Scan barcode
A review by quaerentia
Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry
3.0
There’s no doubt that Jackie’s story is a remarkable one. And you can never ‘argue’ with a testimony, apart from quibbling with how someone interprets their experiences perhaps. So I’m full of admiration and empathy, especially because of the really tough and grim things that happened to her in early years.
I guess my reservations (resulting in only 3*) were on the criterion of how lendable this might be to those for whom these are very live issues.
- For all the challenges, church and Christianity were not alien nor incomprehensible (even though she feared and despised them when in a relationship). So there didn’t seem a major paradigm shift to undergo (though I may have missed it)
- she moves very quickly to accepting what to outsiders seems a very tough and hardline biblical position. So I didn’t feel there was much of an apologetic of quite how she came to accept, either intellectually or emotionally
- as I said, you can’t argue with a testimony or story. So I’m not blaming anybody for this! But she was a teenager, albeit one in an intense lesbian relationship, when she came to Christ and changed her views (she’s quick to reject even hints of that unhelpful ‘cure’ narrative). I couldn’t help be concerned about her ex partner, for example. Whether from discretion or another motive, she chooses to say little about her.
- Jackie’s writing style and the story’s structure are creative and a little quirky! I enjoyed that but I know that it makes things a little less accessible than they might be.
Having said all that, I’m very glad she’s written this, I am glad I read it and I know it will helps you. I’m just not sure it will do much more than preach to the choir.
I guess my reservations (resulting in only 3*) were on the criterion of how lendable this might be to those for whom these are very live issues.
- For all the challenges, church and Christianity were not alien nor incomprehensible (even though she feared and despised them when in a relationship). So there didn’t seem a major paradigm shift to undergo (though I may have missed it)
- she moves very quickly to accepting what to outsiders seems a very tough and hardline biblical position. So I didn’t feel there was much of an apologetic of quite how she came to accept, either intellectually or emotionally
- as I said, you can’t argue with a testimony or story. So I’m not blaming anybody for this! But she was a teenager, albeit one in an intense lesbian relationship, when she came to Christ and changed her views (she’s quick to reject even hints of that unhelpful ‘cure’ narrative). I couldn’t help be concerned about her ex partner, for example. Whether from discretion or another motive, she chooses to say little about her.
- Jackie’s writing style and the story’s structure are creative and a little quirky! I enjoyed that but I know that it makes things a little less accessible than they might be.
Having said all that, I’m very glad she’s written this, I am glad I read it and I know it will helps you. I’m just not sure it will do much more than preach to the choir.