Scan barcode
A review by shansometimes
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-Vs.-Christians Debate by Justin Lee
4.0
This is such a necessary book. As a gay Christian man, the author, Justin Lee, has been a trusted resource on LGBTQ+ issues as they intersect with the Church for at least a decade. TORN is part memoir, part instruction manual, and part theological overview. It covers all of these things well. This review is for the updated and revised edition released in May 2024, which offers an expanded examination of current movements and how the author's knowledge has broadened over the past 12+ years since the first edition was published.
The target audience for TORN seems to be conservative Christians who have LGBTQ+ family members and friends and feel torn about how to think about who they are and what a relationship with them should look like. I'm not exactly the target audience for this book, and I realized that as soon as I started thinking that Lee was being too soft on this audience. However, I appreciate this book for what it is, and I know that a more direct approach probably wouldn't land with the people he's trying to reach.
TORN is a compassionate and informed resource in which Lee shares his experience growing up in fundamentalist Christian spaces, realizing he's gay and not wanting to be, encountering the brand of Christianity that believes that conversion therapy works, going to great lengths to find a way to change his sexuality or find ways to honor God as a gay man, and his very slow journey to consider other options for his life, his view of God, and the ways he had been taught to interpret the Bible. Impressively, his faith remained solid through it all. I admired his strength in the face of people who seemed committed to misunderstanding him and allergic to humility when considering theological viewpoints other than their own.
Lee covers a lot of ground in TORN—more than I can mention here—and shares a lot of insight with the goal of healing divisions in families and churches. My main criticism is that he could've wrapped it up sooner with the last few chapters. Again, this book is so necessary, and I'm glad it exists. I hope it finds its way into the hands of Christians who feel torn about their relationships with LGBTQ+ loved ones and results in a lot less harm being done in the future.
*This review is based on a digital advance copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.
The target audience for TORN seems to be conservative Christians who have LGBTQ+ family members and friends and feel torn about how to think about who they are and what a relationship with them should look like. I'm not exactly the target audience for this book, and I realized that as soon as I started thinking that Lee was being too soft on this audience. However, I appreciate this book for what it is, and I know that a more direct approach probably wouldn't land with the people he's trying to reach.
TORN is a compassionate and informed resource in which Lee shares his experience growing up in fundamentalist Christian spaces, realizing he's gay and not wanting to be, encountering the brand of Christianity that believes that conversion therapy works, going to great lengths to find a way to change his sexuality or find ways to honor God as a gay man, and his very slow journey to consider other options for his life, his view of God, and the ways he had been taught to interpret the Bible. Impressively, his faith remained solid through it all. I admired his strength in the face of people who seemed committed to misunderstanding him and allergic to humility when considering theological viewpoints other than their own.
Lee covers a lot of ground in TORN—more than I can mention here—and shares a lot of insight with the goal of healing divisions in families and churches. My main criticism is that he could've wrapped it up sooner with the last few chapters. Again, this book is so necessary, and I'm glad it exists. I hope it finds its way into the hands of Christians who feel torn about their relationships with LGBTQ+ loved ones and results in a lot less harm being done in the future.
*This review is based on a digital advance copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.