A review by lou_1440
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-Vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee

informative reflective medium-paced

1.0

I do feel I need to thoroughly explain my rating for this book so that it isn’t misinterpreted. This book was written in 2012, and while it is well-intentioned, it still contains significant content that is harmful to full acceptance of the queer community and I could never recommend this book to anyone.

One of Lee’s central recommendations at the end of the book is to stop villainizing the position of queer celibacy. This is a dangerous position to endorse, and one that will give homophobic readers an excuse to latch onto. The celibacy position is a weapon exclusionists wield to justify less-than-unconditional acceptance of queer community members and actively causes harm. The only people entitled to choose celibacy are queer people themselves, and even we queer folk do not have the authority to force celibacy on anyone else. Asking queer people to stay celibate to have a place in the church leads to self-hatred, repression, and unhealthy relationships with sex and our own bodies.

Lee also peppers this book with casual apologist sentiment toward homophobic Christians. He asks queer readers to treat a community that has systematically suppressed them and pushed them aside to have empathy and forgiveness for Christians on all side of the aisle, as long as they are well-intentioned. Oppressed communities do not owe this to their oppressors. The Christian community must do their own internal work and come to the people they’ve hurt when they are ready to earn forgiveness, not the other way around. 

Finally, I do find it terribly ironic that Lee holds up Tony and Peggy Campolo as a shining example of how to disagree on this issue, since a few years after publication of this book, Tony would reverse his stance to support his wife’s view. As far as I can tell, Lee has made no effort to issue revisions to this or any of the harmful content in this book.