Ordering Wisdom: The Hierarchy of Philosophical Discourses in Aquinas (Publications in Medieval Studies) (1986)

The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology (1997)
In this startling original work of historical detection, Mark D. Jordan explores the invention of Sodomy by medieval Christendom, examining its conceptual foundations in theology and gauging its impact on Christian sexual ethics both then and now. This book is for everyone involved in the ongoing debate within organized religions and society in general over moral judgments of same-sex eroticism.

The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism (2000) -- Finalist 2000 Lambda Literary Awards
The past decade has seen homosexual scandals in the Catholic Church becoming ever more visible, and the Vatican's directives on homosexuality becoming ever more forceful, begging the question Mark Jordan tries to answer here: how can the Catholic Church be at once so homophobic and so homoerotic? His analysis is a keen and readable study of the tangled relationship between male homosexuality and modern Catholicism.

The Ethics of Sex (2001)
The topic of sexual ethics and interest in sexuality in theology generally, has grown considerably in recent years. Mark Jordan has written a provocative and stimulating introduction to the issues involved, filling a much-needed void in this field. Jordan summarizes key topics and themes in the teaching and discussion of religious ethics as well as pushing forward the debate in interesting and original directions. The Ethics of Sex is divided into three parts, covering problems in principles of ethics, difficulties in the history of ethics, such as marriage and divorce, and crimes against nature, and finally, new possibilities in Christianity, such as redeeming pleasure. Mark Jordan is part of a young group of theologians who represent a concerted attempt to reconceptualize and re-engender Christian theology from non-heterosexual, marginal perspectives. The author is one of the most exciting and avant garde of Christian writers at the interface of medieval history and postmodern theology, and won widespread praise for his ground-breaking study, The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology. The issues surrounding sexual ethics will always arouse controversy and interest. This is a book which will delight some - and will undoubtedly infuriate others. Above all, it will not be ignored.

Telling Truths in Church: Scandal, Flesh, and Christian Speech (2003)
Is the reform we have seen in the wake of the pedophilia scandals in the Catholic Church meaningful? Have our conversations about the causes of these scandals delved as deeply as they need to? For those questioning the relations between hierarchical power, secrecy, and sexuality in institutional religion, Mark D. Jordan’s eloquent meditations on what truths about sexuality need to be told in church--and the difficulty of telling any truths--will be a balm and a revelation. "Sure to be controversial . . . [Telling Truths in Church] is about how church people speak about sex in the church; it is about what it means to tell the truth, and how to go about the vulnerable act of truth-telling when your topic is something as intimate as sex." -Lauren F. Winner, Washington Post Book World "This is a major contribution to the telling of truth and truths. Jordan’s analysis lays bare the fear and anxiety behind the silence and spins of church authorities; it is a profound and provocative book." -Donald Cozzens, author of Sacred Silence: Denial and the Crisis in the Church and The Changing Face of the Priesthood.

Blessing Same-Sex Unions (2005)
At most church weddings, the person presiding over the ritual is not a priest or a pastor, but the wedding planner, followed by the photographer, the florist, and the caterer. And in this day and age, more wedding theology is supplied by Modern Bride magazine or reality television than by any of the Christian treatises on holy matrimony. Indeed, church weddings have strayed long and far from distinctly Christian aspirations. The costumes and gestures might still be right, but the intentions are hardly religious.

Why then, asks noted gay commentator Mark D. Jordan, are so many churches vehemently opposed to blessing same-sex unions? In this incisive work, Jordan shows how carefully selected ideals of Christian marriage have come to dominate recent debates over same-sex unions. Opponents of gay marriage, he reveals, too often confuse simplified ideals of matrimony with historical facts. They suppose, for instance, that there has been a stable Christian tradition of marriage across millennia, when in reality Christians have quarreled among themselves for centuries about even the most basic elements of marital theology, authorizing experiments like polygamy and divorce.

Jordan also argues that no matter what the courts do, Christian churches will have to decide for themselves whether to bless same-sex unions. No civil compromise can settle the religious questions surrounding gay marriage. And queer Christians, he contends, will have to discover for themselves what they really want out of marriage. If they are not just after legal recognition as a couple or a place at the social table, do they really seek the blessing of God? Or just the garish melodrama of a white wedding? Posing trenchant questions such as these, Blessing Same-Sex Unions will be a must-read for both sides of the debate over gay marriage in America today.

Rewritten Theology: Aquinas After His Readers (2005)
Recent years have seen numerous appropriations of Thomas Aquinas's work by a range of theologians, from liberal Catholics to the creators of radical orthodoxy. Responding to this upsurge of interest, this book goes straight to the heart of the contemporary debates about Thomism.Author Mark Jordan focuses on the concept of authority, both in terms of Aquinas's own attitude to authority and how the Church authorities have used Aquinas to shore up their own position. He shows how to read Aquinas from, into and against theological authorities, and argues for future readings of Thomas which are substantially different from those which have gone before.

Authorizing Marriage?: Canon, Tradition, and Critique in the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions (2006)
The opponents of legal recognition for same-sex marriage frequently appeal to a "Judeo-Christian" tradition. But does it make any sense to speak of that tradition as a single teaching on marriage? Are there elements in Jewish and Christian traditions that actually authorize religious and civil recognition of same-sex couples? And are contemporary heterosexual marriages well supported by those traditions?

As evidenced by the ten provocative essays assembled and edited by Mark D. Jordan, the answers are not as simple as many would believe. The scholars of Judaism and Christianity gathered here explore the issue through a wide range of biblical, historical, liturgical, and theological evidence. From David's love for Jonathan through the singleness of Jesus and Paul to the all-male heaven of John's Apocalypse, the collection addresses pertinent passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament with scholarly precision. It reconsiders whether there are biblical precedents for blessing same-sex unions in Jewish and Christian liturgies.

The book concludes by analyzing typical religious arguments against such unions and provides a comprehensive response to claims that the Judeo-Christian tradition prohibits same-sex unions from receiving religious recognition. The essays, most of which are in print here for the first time, are by Saul M. Olyan, Mary Ann Tolbert, Daniel Boyarin, Laurence Paul Hemming, Steven Greenberg, Kathryn Tanner, Susan Frank Parsons, Eugene F. Rogers, Jr., and Mark D. Jordan.