Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'
Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church by Bridget Eileen Rivera
3 reviews
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: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Outing
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.knunderb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Everyone who considers themselves a Christian, especially those from an evangelical background, should read this book. Rivera lays out the burdens placed on LGBTQ people and gives practical ways to lift them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
the_dragon_starback's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This was very good. Bridget Eileen Rivera covers how the church makes celibacy mandatory yet impossible to carry out for some people, how LGBTQ people are seen as sinners without grace, how they are the “folk devils” of today, when the Bible is considered “clear” and the double standards in that area, effeminacy and emasculation, how sex is considered the most important part of a person, and how grace is extended to cis-het Christians on matters of sex and gender but not to LGBTQ people.
My favourite part was about celibacy, especially the history of how the Reformation completely turned everything about sex on its head—turns out that both the Catholics and Reformers were wrong! Luther literally though that sex was more necessary than eating, drinking, and sleeping. No wonder the evangelical church has issues with sex.
What I especially appreciated about this book was that Rivera doesn’t try to convince the reader that same-sex marriage is Biblical or not, or whether Christians should be allowed to transition. Instead, with remarkable grace and tact, she demonstrates how the church hurts LGBTQ people on either side of the argument and how we can extend more grace to everyone involved, because this “issue” is ultimately about people.
My favourite part was about celibacy, especially the history of how the Reformation completely turned everything about sex on its head—turns out that both the Catholics and Reformers were wrong! Luther literally though that sex was more necessary than eating, drinking, and sleeping. No wonder the evangelical church has issues with sex.
What I especially appreciated about this book was that Rivera doesn’t try to convince the reader that same-sex marriage is Biblical or not, or whether Christians should be allowed to transition. Instead, with remarkable grace and tact, she demonstrates how the church hurts LGBTQ people on either side of the argument and how we can extend more grace to everyone involved, because this “issue” is ultimately about people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
More...