A great resource to share with your conservative family members who aren’t sure whether they’re ready to fully affirm LGBTQ people. 

I’ve been meaning to read this book for years and I’m so glad I’ve finally done it (I’m not that much of a reader, but trying to change that!!). 

This book is written in such an accessible and non-judgemental way, so that whatever your stance is, this book will hopefully resonate with you. 

Matthew Vines takes all the main Bible passages which are used to argue against same-sex marriage and walks us through the original meanings of them in their original contexts. I never quite realised before reading this book how much, for example, misogyny is intertwined with homophobia. Honestly, I am really shocked at how much of the non-affirming Christian narrative is based either off mistranslations of the original scripture or the social norms at the time of writing which are far from relevant to us in the 21st century. 

I am so grateful for this book, and I urge anyone who is curious about this topic to have a read - I cannot emphasise how much I have learnt!

This is a meticulously researched and persuasively written exploration of what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. As someone who holds a high view of God's Word, I appreciate Vines' work in unpacking the cultural context and historical changes in interpretation of the Old and New Testament passages that are used against the LGBTQIA+ community. I wish I had read this book four years ago, when I was coming to terms with my sexuality and how it intersected with my faith. 

My biggest (and only) critique is that I don't think it goes far enough. In affirming only monogamous same-sex relationships between gay Christians, and not taking aim at the broader Christian sexual ethic, many members of the LGBTQIA+ community are left behind. This book is about 10 years old now though, so I wonder what Vines' current thoughts are. 

This was everything I wanted and more. Absolutely fantastic breakdown of the reasons given for a non-affirming view on LGBTQ+ Christians and then showing how these points are either not present in the bible or can be interpreted differently. Written in a way that is easily understandable as well as deep and theological. I recommend everyone read this.