ABSTRACT
Gay theology began to emerge in the 1970s as gay Christians started to reflect theologically upon the gay liberation movement. Johnson goes on to tackle some of the arguments used against the full inclusion of lesbian and gay people in the life of the Church. He argues that Paul makes it clear that when referring to same-sex relationships he is always expressing merely a personal opinion. Early gay theology such as is represented by the two books reviewed was nothing short of miraculous. What people witness in this theology is a sort of transubstantiation; the taking of a dominant discourse that constructed people with same-sex desire as a species of person, sick, perverse and dangerous, and the transforming of it into something positive. John J. McNeill believes that a committed and faithful relationship is therefore the ideal context for sexual expression but acknowledges that there are many people for whom such a relationship is not possible.
