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A review by shelfreflectionofficial
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee
2.0
I think this is a valuable read (if read as a memoir) to hear Justin's story and to truly understand the hearts behind people who are gay Christians. However, although it does rightly to inspire our compassion, I would not recommend it for any theological content regarding homosexuality.
He is right to say that the church does not do enough to show people who are gay that they are not any lesser of a person and that God does not love them any less than the next heterosexual Christian. I can agree that the church has mishandled these situations and will, unfortunately, probably continue to do so. So I respect his call to the Church to show more compassion and thoughtfulness to people who are gay.
That being said, I would probably only recommend the first half of this book. As he claims to study the passages in the Bible that talk about homosexuality, he mishandles Scripture and comes to a conclusion that is not Biblical. He claims his studies led him to believe that God's words do not condemn same-sex committed relationships. However, he does not cite any of these commentaries or extra-Biblical texts or books to support this theory. Other scholars, more educated than he (as he even disclaimers of himself in his book) read the same passages and study them as well and come up with the same belief that has been held by Christians for many years. I can point to Wayne Grudem as one of these scholars that I feel has a better handle on interpreting Scripture and does not agree with Justin.
I think additionally to his misled conclusions, I was a bit turned off by his writing in general. To me, he came across a bit arrogant. He made it seem as if he were a one-of-a-kind gay Christian that no one could truly identify with, gay or otherwise, and that no one truly sought the same answers in the same way as him. He wrote that he basically believed it was his calling to single-handedly correct the Church as a whole from the error of their ways. That somehow he stumbled upon a completely unique interpretation so earth-shattering and central to his story that he was responsible for changing the world.
Though 'Gospel' was in the title of his book, I do not feel as if it was even mentioned in the book at all. All people are born with internal struggles and harmful or unnatural desires- it was not God's original design, but we are all born with the intent towards sin. But we don't have to be defined but those struggles or desires. Christ died and rose, breaking the chains of our sinful natures so we can live in freedom. It was clear in Justin's story that the title of 'gay Christian' was very important to him. He didn't feel truly known unless people knew him as such. I don't think Justin is ever going to feel truly loved, cared for, or understood, no matter what he believes the Bible teaches about homosexuality, until he stops defining himself as gay and starts letting freedom in Christ be his identity. That is what the gospel message is. And sadly, he didn't portray that in his book anywhere. That is the cause for my two-star rating.
For better theology, I would recommend Kevin DeYoung's book: "What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?"
He is right to say that the church does not do enough to show people who are gay that they are not any lesser of a person and that God does not love them any less than the next heterosexual Christian. I can agree that the church has mishandled these situations and will, unfortunately, probably continue to do so. So I respect his call to the Church to show more compassion and thoughtfulness to people who are gay.
That being said, I would probably only recommend the first half of this book. As he claims to study the passages in the Bible that talk about homosexuality, he mishandles Scripture and comes to a conclusion that is not Biblical. He claims his studies led him to believe that God's words do not condemn same-sex committed relationships. However, he does not cite any of these commentaries or extra-Biblical texts or books to support this theory. Other scholars, more educated than he (as he even disclaimers of himself in his book) read the same passages and study them as well and come up with the same belief that has been held by Christians for many years. I can point to Wayne Grudem as one of these scholars that I feel has a better handle on interpreting Scripture and does not agree with Justin.
I think additionally to his misled conclusions, I was a bit turned off by his writing in general. To me, he came across a bit arrogant. He made it seem as if he were a one-of-a-kind gay Christian that no one could truly identify with, gay or otherwise, and that no one truly sought the same answers in the same way as him. He wrote that he basically believed it was his calling to single-handedly correct the Church as a whole from the error of their ways. That somehow he stumbled upon a completely unique interpretation so earth-shattering and central to his story that he was responsible for changing the world.
Though 'Gospel' was in the title of his book, I do not feel as if it was even mentioned in the book at all. All people are born with internal struggles and harmful or unnatural desires- it was not God's original design, but we are all born with the intent towards sin. But we don't have to be defined but those struggles or desires. Christ died and rose, breaking the chains of our sinful natures so we can live in freedom. It was clear in Justin's story that the title of 'gay Christian' was very important to him. He didn't feel truly known unless people knew him as such. I don't think Justin is ever going to feel truly loved, cared for, or understood, no matter what he believes the Bible teaches about homosexuality, until he stops defining himself as gay and starts letting freedom in Christ be his identity. That is what the gospel message is. And sadly, he didn't portray that in his book anywhere. That is the cause for my two-star rating.
For better theology, I would recommend Kevin DeYoung's book: "What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?"