Introduction

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (1 John 4:12)

Welcome. This blog contains a complete novel, to be published in the next few months—though it is not endorsed in any way by the women above, the first women priests ordained in The Episcopal Church. I put their picture up there so I can start telling you a Gospel story, from the place where it ought to begin.

To read this like a book you have to go to the Archives and find May 2008 to begin at the beginning. Otherwise the chapters are in reverse order, as I wrote them.

On the content: you got here by clicking Yes on the warning page. This book is sexually explicit at first, but there's no violence. As a Christian I'm more concerned about violence than sexuality.

But why is there sexuality at all in a so-called Gospel book? Because at its best, within a committed and non-exploitive relationship, sex is sacramental, an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. I'm not writing Scriptures here, but two people's lives.

The Church seldom says so out loud, but we do believe sex is sacred across theological divides; sex is good, God created it—for all of us, I say, Gay and Straight. Now that homosexual behavior has been identified in over 400 species, it's clear that the spectrum of sexual orientation is part of the divine plan. You could blame Mother Nature or Father God, but one of their names is Reality.

I believe God opposes the ideology of heterosexual superiority, with a whole system (much like apartheid) of financial and legal advantages for those in power, and punishments for those who are not. I believe God favors justice, and that includes marriage equality.

As a writer I have to be true to my own people, Gay men, and we are sexy. Gayness is one of my topics here—it's not all politics and show tunes.

God built sexual energy and tension into human bodies because it's good for us.

If we use sex wrong it can create all kinds of destruction—but if we use it right, in a context of love, commitment and high mutual regard, sex can reveal to us the nature of God. The Church has always said so. Thus I repeat that old advice and call it Gospel.

This is a sequel to my first book, Murder at Willow Slough. An openly-Gay investigative reporter, who broke a story about a serial killer targeting Gay men, met a cop assigned to the latest victim. In the process a deep friendship was born.

That book contained no sex at all; I'm proud of that. I believe it's the world's first (maybe only) Gay novel where no one got naked.

It now seems appropriate to me to begin the sequel making up for lost time. The characters demanded it, so that's what I wrote, and I don't apologize.

God loves all of us in our sexuality, not despite it. Within committed marriage, anything safe goes, as long as there's no exploitation. So I wrote a few love scenes as a Gay guy. They contain plenty of character development, but you can skip them if you must, Chapters 2, 6 and 20.

Afterwards you'll know what's going on, even if you do omit some good information and funny stuff. Later sexual interactions are progressively shorter until at the end I write, "beyond that, no one needs to know."

There are some sexual graphics on this blog too, but they won't be printed in the final product, so just scroll past. You wouldn't be here if you weren't a modern adult. I'm just aware that in today's media environment, one does get tired of endless vulgarity.

Where does the Gospel come in? It's there in Chapter 1 and every other, as these guys grow as a couple.

Every Gospel has an evangelist who wrote it, so here are my Christian purposes beyond mere entertainment:

• to support and affirm all persons, including Gay men and women, in committed relationships, particularly those who are Christians;

• to refute the popular Gay-held stereotype, now hardening into prejudice, that Christianity automatically equals homophobic oppression;

• and to invite back to church those millions of GLBT people who rejected the church that rejected them.

I understand; I left the church too for years. But the church is coming to us now, and I grieve for those who never quite stopped believing, but felt themselves homeless.

Please, think about coming back to a church that welcomes you just the way you are.

It's never been Jesus who's the problem; it's what church you go to. Stay away from the bad ones and come to the good ones. God has loved us in the depths of our Gayness this whole time. Come and see.

I write about a good denomination I know, The Episcopal Church, but there are thousands of other inclusive churches of all denominations around the world—and open-hearted Straight believers. Don't deprive yourself of great Straight friends.

While all churches have a lot of heterosexist history to answer for and confess, they have never been more welcoming than now. Christianity derives from Judaism and that means ancient patriarchy, some of the same Middle Eastern bigotry we see today. But women and men, Straight and Gay, have started to liberate the Church by the guidance of the Holy Spirit—that Person of God who is with us today. I like to think of her as female. Where she's in charge, women help lead; and where women lead, all kinds of outsiders are welcome. Hallelujah!

Therefore I dedicate this book:

To the Philadelphia 11, first women Priests in The Episcopal Church
To the Right Reverend Barbara C. Harris, first woman Bishop in The Episcopal Church
To all Women Clergy of every denomination and country
and the men who have learned from them and helped them,
especially Louie Crew

and most personally to my spiritual director,
the Reverend Marcia Smith-Wood
a Presbyterian
who gave me every imaginable support, always delivering the Gospel.

Please go to the 2008 Archives for Chapter 1.

Meanwhile I end with this gal, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman Presiding Bishop in the history of Christianity. Men outnumber her, but men elected her, for good reasons. Come and see.

She doesn't endorse this book—I haven't always approved of everything she's said and done either—but she's the single best reason to come back to church: times have changed. God's on the move toward justice and compassion. God always pulls us that direction.

Pray that we have the courage to accept and embrace our freedom, with the wisdom and compassion to fulfill our responsibilities to each other.++