I received my first 3 recommendations from a PDX meetup group of gay Christians. I actually found the group two weeks before I planned to leave Portland, OR (March 7, 2018) and so it was a bitter-sweet time to encounter other like-minded homosexuals, half of whom had been in long-term partnerships and half of whom were alone, single, and in many cases, experiencing rejection or distance from their families. I was fresh off Miracle Sunday, and passionately shared parts of My Story with them. In some ways, they were one of my initial test audiences for my autobiography.

My final week in Dunedin had mediocre weather. I had seen most of the sites the city had to offer, and I was feeling lonely, so I threw myself into these recommendations. September 23-29 had me voraciously devouring all 3 recommendations from this group.

Recommendation #2 from Josiah Halajian

Torn by Justin Lee

According to the write-up on Amazon

As a teenager and young man, Justin Lee felt deeply torn. Nicknamed “God Boy” by his peers, he knew that he was called to a life in the evangelical Christian ministry. But Lee harbored a secret: He also knew that he was gay. In this groundbreaking book, Lee recalls the events–his coming out to his parents, his experiences with the “ex-gay” movement, and his in-depth study of the Bible–that led him, eventually, to self-acceptance.

But more than just a memoir, TORN provides insightful, practical guidance for all committed Christians who wonder how to relate to gay friends or family members–or who struggle with their own sexuality. Convinced that “in a culture that sees gays and Christians as enemies, gay Christians are in a unique position to bring peace,” Lee demonstrates that people of faith on both sides of the debate can respect, learn from, and love one another.

Torn was actually the first of the 3 recommendations that I read from the PDX meetup group of gay Christians. It came out in 2012, 4 years before Blue Babies Pink, and I was interested to see what conclusions Justin had reached. In many ways, I was woefully out of touch with the gays-vs.-christians debate as I had no idea what conclusion was reached in this book. But I liked it that way. It kept it suspenseful to the end.

It provides a a different perspective and feel than Blue Babies Pink, as it is much more focused on reconciling the biblical texts regarding homosexuality as well as speaking to Christians. A specific chapter deals with the six texts that mention homosexuality in the Bible, and another chapter has a call-to-action for Christians in their response to the LGBT community.

But, while reading it, I again felt that this wasn’t My Story. Justin’s journey looked very different from mine, because I had forsaken my Christianity while he had doggedly held on to his. So, while we both come to powerful realizations in the conclusions to our stories, his came from in-depth study of the Bible, while mine came from signs, mysteries, and miracles.

I’m glad this is the #2 recommendation on my list, as it makes the #1 and #2 recommendations two completely different looks into growing up in as a gay kid in the American Christian church. And since you know how much I LOVE trinities…there will soon be a third recommendation that is also a coming out story (hint – it’s not recommendation #3).