"In this pathbreaking and beautifully written book, William Stell recovers a world that most people today have not only forgotten but believed to be impossible: one deeply shaped by the witness of evangelical gay activists, who pushed to swing wider not just the doors of their churches but the very meaning of faithfulness. Born Again Queer underscores the power of history to challenge even our most deeply held assumptions. It is an essential read, not just for scholars, but for anyone invested in the past, present, or future of evangelical Christianity in the United States."-- Heath W. Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary "A groundbreaking, erudite, and utterly fascinating history of gay evangelical theology and activism in the 1970s and 1980s. Stell's revelatory study brings a hidden chapter of queer history to life and challenges our understanding of evangelicalism itself."-- George Chauncey, author of Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890 - 1940 "William Stell's Born Again Queer offers a fascinating exploration of the personalities, theological debates, and moral arguments that made homosexuality a defining issue for modern American evangelicalism. Stell reveals that evangelicals could hardly claim a consistent interpretation of the Bible's literal meaning about homosexuality, as newly empowered evangelical gay activists turned to scripture to defend their place within their Christian communities.

Instead, this richly detailed and beautifully written book shows that the very meaning of 'evangelical' became, after the late 1970s, increasingly tied to antigay animus cloaked in theological purity. In rescuing a lost history of evangelical gay activism, Stell provides a far more complex and contested story about the origins of the culture wars than scholars previously assumed."-- Rebecca L. Davis, author of Fierce Desires: A New History of Sex and Sexuality in America "In many American cities, the first formal LGBT organization was an evangelical church. Stell's astute scholarship helps explain this astounding fact, taking us beyond simplistic notions of a culture war between a secular gay movement and the religious right. In a masterful retelling of both the evangelical and gay rights movements, Stell complicates our understanding of the rise of evangelical homophobia. And he shows himself to be an artful storyteller and an exacting historian."-- David K.

Johnson, author of The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government.