Reviews
Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church by Bridget Eileen Rivera
sunnydale's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
this book primarily encourages cishet christians to exercise empathy and acknowledge that the bible is more nuanced on lgbtq issues than many evangelical protestant faith traditions are willing to admit. the author writes in a very accessible style, and she also does a capable job of summarizing the historical development of doctrine.
the author's primary weakness is that she does not outright state her own faith tradition early enough in the book, and she makes some arguments that take the context of her faith tradition for granted. for example, she often claims that most christians understand the nuance and uncertainty related to matters of divorce and remarriage. but i was raised in a denomination with a very restrictive approach to this subject, and there was no acknowledgement of nuance—if you believed something other than the "correct" doctrine, you either misunderstood the text or you intentionally misinterpreted it because you wanted to sin. the author's arguments would be summarily dismissed by a fundamentalist audience, but that audience was overlooked or only mentioned as an extreme outlier, not worth taking seriously. anyone even further removed from a white, american, evangelical protestant background might feel similarly frustrated by the author's lack of clarity on which church the title refers to.
recommendation: a helpful introductory resource for cishet christians who want to understand how systemic homophobia has driven lgbtq believers away from protestant evangelical churches, and how those churches can heal. presupposes that readers already understand that people can draw different conclusions about the bible and still be christians, which means that fundamentalists might be unwilling to engage.
the author's primary weakness is that she does not outright state her own faith tradition early enough in the book, and she makes some arguments that take the context of her faith tradition for granted. for example, she often claims that most christians understand the nuance and uncertainty related to matters of divorce and remarriage. but i was raised in a denomination with a very restrictive approach to this subject, and there was no acknowledgement of nuance—if you believed something other than the "correct" doctrine, you either misunderstood the text or you intentionally misinterpreted it because you wanted to sin. the author's arguments would be summarily dismissed by a fundamentalist audience, but that audience was overlooked or only mentioned as an extreme outlier, not worth taking seriously. anyone even further removed from a white, american, evangelical protestant background might feel similarly frustrated by the author's lack of clarity on which church the title refers to.
recommendation: a helpful introductory resource for cishet christians who want to understand how systemic homophobia has driven lgbtq believers away from protestant evangelical churches, and how those churches can heal. presupposes that readers already understand that people can draw different conclusions about the bible and still be christians, which means that fundamentalists might be unwilling to engage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
each chapter begins with a case study of a gay person who has experienced homophobia or transphobia at the hands of christians. they're pretty direct about trauma, but not overly detailed, focusing instead on the person's mental and emotional response to the trauma.glendonrfrank's review
4.0
In this book, Bridget Eileen Rivera hits on a theme I've been tracking more and more over the past few years, which is the church's hypocrisy in regards to its LGBTQ+ members. Many a time I have heard Christians insist that you "can't set your personal/sexual identity above your identity in Christ!!" when A) no other LGBTQ+ Christians are claiming to do that, and B) it is actually the mainline majority who is so obsessed with sexual identity to the point where anything that doesn't align with strictly heteronormative values is read as heresy. Heteronormative marriage has become the idol of the church, and Rivera breaks down a lot of the ways that the church's vision of marriage has changed over the years, and how modern Christians are willing to forgo any number of commands in order to preserve their vision of normativity yet refuse to give that same grace to anyone even considering LGBTQ+ rights. Divorce and contraceptives have just as much "Biblical precedent" for their exclusion in the church, and there are more theologically-important topics like the Eucharist or Baptism that we are comfortable agreeing to disagree on, so why have we refused to create space for the possibility of LGBTQ+ inclusion? Rivera reveals that the barriers to entry for LGBTQ+ Christians are less about "Biblical consistency" so much as they are about maintaining the status quo. But if our status quo means the harm and, often, death of those around us, then we need to wake up and take action.
sarajean37's review
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
The stance and approach of this book is such that my mother in law could read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
domskeac's review
2.0
Read for work. The main through-line of this book is to point out the hypocrisy of church leaders who condemn homosexuality when the sexual ethics of their own churches are full of sexual abuse and relationship abuse. That’s not untrue, and it’s a fine thing to point out about churches.
But saying something like “hey don’t yell at me for my sins, you sin too” doesn’t track with me because I don’t think homosexuality is a sin. My main critique (and reason why I wouldn’t recommend this book) is a theological disagreement with the author. I am interested in recognizing the harm the church has done to queer folk, but there’s a lot of harm from the church that goes unrecognized when the author doesn’t express a clear theology of abundance around queerness.
But saying something like “hey don’t yell at me for my sins, you sin too” doesn’t track with me because I don’t think homosexuality is a sin. My main critique (and reason why I wouldn’t recommend this book) is a theological disagreement with the author. I am interested in recognizing the harm the church has done to queer folk, but there’s a lot of harm from the church that goes unrecognized when the author doesn’t express a clear theology of abundance around queerness.
metaylor1381's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
An inspiring book for those, like me, desperate to hold onto our faith while loving our LGBT brothers and sisters.
The theological perspective is very Protestant, so those who are Catholic or Orthodox Christians may wish to supplement their reading with those from their traditions.
The theological perspective is very Protestant, so those who are Catholic or Orthodox Christians may wish to supplement their reading with those from their traditions.
retroskyfirefly's review
5.0
Powerful. Contemplative. Heart-breaking. Vital. These are just a few words to describe Rivera's debut book, Heavy Burdens. Instead of attempting to convince the reader to take a side on the issue of gay marriage, Rivera encourages the reader to reconsider attitudes and behaviors within the church toward our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. A combination of personal testimony, church history, data from studies, stories from members of the LGBTQ community, and compelling questions will encourage the reader to re-examine long-held, harmful beliefs about LGBTQ individuals and provide inspiration for change.
Pastor, author, and speaker Osheta Moore says, "When I make space for storytelling...we become disarmed. I can hear the humanity in them and hopefully they'll hear the humanity in me." (Dear White Peacemakers, 2021) And that's really what Rivera has done with this book - she has invited her readers to view the humanity and belovedness of our fellow image-bearers and to offer them the same grace, love, and mercy that is so easily extended to heterosexual members of faith communities.
I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks to be more like Christ, and honestly feel that it should be required reading for anyone who holds a leadership position within the church.
Pastor, author, and speaker Osheta Moore says, "When I make space for storytelling...we become disarmed. I can hear the humanity in them and hopefully they'll hear the humanity in me." (Dear White Peacemakers, 2021) And that's really what Rivera has done with this book - she has invited her readers to view the humanity and belovedness of our fellow image-bearers and to offer them the same grace, love, and mercy that is so easily extended to heterosexual members of faith communities.
I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks to be more like Christ, and honestly feel that it should be required reading for anyone who holds a leadership position within the church.