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A review by katyoctober
The Book of Queer Prophets: 24 Writers on Sexuality and Religion by Ruth Hunt
5.0
I’m so glad this book exists.
I wouldn’t say the essays are of varying quality, but I would definitely say I connected with some more than others, and some contributors clearly *write* more than others. But that’s okay - in a collection spanning 24 contributors, I’d expect nothing less. Still gonna hit the book with that 5 star rating! I have no doubt that everyone who reads the collection will feel the same - same of the essays will resonate much more.
I hope that people reading this book find solace. By its nature, writing about faith, like writing about art or music, is hard. Capturing feelings is ephemeral. You can too often miss the mark in communicating your depth of feelings to others. It's hard! But this anthology format, with such a variety of authors, is a great counter to this problem of. There are so many exquisite moments in this book. Take, for example, the wonderful Pádraig Ó Tuama making the deep connection between the trans experience and Jesus himself. It’s pure beauty and hope:
“Recently I was working with a group of LGBTI people where the majority of the group were trans or intersex. I had been asked to lead the Bible study. We looked at the text where Jesus of Nazareth is twelve years old and is among religious leaders. He is astounding them with his insight. But they do not know how to believe that the truth can exist in this kind of human package. We, LGBTI people at a Bible study, asked a question: 'What truths have we known about ourselves since we were young?' People knew what it was to know themselves. They also knew what it was like for their insight to be denied. For decades. The Bible study lasted for hours. People spoke about the indigenous understanding they'd had about themselves since they could think. 'I didn't know the Bible could help us read our own lives,' someone said.”
On a saucier note, I also adored the opening of Keith Jarrett’s essay on his first gay sexual experience:
“..I took in the perfection of his chest, the feel of his weight on mine. And then...and then...GOSPEL! A medley of riffs piercing the air. Mary Mary, doing vocal gymnastics for Jesus, in the middle of this most intimate moment, in the middle of an act I still thought of as an abomination. JESUS being sung at full volume, in front of the sachets of condoms and lube I'd retrieved from under the bed. The shame shot through me as I leapt to switch off the speaker and fumbled for my clothes. After years of hiding Jesus away from my sexuality -- and vice versa -- the two had collided. How could I have been so careless?”
This book holds so much beauty and hope alongside so much sadness and human cruelty. I wouldn’t call it a rollercoaster, it’s not sensationalist in any way, but it is not a book to be devoured so quickly. I read it with my lovely book group, and we all found that we savoured the essays over a number of weeks rather than gobbling them.
I also waited to hear what everyone else in the book group said. It was a unanimous success. I have rarely seen us so excited by a choice, and never have I seen so many tabbed up books! We kept reading passages to each other (via zoom), which we rarely do - such is the emotive beauty in these essays. The practising Christians in our group found particular beauty in the book’s contributors who included biblical textual analysis in the book. It’s a real reframing, and not in an exegetical, academic sense, but in simple, loving terms. I think we will all remember this book.
Some of our favourite essays (and two of the most heartbreaking) were “Mustangs and Mama Dragons” by Dustin Lance Black, a truly shocking, harrowing insight into the Mormon church some decades ago; and “Speaking Love to Power” by Mpho Tutu van Furth, whose experience of exclusion from the South African Anglican Church is sadly all too recent.
I thought I’d share - the opening dedication, “And it is dedicated to the love of my life, Caroline, who doesn’t believe in an interventionist God, but knows that I do.” is a reference to the beautiful Nick Cave song, “Into my arms”. A wedding song classic!
We had a couple of points of criticism of the book: of 24 contributors, we found it slightly odd that there was just one muslim, one jew, and one latter day saint contributing. We massively enjoyed each of these contributions, but found the ratio a little odd and thought a greater mix or a solely Christian focus would have worked better.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d recommend “New Habits: Today’s women Who Choose to Become Nuns”. It’s a different but related book which I also enjoyed very much, from the stance of a non-believer (sorry!). I recommend "The Book of Queer Prophets" to believers and non-believers alike.
