Books by John McNeill (www.gaychurch.org)

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John McNeill

The Church and the Homosexual

Amazon reader review: I find John McNeill's "The Church and the homosexual" a clear example of what I call "Brave Theology". McNeill does not write an unfounded claim, but establishes his arguments on grounds of a hard work of scholarship. To support his views, he appeals to bible theology, philosophy and human sciences. Thus, he forces moral theologist to take his book into account, whether they like it or not. I am firmly convinced that in the future John Mc Neill will be remembered as a pioneer who dared challenge The Church's unsuitable and unacceptable view on homosexuality.

Taking a Chance on God

Amazon reader review: The author of "The Church and the Homosexual", former Jesuit McNeill was expelled from his order for violating the Vatican's demand that he remain silent concerning homosexuality and that he cease his ministry among gay men and lesbians. This book, his first published statement since his expulsion, has a singular merit: no apology for homosexuality, it is addressed directly to lesbians and gay men, treating their spiritual and psychological concerns with much success.

Freedom, Glorious Freedom: The Spiritual Journey to the Fullness of Life for Gays, Lesbians, and Everybody Else

In Freedom, McNeill completes his trilogy (The Church and the Homosexual and Taking a Chance on God) and adds another block to the rising structure that reconciles homosexuality and Christianity. The author's nearly 40 years as a Jesuit lend a Roman Catholic context here, but the problems for homosexual people within all of Christianity are similar enough that this offering is applicable beyond the Church of Rome. Beginning with the principle of spiritual discernment (i.e., the authority of each human being to know the truth about his or her own relationship to God), McNeill, a psychotherapist, is convinced that coming out is necessary for spiritual maturity as well as mental and emotional health. To enable this, he lauds the 12-step process as "the most powerful spiritual liberation process in the world today." He argues also that the emergence of open homosexuality is evidence of a new synthesis in the balancing of the human personality-a replacement for the breakdown of the patriarchal archetype. While some of his postulations are mind-bending (e.g., Mary, Martha and Lazarus were possibly gay and represent Jesus' "family of choice"), McNeill's navigation from inside the human spirit to outside human history is graceful, learned and worthy of contemplation.

Both Feet Firmly Planted in Midair

Amazon reader review: John McNeill, a gay-and-proud Christian scholar, made history with his landmark 1976 book "The Church and the Homosexual." "Both Feet Firmly Planted in Midair" is McNeill's autobiography, and this latter book reaffirms his stature as one of the lesbian and gay community's great spiritual voices. The book begins with McNeill's boyhood in an Irish Catholic family in Buffalo, New York. He vividly describes his experiences as a soldier in Europe during World War II. Particularly harrowing are his memories of slave labor in a German prisoner-of-war camp. We also learn of his academic study of the work of French philosopher Maurice Blondel, his ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood, and his awakening to the world of gay love and sex. Particularly important are the chapters describing the aftermath of the publication of "The Church and the Homosexual." McNeill was eventually expelled from the Jesuit order. He also writes of his relationships with a number of gay Christian groups and leaders, and pays warm tribute to his lover, Charles Chiarelli.

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