A review by sethjames
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-Vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee

4.0

I was recommended this book by some very loving parents of a gay son who attend my church. Their process, like mine and so many others, to find ways to move past all the back and forth, division and dismissal, is typified and explored in this story. I'm so grateful for people like Justin who are willing to share their story, look at Scripture for all its complexity and beauty, and emerge with a more generous, more grace-filled, more affirmative understanding. As a pastor, I want to be a better ally, a person who speaks up for and affirms the gifts of my LGBTQ friends and family. I want to share a Gospel that does not reduce sexuality and gender to binary categories or oversimplified rules. This is the world so many of us have come from and I do not believe this is God's loving way, nor to I believe it must be our way forward - there is much more for God's people than this.

As I read, I felt drawn to the many stories of college students, young people, and friends I've walked with as they've processed their own sexuality. I thought of their tears, their longing to be heard and seen as children of God. I thought of the times I've blundered it and I thought of the times I think I did alright in serving as their pastor. I hope for their grace and I am humbled to have been one to journey with them in faith and hope and love. And...I continue to feel the sense of God's call to love and serve all people as they discover the beauty of Christ's image, which they bear.