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A review by readingthroughinfinity
The Book of Queer Prophets: 24 Writers on Sexuality and Religion by Ruth Hunt
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I really liked the concept for this book; as someone who's both queer and religious (though only liberally/mildly), I was curious to see how the contributors to this book would discuss the intersections of these two things. For the most part, their thoughts were interesting and nuanced, recalling struggles with internalised homophobia and worries about how the church would react to their queer identities. Mpho Tutu van Furth and Tamsin Omond's essays were particularly interesting and I thought Ruth Hunt's essay/afterword was a great note to finish on.
Unfortunately, it's been a few weeks since I read this and I've already forgotten a few of the essays, so they didn't really have a lasting impact on me. I also question whether including Kate Botley's essay (about being an ally) in the anthology takes space away from another queer contributor who could have shared their story? (Having said that, I did enjoy reading what she'd written.) I also think this collection was limited by the fact that it mainly focused on Christianity, and I would really liked to have seen more essays from people of other faiths.
On the whole, though, this is a quick and interesting read and I think it'll have a lot of significance to people who are queer or questioning and also religious.
Content warnings for homophobia and internalised homophobia, religious bigotry, mentions of violence.
Unfortunately, it's been a few weeks since I read this and I've already forgotten a few of the essays, so they didn't really have a lasting impact on me. I also question whether including Kate Botley's essay (about being an ally) in the anthology takes space away from another queer contributor who could have shared their story? (Having said that, I did enjoy reading what she'd written.) I also think this collection was limited by the fact that it mainly focused on Christianity, and I would really liked to have seen more essays from people of other faiths.
On the whole, though, this is a quick and interesting read and I think it'll have a lot of significance to people who are queer or questioning and also religious.
Content warnings for homophobia and internalised homophobia, religious bigotry, mentions of violence.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Religious bigotry