Jesus in Love

by Kittredge Cherry

What if Jesus knew how it feels to be queer? Surprising answers come in Jesus in Love, a novel that re-imagines Christ's legendary life as an erotic, mystical adventure in first-century Palestine. Jesus has today's queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he lives out his mythic story. Readers can relate to the struggles he faces: He feels like his real self is both male and female. He falls in love with people of both sexes. Society doesn't understand him. Jesus, the narrator, speaks in an engaging, up-to-date tone as he reveals his intimate relationships with John the beloved disciple (a gay man mourning his lover's death), Mary Magdalene (a highly intelligent survivor of sexual abuse) and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit. The novel shows how Jesus grows over a one-year period-from his decision to get baptized until the day he sends his friends away to teach others. Ultimately he leads disciples of both sexes to a place where sexuality and spirituality are one. Jesus in Love frees the reader to imagine and experience Christ in new ways.

328 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

Kittredge Cherry is a lesbian Christian author, minister and art historian. She founded Jesus in Love, an online resource for LGBT spirituality and the arts. Cherry was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches and served as its National Ecumenical Officer, advocating for LGBT rights at the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches. She holds degrees in journalism and art history from the University of Iowa, and a master of divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion. Her books include Lambda Literary Award finalist Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ (AndroGyne Press), Hide and Speak (HarperSanFrancisco) Womansword (Kodansha International) and her Jesus in Love novels. The New York Times Book Review praised her “very graceful, erudite” writing style. Based in Los Angeles, she writes about LGBT spirituality and the arts at Huffington Post and the Jesus in Love Blog.

Reviews

[Paul Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few books are "life-changers" for me. This is one. Jesus In Love transported me so believably into the mind of Christ, He became even more alive than ever. Far from being blasphemous, it seemed holy (that is "set apart," and "whole"). It's a riveting tale, one of those reads that makes real time disappear from consciousness [a rare thing for me, a former "time-governed" broadcaster]. For us progressive Christians--faithful folks committed to a divine Jesus but not to the fundamentalist, unloving, closed-minded, too-often-hateful (i.e. misguided) followers He has attracted--this is a must-read novel. Thank you, Kittredge Cherry!

[S.M. Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cherry and I won the same contest, so I wanted to check out her book, but being as I am really not very religious, any version of Jesus in Nazareth doesn't hold much interest for me. That being said, I read this book somewhere around the time I read Anne Rice's version of the same biblical history; Christ: Out of Egypt - and I would say the stories are quite comparable. I hope the author of Jesus in Love accepts this as the high compliment it is intended to be.

I did not find anything about the book to be particularly offensive whatsoever.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherry redrafts the life of Jesus Christ as a sexually alive and aware being. The queer Christ, in my opinion, more aptly represents the religious figure as loving and accepting--even more so than Christian dogmas.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For every brilliant unconventional choice in the book, there’s a slightly disappointing conventional one. Would have loved to seen this concept pushed further. What’s there is quite emotional and beautiful.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful. Jesus in Love paints a truly loving image of a savior.

[Trudie Barreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have read this book numerous times since its publication, I didn't get around to reviewing it initially because at that time I wasn't reviewing books. I acquired my first copy from the church bookstore, and later I had ordered an autographed copy directly from Kittredge Cherry's Jesus in Love website. However, I continued ordering copies to share, and eventually the author herself gifted me with additional author's copies to share. This book has been an absolutely priceless boost to my own spiritual insight. I have shared with many friends my belief that Cherry's vision of Jesus as a truly human, truly sexual individual who none-the-less fulfills the theological concept of "God With Us" is absolutely on target.

If a person cares about having a serious, real and vital relationship with Jesus, I believe that the "Jesus in Love" books, culminating in the powerful and incredibly meaningful "At the Cross" are a quantum leap in that direction. I continue reading this book again and again, and sharing it with everyone I can! However this is the first time I've shared a review on Goodreads; obviously, it took me far too long to get around to doing so. There really is no better testimony to any author's work than the urge to re-read and then share as broadly as possible, even when it means purchasing more copies to give to those who might be skeptical. And that is the key point. Fortunately, now that Cherry's works are available in e-book format, this becomes more economical.

The original "Jesus in Love" and the second half, "Jesus in Love: At the Cross" represent a brilliantly developed interpretation of what "God with Us" means in the context of the insights of modern theology that acknowledges the reality of the universe as visualized by modern science. If for nothing else than the scene after the Crucifixion but before the Resurrection when Jesus joins God in reviewing the sins of humankind by looking at the coding errors in DNA, this book contains breakthrough concepts. But way beyond all this, Cherry's description of Christ's post-resurrection interactions with his followers and the Pentecost event are surpassingly beautiful and theologically flawless. Every time I reread the Jesus in Love books, I am more deeply enriched and spiritually uplifted.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was raised christian in the bible belt in alabama. i have wrestled with the queer side of me and the religion i grew up with and the way it’s used like a whip in the hand of bigots for their hate

Lately i have had a yearning to reconnect but i don’t want to go the traditional way, surrounded by those who would hate my core.

This book soothes a part of me and really helps and comforts me as i start this journey of reconnection and relearning