Black Gay British Christian Queer
A number of us from HPC recently attended the launch of Rev’d Jarel Robinson-Brown’s new book Black Gay British Christian Queer.
Some will be familiar with Rev’d Robinson-Brown’s name as he has been increasingly prominent as a bold voice, speaking out on what the lived experience of a black gay man in the Church of England is like. Rev’d Robinson-Brown has also been on the receiving end of a huge amount of abuse for the things he has said.
In his new book, Rev’d Robinson-Brown seeks to set out what it looks and feels like to be at the intersection of a number of different powerful identities and what that means for the Church and for society.
There can be no question that the Church has a huge way to go when it comes to listening to and honouring the experience of black people. The same is true of LGBTQ+ people. Rev’d Robinson-Brown’s book speaks of what it means to inhabit both of those spaces and how that feels in the current Church environment.
The subtitle of the book is ‘The Church and the Famine of Grace’ and it is interesting, especially given some of the trauma Rev’d Robinson-Brown has been through, that ‘grace’ is the lens through which he chooses to view the stark challenges he explores here.
It seems to me that Rev’d Robinson-Brown is calling us to think again about our notion of grace. If our sense of the grace of God is not wide enough to fully encompass our black and LGBTQ+ fellow Christians, or indeed those interested in exploring the faith for the first time, then have we not missed the point?
Much of the book is reminiscent of the approach of ‘liberation theology’ which seeks to start with the lived experience of those who have been oppressed and then build an understanding of God out from that, as opposed to imposing dogma from a position of privilege. “How many Christians see their role as ‘teaching LGBTQ+ Christians about Jesus?” asks Rev’d Robinson-Brown, “How many Christians come into encounter with LGBTQ+ Christians open to encountering something of Jesus in our midst?”.
As well as it’s content, the format of the book is also interesting; in addition to the core text, it includes some of Rev’d Robinson-Brown’s own poetry as well as suggested prayers and meditations. There is also study of scripture.
In part of the book, Rev’d Robinson-Brown draws our attention to two passages from Luke’s Gospel; Mary’s song, the Magnificat “My Soul magnifies the Lord…” and Jesus’s words in the synagogue “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…”. He writes: “In Jesus’s words in the synagogue and Mary’s song of praise, we see a mother and son who together have a view of a world where justice reigns and power is controlled and shared. It is an image of a world that sits so contrary to much of the Christianity we often see. What it teaches us is a different way of being, where goodness and freedom are the marks of life in God.”
This book is challenging; at times it is deeply painful. However, for all of us who look to be part of an increasingly inclusive church, this book is an incredibly important contribution.
Black Gay British Christian Queer is available from SCM Press:
