God Is
Mallory Wyckoff
A Transgender Man’s Journey with Scripture Shannon T. L. Kearns
God is Mother. God is Midwife. God is Hostess. God is Mystery. God is Home.
Foreword by Paula Stone Williams
Through scriptural reflection and personal stories about gender identity, an ordained priest moves the conversation beyond transgender inclusion to demonstrate the unique and vital theological insights transgender Christians can provide the church. Father Shannon Kearns is familiar with liminal spaces. He’s lived in them his whole life. And while his experience as a transgender man has often made it difficult for him to fit in—especially in the context of Christianity—it has also shaped his perspective in important ways on complicated, gendertransgressing aspects of theology and Scripture. In the Margins weaves stories from Shannon’s life into reflections on wellknown biblical narratives—such as Jacob wrestling with the divine, Rahab and the Israelite spies, Ezekiel and the dry bones, and the transfiguration of Jesus. In each chapter, Shannon shows how stories have helped him make sense of his own identity, and how those same stories can unlock the transformative power of faith for those willing to listen with an open mind and stand alongside him in the in-between. “I love Shannon’s conviction that resurrection is not a moment, but a process. There is a holy unfolding in this book, as Scripture comes to life in a fresh, accurate, and authentic way. In the process Shannon blesses us with the story of his own resurrection.” — PAULA STONE WILLIAMS from the foreword
Shannon T. L. Kearns is an ordained priest, a playwright, a theologian, and the cofounder of QueerTheology.com, which has reached more than a million people all over the world through videos, articles, and online courses and community. A recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 2020–21, a Lambda Literary Fellow in 2019, and a FINNOVATION Fellow in 2019–20, Shannon is a sought-after speaker on transgender issues and religion as well as a skilled facilitator of a variety of workshops. 978-0-8028-7948-6 • Paperback • 216 pages • $19.99 US • $26.99 CAN • £15.99 UK AVAILABLE AUGUST 2022
CHRISTIAN BELIEF
In the Margins
Traditional language for God has been dominated by a single image—Father—and masculine norms. For some, this language is meaningful. For others, it is deeply problematic. In both cases, it’s limited. One thing is certain: God is More. Mallory Wyckoff believes it’s past time to expand the ways we think about God. Through personal story, theology, spirituality, and social justice (and highlighting the interconnectedness of each), Wyckoff explores feminine metaphors and untapped language for God—some biblical and familiar, some less well-known, but all revelatory of a God who is More than we’ve been allowed to imagine. As Wyckoff illustrates, when we expand the ways we image and engage with God, we are invited to see the Divine more fully—and, in the process, our neighbors and ourselves. Those who have felt alienated by the typical ways of describing God in Christianity will meet God anew: As a Seamstress who stitches tapestries out of our tatters of shame. As a Sexual Trauma Survivor who has suffered alongside those who have endured the worst. As a Mother who nurtures us to life with her body. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. God Is in the Waves 2. God Is Hiding under the Table 3. God Is More Than We’ve Been
Led to Believe
4. God Is Communicator 5. God Is and Is Not 6. God Is Creator 7. God Is Seamstress 8. God Is Mother
9. God Is Midwife 10. God Is Hostess 11. God Is Sexual Trauma Survivor 12. God Is Wisdom Within 13. God Is Home 14. God Is Mystery 15. God Is…
Epilogue
Mallory Wyckoff is a teacher, preacher, writer, and spiritual director who currently serves as Key Relationships Officer with Preemptive Love, a global community of peacemakers working to end war and stop the spread of violence. Having completed her dissertation on the impact of sexual trauma on survivors’ theological perception and spiritual formation, Mallory has a DMin from Lipscomb University in missional and spiritual formation. 978-0-8028-8208-0 • Jacketed Hardcover • 160 pages • $21.99 US • $29.99 CAN • £17.99 UK AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2022
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