An unconventional but sometimes persuasive biblical reading.
King challenges mainstream Evangelical thinking on same-sex relationships in this revisionist Christian work.
Although the book’s title may seem ridiculous at first glance, King isn’t being facetious. The author, the founding pastor of the Reignite Palm Springs Apostolic and Prophetic church, argues that God does, in fact, have a plan for the LGBTQ+ community and that it’s telegraphed in Scripture. While addressing the six so-called “clobber passages”—those lines in the Bible that conservative Christians most frequently cite to argue that God deems homosexuality to be immoral—King lays out how misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and ahistorical homophobia have caused people to use these references in ways that the writers of Scripture did not intend. He also analyzes the history of the modern church, arguing that Evangelicals, in particular, have lost their way, suffering from the “spirit of stupor” mentioned in the Book of Romans. According to King’s interpretation, God has a plan for the LGTBQ+ community, just as he had a plan for the gentiles in biblical times. Specifically, the author says that God intends to make the LGBTQ+ people “the object of His affection,” which will awaken the Evangelical community “from their spirit of stupor.” When Evangelical Christians persecute LGBTQ+ people or attempt to expel them from their ranks, he asserts, they are, in fact, working against God’s plan—the last thing that any devout Christian should want to do. King writes with urgency and precision, whether offering close biblical analysis or sifting through salient research: “Sexual orientation is a fundamental attraction; it’s the way a person is wired.” That said, King says that he believes that the Bible is the literal word of God, and that it does indeed have plenty of criticisms of nonreligious members of the LGBTQ+ community. As such, his arguments are unlikely to draw many secular people to religion, which one of his stated aims. Still, his willingness to challenge the status quo should be of interest to Bible scholars and theologians, and his interpretation could aid LGBTQ+ Christians and their allies as they look to counter anti-gay arguments.
An unconventional but sometimes persuasive biblical reading.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1525586620
Page Count: 276
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
