
Artists who dare to put the Easter story in an alternative context have had their work destroyed -- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org.
A high-tech slide show takes visitors through the Easter story from a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewpoint at http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php. It includes the following:
*The crucified Christ is labeled “faggot” in a painting by Becki Jayne Harrelson.
*The female Christ dies on the cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist in a work by Sandra Yagi.
*The dead Christ is revived by a female Holy Spirit in Harrelson’s “Resurrection.”
*The risen Christ approaches hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
“The Easter story is important for lesbians. It tells us that God suffers with us, and it offers the promise of rebirth and redemption,” Cherry explained.
A recent review of JesusInLove.org by online magazine QueerDay.com called the site “a rather heavenly idea.”
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as female or gay.
The history behind the female Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. The site also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://jesusinlove.org/prayf.php
###
Lesbian Artists Transform Christmas Legend (12/7/05)
LOS ANGELES, CA – Dec. 7, 2005 -- Lesbian artists are transforming the Christmas story by showing the baby Jesus with two moms.
“It’s important for queer people to see ourselves in the stories that shape our culture, especially at Christmastime when many of us feel isolated from holiday traditions,” said Kittredge Cherry, founder of JesusInLove.org, the first website focused on LGBT Christian art. “Lesbian artists are redefining the Holy Family as two women with the baby Jesus.”
A prime example is “Madonna, Lover and Son” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, which includes a turkey baster hidden in the bushes. Most galleries are afraid to exhibit this lesbian Christmas image, but JesusInLove.org displays the controversial painting on its links page.
“Lesbians can relate to the myth of Mary’s virgin birth because we use artificial insemination to have babies without heterosexual sex,” Cherry explained.
JesusInLove.org’s impressive links page also connects with “Alternative Conceptions” by Nancy Duff. Her “corrective painting” adds a pair of lesbian moms to Leonardo DaVinci’s classic portrait of the baby Jesus with his mother and grandmother.
Cherry points out that pro-woman views of the virgin birth go back at least as far as the famous 1851 speech by abolitionist Sojourner Truth. “Where did your Christ come from?” Truth asked. “From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.”
The theology behind the lesbian Madonna is explored in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. They include a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://www.JesusInLove.org.
###
“It’s important for queer people to see ourselves in the stories that shape our culture, especially at Christmastime when many of us feel isolated from holiday traditions,” said Kittredge Cherry, founder of JesusInLove.org, the first website focused on LGBT Christian art. “Lesbian artists are redefining the Holy Family as two women with the baby Jesus.”
A prime example is “Madonna, Lover and Son” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, which includes a turkey baster hidden in the bushes. Most galleries are afraid to exhibit this lesbian Christmas image, but JesusInLove.org displays the controversial painting on its links page.
“Lesbians can relate to the myth of Mary’s virgin birth because we use artificial insemination to have babies without heterosexual sex,” Cherry explained.
JesusInLove.org’s impressive links page also connects with “Alternative Conceptions” by Nancy Duff. Her “corrective painting” adds a pair of lesbian moms to Leonardo DaVinci’s classic portrait of the baby Jesus with his mother and grandmother.
Cherry points out that pro-woman views of the virgin birth go back at least as far as the famous 1851 speech by abolitionist Sojourner Truth. “Where did your Christ come from?” Truth asked. “From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.”
The theology behind the lesbian Madonna is explored in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. They include a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit http://www.JesusInLove.org.
###
New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus (11/17/2005)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Nov. 17, 2005 -- Controversial gay Jesus images are now on display at JesusInLove.org, the first website to focus on the queer Christ.
“Artists who dare to portray the gay Jesus have had their work destroyed--- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and founder of the new website. “We did extensive research to find these cutting-edge paintings and other resources that show Jesus as gay or bisexual, transgender or female,” she said.
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
“The gay Jesus image is emerging now in artwork, books and theology,” Cherry explained. “It is appropriate, even essential to explore Jesus’ same-sex attractions and female side because in him God became flesh---a total, shocking identification with all people, including the sexually marginalized.”
Paintings displayed at JesusInLove.org include “Madonna, Lover and Child” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, in which the baby Jesus is cuddled by lesbian parents, and “St. Francis ‘Neath the Bitter Tree” by William McNichols, a crucifixion scene with Jesus labeled “homosexual.” In “Crucifixion” by Sandra Yagi, a female Christ hangs on a cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. They include “The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives from the New Testament” by seminary professor Theodore Jennings and “Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love” by anthropologist Will Roscoe. JesusInLove.org also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
Visitors are urged to check out the “pray with us” page, where a high-tech slide show ends with the risen Christ hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit JesusInLove.org.
###
“Artists who dare to portray the gay Jesus have had their work destroyed--- if they can find a way to exhibit it at all. Now these powerful images are available for all to see at JesusInLove.org,” said Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian author and founder of the new website. “We did extensive research to find these cutting-edge paintings and other resources that show Jesus as gay or bisexual, transgender or female,” she said.
JesusInLove.org features work by six contemporary American artists and an impressive links page that connects with many other artists worldwide who picture Christ as gay or female.
“The gay Jesus image is emerging now in artwork, books and theology,” Cherry explained. “It is appropriate, even essential to explore Jesus’ same-sex attractions and female side because in him God became flesh---a total, shocking identification with all people, including the sexually marginalized.”
Paintings displayed at JesusInLove.org include “Madonna, Lover and Child” by Becki Jayne Harrelson, in which the baby Jesus is cuddled by lesbian parents, and “St. Francis ‘Neath the Bitter Tree” by William McNichols, a crucifixion scene with Jesus labeled “homosexual.” In “Crucifixion” by Sandra Yagi, a female Christ hangs on a cross while her purse is looted by the Pope, a businessman and a terrorist.
The history behind the queer Christ is fleshed out in a variety of new books listed at JesusInLove.org. They include “The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives from the New Testament” by seminary professor Theodore Jennings and “Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love” by anthropologist Will Roscoe. JesusInLove.org also offers a sneak preview of Kittredge Cherry’s forthcoming fictional autobiography of the queer Christ, “Jesus in Love.”
Visitors are urged to check out the “pray with us” page, where a high-tech slide show ends with the risen Christ hand-in-hand with his male lover in “Jesus Rises” by F. Douglas Blanchard.
For more information, contact JesusInLoveInfo@aol.com or visit JesusInLove.org.
###
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Privacy policy
Jesus in Love is an individual project of Kittredge Cherry, not a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Kittredge Cherry regards the privacy and security of user information as a critical component of the service that she offers. She will only use your contact information for Jesus in Love’s own mailings. Jesus in Love may collect and disseminate anonymous, aggregate data about use of its sites in order to improve and promote its service.
Jesus in Love is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.com.ca, Amazon.com.uk, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. Jesus in Love participates in the Amazon.com Associates program and is governed by its operating agreement and privacy policy.
Jesus in Love also participates in affiliate programs offered by Zazzle.com and TrinityStores.com, and is governed by their privacy policies.
(Revised July 15,2016)
Kittredge Cherry regards the privacy and security of user information as a critical component of the service that she offers. She will only use your contact information for Jesus in Love’s own mailings. Jesus in Love may collect and disseminate anonymous, aggregate data about use of its sites in order to improve and promote its service.
Jesus in Love is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.com.ca, Amazon.com.uk, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. Jesus in Love participates in the Amazon.com Associates program and is governed by its operating agreement and privacy policy.
Jesus in Love also participates in affiliate programs offered by Zazzle.com and TrinityStores.com, and is governed by their privacy policies.
(Revised July 15,2016)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
