Charlie Bell’s Queer Holiness: The Gift of LGBTQI People to the Church makes a passionate case for fundamental change in the Church of England’s approach to LGBTQI people (which is the terminology the book uses), describing his work as a call to action. The author begins from the premise that “the life of LGBTQI Christians is fundamentally part of the life of the Church, not separate to it” (16), and that LGBQTI people are, in God’s eyes, already part of both the Church and the Kingdom. While acknowledging that the book is rooted in the Anglican tradition, and in particular that of the Church of England, Bell claims that its way of doing theology will be applicable in a much wider context. However, to justify this, more attention would need to be paid to broader traditions, both within and beyond Anglicanism.
After beginning with an assessment of the current situation and an appraisal of the Church’s history with LGBTQI people, Bell moves to an examination of approaches to scripture and doctrine, arguing that they should be reframed in ways that engage with scientific and psychological insights, as well as personal experience. Challenging claims that LGBTQI Christians “don’t believe in the Bible” (34), Bell affirms that “the authority of the Bible is not something that is up for question in any serious discussion of Christian theology” (36). This is probably a necessary affirmation given the politics of the Church of England, although I agree with Bell that it is critical to address the nature of that authority, and especially the authority of interpretation and interpreters.
Drawing on Hooker’s three-legged stool (scripture, reason, and tradition) and the Wesleyan quadrilateral (which adds experience to Hooker’s three sources of authority), Bell argues for a broad context for scriptural interpretation. For Bell, the hermeneutical key is Christ himself, expressed through the two great commandments, to love God and to love one’s neighbor. This is a reasonable approach to hermeneutics for LGBTQI activism, although it could be strengthened by engaging with some of the excellent work others have done on queer hermeneutics. Doing so would move beyond simply responding to problematic approaches and towards a positive account for LGBTQI readings of scripture.
Arguing that LGBTQI people should be able to live “life in all its fullness” (57), Bell considers many controversial ideas animating debates within Christianity: from tropes such as “hate the sin, love the sinner” and “Side A/Side B” (that is, sexually active vs celibate as approaches for LGBTQI Christians) to the notion of “conversion therapy.” The dominant theme concerns relationships and the importance of the possibility of their licit sexual expression, in ecclesiastical terms. Bell argues that Christian same-sex relationships bear “good fruit,” which should be seen as a sign of God’s blessing. Therefore, the Church of England should be open to the possibility of at least blessing same-sex couples, or better still actually solemnizing their marriages. Within the polity of the Church of England, the bishops hold much of the power as to whether any such change could happen, and Bell strongly criticizes their institutional silence.
On the whole, Queer Holiness is an activist text rather than an academic one, making its argument for an ecclesiastical audience in the midst of debating its approach to LGBTQI people. Within the parameters of the Church of England’s debate, it names many of—possibly all—the critical issues and makes a compelling, even inspiring case for change. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the context, the book’s tone is uncompromising and sometimes it paints its opponents and opposing positions with a broad brush. I was also surprised that a book entitled Queer Holiness and dealing with these topics was not more attentive to issues about how we might refer to God’s gender and the consistent use of capitalized he/him pronouns seemed inappropriate to me.
Bell writes that “the purpose of this book is to fire the starting gun on these conversations” (219). He has certainly done that, and more besides. I hope that his work, with others, does indeed bring the change for which he argues.
Mark Rowland is a postgraduate researcher in theology and religious studies at the University of Leeds.
Mark Rowland
Date Of Review:
February 22, 2023