I wouldn’t say the essays are of varying quality, but I would definitely say I connected with some more than others, and some contributors clearly *write* more than others. But that’s okay - in a collection spanning 24 contributors, I’d expect nothing less. Still gonna hit the book with that 5 star rating! I have no doubt that everyone who reads the collection will feel the same - same of the essays will resonate much more.
I hope that people reading this book find solace. By its nature, writing about faith, like writing about art or music, is hard. Capturing feelings is ephemeral. You can too often miss the mark in communicating your depth of feelings to others. It's hard! But this anthology format, with such a variety of authors, is a great counter to this problem of. There are so many exquisite moments in this book. Take, for example, the wonderful Pádraig Ó Tuama making the deep connection between the trans experience and Jesus himself. It’s pure beauty and hope:
“Recently I was working with a group of LGBTI people where the majority of the group were trans or intersex. I had been asked to lead the Bible study. We looked at the text where Jesus of Nazareth is twelve years old and is among religious leaders. He is astounding them with his insight. But they do not know how to believe that the truth can exist in this kind of human package. We, LGBTI people at a Bible study, asked a question: 'What truths have we known about ourselves since we were young?' People knew what it was to know themselves. They also knew what it was like for their insight to be denied. For decades. The Bible study lasted for hours. People spoke about the indigenous understanding they'd had about themselves since they could think. 'I didn't know the Bible could help us read our own lives,' someone said.”
On a saucier note, I also adored the opening of Keith Jarrett’s essay on his first gay sexual experience:
“..I took in the perfection of his chest, the feel of his weight on mine. And then...and then...GOSPEL! A medley of riffs piercing the air. Mary Mary, doing vocal gymnastics for Jesus, in the middle of this most intimate moment, in the middle of an act I still thought of as an abomination. JESUS being sung at full volume, in front of the sachets of condoms and lube I'd retrieved from under the bed. The shame shot through me as I leapt to switch off the speaker and fumbled for my clothes. After years of hiding Jesus away from my sexuality -- and vice versa -- the two had collided. How could I have been so careless?”
This book holds so much beauty and hope alongside so much sadness and human cruelty. I wouldn’t call it a rollercoaster, it’s not sensationalist in any way, but it is not a book to be devoured so quickly. I read it with my lovely book group, and we all found that we savoured the essays over a number of weeks rather than gobbling them.
I also waited to hear what everyone else in the book group said. It was a unanimous success. I have rarely seen us so excited by a choice, and never have I seen so many tabbed up books! We kept reading passages to each other (via zoom), which we rarely do - such is the emotive beauty in these essays. The practising Christians in our group found particular beauty in the book’s contributors who included biblical textual analysis in the book. It’s a real reframing, and not in an exegetical, academic sense, but in simple, loving terms. I think we will all remember this book.
Some of our favourite essays (and two of the most heartbreaking) were “Mustangs and Mama Dragons” by Dustin Lance Black, a truly shocking, harrowing insight into the Mormon church some decades ago; and “Speaking Love to Power” by Mpho Tutu van Furth, whose experience of exclusion from the South African Anglican Church is sadly all too recent.
I thought I’d share - the opening dedication, “And it is dedicated to the love of my life, Caroline, who doesn’t believe in an interventionist God, but knows that I do.” is a reference to the beautiful Nick Cave song, “Into my arms”. A wedding song classic!
We had a couple of points of criticism of the book: of 24 contributors, we found it slightly odd that there was just one muslim, one jew, and one latter day saint contributing. We massively enjoyed each of these contributions, but found the ratio a little odd and thought a greater mix or a solely Christian focus would have worked better.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d recommend “New Habits: Today’s women Who Choose to Become Nuns”. It’s a different but related book which I also enjoyed very much, from the stance of a non-believer (sorry!). I recommend "The Book of Queer Prophets" to believers and non-believers alike.