Review
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Title: Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones
Author: Duane E Jennings
Publisher: Mormon Alliance
Genre: Gay/Mormon studies
Year Published: 2016
Number of Pages: 843 (two volumes) xvii, Appendices, Bibliography, Index, Scriptural Index
Binding: Quality Paperback
Price: $45.00
Reviewed by Laura Compton for the Association for Mormon Letters
Homosexuality is a problem for many religious organizations. Most have grappled with how to treat LGBTI members and non-members as societal norms have swung back and forth between acknowledgement, tolerance, acceptance, denial and disapproval over the years. The LDS Church, too, wrestles with notions of how to include and when to exclude gay members and their families and much of that wrestling is mired in decades, if not centuries, of tradition and culture. Duane E. Jennings’ two-volume work, “Stumbling Blocks and Stepping-Stones,” details the journey, the progress made thus far and steps to take toward inclusion and acceptance of all of God’s children.
Jennings covers dozens of topics related to the Mormon Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex community. The decades of work he’s condensed into 850 or so pages represents the as-yet most thorough compilation of statements and practice by and about the LDS church with regards to homosexuality and its intersection with religion. From the in-depth historical perspectives behind scriptural references to sodomy or pederasty to the distinctions between gender and sex, to the Church’s political involvement in the early 21st century and efforts to reconcile itself with its members, each chapter is a study in itself worthy of careful examination.
The preface to this book notes that it is the final chapter in the multi-volume work of the Mormon Alliance, but Jennings work is distinct from the group’s earlier Case Study compilations. “Stepping Stones” includes personal stories of gay members (mostly men) and their interaction with church leaders, but it is mostly a monumental resource documenting and verifying dozens of church policies, speeches, letters and actions. If that were the only thing Jennings did, the work would be worth reading and referencing. But it is so much more than a regurgitation of facts and events.
Organizationally, the volumes are divided into six parts: five groups of chapters and one set of appendices. The first section discusses what Jennings calls “clobber scriptures” – that double handful of Bible references that have been used for centuries to define, describe and sometimes denounce homosexuality. “One of my goals,” writes Jennings, “…was to examine the scriptures that are most troubling for those trying to understand LGBTI in the context of long-time religious interpretations and traditions that have led to constraint, misunderstanding, persecution and death.” (59) Examine scriptures he did, contextualizing them in time and place, but also providing interpretations handed down for centuries. His intense study provides new tools for addressing issues raised by traditional and historical interpretations, tools which may provide hope to those on the receiving end of the “clobberings.”
Jennings’ work is more than scriptural commentary, however. “My second goal is to show leaders and members how and why LGBTI people can be fully integrated members of the Church, supported by principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of exaltation.” (59) The majority of the book is dedicated to this goal, beginning with its second section where he kicks off some serious education. Here we find valuable insight and overview for a dozen or so topics related to the LGBTI community in general and the Mormon LGBTI community in particular: scientific findings regarding gender, sexual diversity, neurology, psychology, bisexuality, intersexuality, transgender diversity, religious traditions and how sexuality is expressed within Mormon society, including choices of celibacy and marriage. Each chapter could stand on its own for readers needing information on a single topic, but together they paint a picture of how complex human sexuality is, dispelling any notion that there could be a workable one-size-fits-all solution to problems.
The third set of chapters is more particularly Mormon-centric as these chapters examine doctrines specific to LDS theology and understanding. The importance of personal revelation, restoration, sealings, adoptions, family and access to hierarchical leadership provides the framework for envisioning change. Here Jennings demonstrates which Mormon teachings already exist that might pave the way for greater inclusivity of LGBTI members and their families.
Volume Two addresses one of the Church’s largest stumbling blocks to acceptance – tradition, policy and political involvement. The ten chapters in section four address the harsh rhetoric of the Church during the final three decades of the 20th century and the steps it has taken since 2008 to drag itself away from former abusive language and practices. The dragging away is not yet complete, but baby steps continue, sometimes forward, sometimes back.
While Jennings addresses many of the ways the Church has intervened in legal proceedings, election campaigns and various corners of the public square, the viewpoint is quite Utah-centric, a troublesome aspect of much of Mormon studies. The Church was busy on many fronts between the mid-1990s and 2015, and it would be hard to thorougly examine those fronts in a broad volume such as this. Indeed, because it covers so many actions, this section feels more like surface skimming than the deep diving found in the sections from volume one. There have been so many steps and actions taken between 2006 and 2016 by the Church, tracking them down enough to include them and address them at all is nearly a Herculean effort, and Jennings’ work is commendable.
The final section of chapters is a “call to the joyful building of Zion” and an invitation to “all to its house of prayer.” (629) Tools for reconciliation, forgiveness, healing divides within the Church and families and truly becoming a people worthy of the ideal set by Jesus Christ assuage the pain and angst built up in earlier chapters. Jennings notes that reconciliation cannot be one-sided, however. Individual members certainly have the power to make safe spaces, build bridges, create empathy and reject the past, but the institution itself needs to step up to the table as well.
But how might that happen? “Change on this issue is mandatory, but God won’t force change and there’s no how-to manual….I am motivated by a deep love for the gospel, respect for the Church and its leaders, and a profound knowledge that our Heavenly Parents love all of their children and want them to live happy, ethical lives.” (651) With that goal in mind, Jennings concludes his work by creating a how-to manual, suggesting ways forward, things to do and to stop doing. Many of the suggestions could be enacted immediately. Others are second steps which will take significant time and effort.
Whether or not the institutional Church begins taking steps, individual members can certainly begin the journey now and stem the tide of decades-long spiritual and ecclesiastical abuse. “Traditions on homosexuality have promoted stereotypical and poorly researched interpretations of scripture, many of which are based in ancient mythologies and primitive understandings of biology and human sexuality. As a result, many souls have been left with shattered hopes and a sense of self-hatred over their same-sex longings or nonconforming gender identity.” (xvii) Problems cannot be fixed until they are seen, acknowledged and understood, and Jennings’ work is invaluable in revealing problems and suggesting possible solutions to be enacted by anyone affected by LDS practices and policies on homosexuality.