John J. McNeill was ordained as a Jesuit priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 in 1959 and now is a psychotherapist and an academic theologian, with a particular reputation within the field of Queer Theology.

Academic career

He obtained a Ph.D.

Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 from the Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

 in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 in 1964 and has taught at LeMoyne College in Syracuse

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

, NY and Fordham University

Fordham University

Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...

 in NYC. In 1972, he joined the combined Woodstock Jesuit Seminary and Union Theological Seminary

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...

 faculty as professor of Christian Ethics

Christian ethics

The first recorded meeting on the topic of Christian ethics, after Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Great Commandment, and Great Commission , was the Council of Jerusalem , which is seen by most Christians as agreement that the New Covenant either abrogated or set aside at least some of the Old...

, specializing in Sexual Ethics

Sexual ethics

Sexual ethics refers to those aspects of ethics that deal with issues arising from all aspects of sexuality and human sexual behavior...

.

Dissent

According to Charles Curran

Charles Curran (theologian)

The Rev. Charles E. Curran is a moral theologian. He currently serves at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, as the Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values.-Biography:...

, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...

 systematically attempted to silence authors also critical of teachings on homosexuality, citing the "highlighting" of errors in McNeill's The Church and the Homosexual

The Church and the Homosexual

The Church and the Homosexual is a book published in 1976 by theologian John J. McNeill.-Goal of the book:The goal of the book was to fully examine and challenge the Catholic Church's official traditional attitudes toward homosexuality. It also sought to establish the notion that the Bible does not...

. McNeill was expelled from the Society of Jesus

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 in 1987.

Published works

• The Church and the Homosexual
• Taking a Chance on God
• Freedom, Glorious Freedom
• Both Feet Firmly Planted in Midair
• Sex as God Intended

Honours

• Grand Marshal of the New York City Gay Rights Parade in 1987;
• The National Human Rights Award in 1984 for his contributions to lesbian and gay rights;
• The 1989 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Blanton-Peale Institutes of Religion and Health;
• The Humanitarian Award in 1990 from the Association of Lesbian and Gay Psychologists;
• The 1993 Distinguished Contribution Award of the Eastern Region American Association of *Pastoral Counselors for outstanding contribution to pastoral counseling;
• The United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches Special Award for his "dedicated work in spreading the Gospel to the lesbian/gay community";
• The 1997 Dignity/USA Prophetic Service Award "In Recognition of over 25 years of extraordinary work on behalf of the Catholic
  Catholic
  The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
  
   Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgenered Community";
• The 1999 Metropolitan Community Church
  Metropolitan Community Church
  The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
  
  of San Francisco "Living Saint" Award.

External links

• John J. McNeill website