Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick S. Cheng

The first introductory textbook on the subject of queer theology. Contextual theologies have developed from a number of perspectives – including feminist theology, black theology, womanist theology, Latin American liberation theology, and Asian American theology – and a wide variety of academic and general introductions exist to examine each one. However, Radical Love is the first introductory textbook on the subject of queer theology. In this lucid and compelling introduction, Cheng provides a historical survey of how queer theology has developed from the 1950s to today and then explicates the themes of queer theology using the ecumenical creeds as a general framework. Topics include revelation, God, Trinity, creation, Jesus Christ, atonement, sin, grace, Holy Spirit, church, sacraments, and last things, as seen through the lenses of LGBT theologians.

I highly recommend this book!

Father Patrick Cheng is an Episcopal priest, lawyer, and theologian in NYC. He teaches some classes at the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and serves as an Associate Priest at The Church of the Transfiguration, a “historic Anglo-Catholic parish in Midtown Manhattan.” Cheng has degrees from Yale College, Harvard Law School, and Union Theological Seminary where James Cone was his doctoral adviser and mentor (vii).

This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about queer theory and theology! Cheng provided study questions and references for future study at the end of each main section, making it “ideal for self-study, for religious studies, theology, and queer studies classes, or for adult education in parishes and congregations” (xi).

Cheng uses the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed as a framework to talk about the doctrine of God as “the sending forth of radical love” (ch. 3), the doctrine of Jesus Christ as “the recovery of radical love” (ch 4.), and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as “the return to radical love” (ch. 5). The subsections of these chapters include the following doctrines:

Revelation - God's coming out as radical love
God as radical love itself
Trinity - an internal community of radical love
Creation - God's outpouring of radical love
Sin - the rejection of radical love
Jesus Christ - the embodiment of radical love
Mary - the bearer of radical love
Atonement - the ending of scapegoating through radical love
Holy Spirit - points us toward radical love
Church - an external community of radical love
Saints - the breaking through of radical love
Sacraments - a foretaste of radical love
Last things - the horizon of radical love