Book Review: Is God anti-Gay?

"Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." -Mark 8:34

Over the past twelve years, I have received more questions from church members about homosexuality than I did ten years ago. I think Dr. Molher captured how so many church leaders feel about the increase in this discussion when he said at the Southern Baptist Convention, "we have a bus parked on our feet." I fear that many people and pastors seeking to honor the LORD fear or are very uncomfortable with this topic. I once heard a pastor talking about this issue who just shook his head and grunted in disgust, which I found unhelpful. In a church our size, it would be ridicules to think there is not one person who struggles with this issue. If you or someone you love struggles with this issue, please read this book.

This book that Pastor Sam Allberry wrote, is an excellent read that I would recommend to anyone who has questions or struggles with this topic. Pastor Allberry admits that he struggles with Same Sex Attraction (SSA), making an important distinction from being gay. Allberry makes an important distinction, we are more than our sexual identity/desires! On page 11, he quotes Mark 8:34, and concludes, 

"It is saying "No" to your deepest sense of who you are, for the sake of Christ. To take up a cross is to declare your life (as you have known it) forfeit."

One of my favorite quotes from the book is on page 32 when he goes on to say,

"All of us have desires that are warped as a result of our fallen nature. Desires for things God has forbidden are a reflection of how sin has distorted me, not how God has made me."

Pastor Allberry is right on the mark biblically. I don't think that God hates any one sin more than any other, Christ died for all. There is tremendous pressure to change the word of God to suit present desires of this age (see 2 Timothy 4:3). He also gives help to those who have come out, and those who have had someone come out in this lifestyle. The book helps us think sensibly, sensitively, and biblically. I applaud Pastor Allberry for having the courage and strength by God's grace to fight his sin and to write about his struggle for all to see. I give this book two thumbs up! Way Up!