Gay Girl, Good God - Jackie Hill Perry
Published by B&H Publishing Group: Nashville, Tennessee, 2018.
This book is bound to be controversial for a lot of people, but being an autobiography is something that should be carefully read, rather than pre-judged.
Jackie Hill Perry tells of her life, her self-identification as a lesbian, her journey to faith, and then her journey to walk away from her homosexuality. A 'spoken word artist', Jackie tells her story in a very unconventional manner. With the exception of the last few chapters of the book (which are more of a Q&A section) the book reads like lyrics, flowing in and out of scenes in a poetic way, describing something vividly yet vaguely before touching on another area or event from a completely different part of her walk. The journey is fascinating, difficult yet rich. As is the topic.
Obviously the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality is a difficult one in our modern world, and Jackie doesn't hold back from warning Christians that a lot of their language and behaviour towards homosexuals (she re-labels them as "SSA", or "Same-Sex Attracted" individuals) has been judgmental and unhelpful. "Gay-Conversion" camps would not be something that Jackie endorses! And yet, neither does Jackie argue for simply 'accepting' SSAttraction as a normal part of life that should be embraced. She discusses the difference between a desire and acting on that desire, and argues that God calls straight people to lay down their sexuality as much as SSAs. She also argues that no matter what desires a person might feel inside, the greatest calling is not to "feel certain desires" or "pursue heterosexual marriage", but to follow Christ.
"For the unbeliever that is SSA, God is not mainly calling them to be straight; He's calling them to Himself. To know Christ, love Christ, serve Christ, honour Christ, and exalt Christ, forever. When He is the aim of their repentance, and the object of their faith, they are made right with God the Father and given the power by the Holy Spirit to deny all sin - sexual and otherwise. Someone trying to pursue heterosexuality and not holiness is just as far from right standing with God as someone actively pursuing homosexuality. And in fact, when an SSA Christian pursues heterosexuality as the goal instead of Christ, they will ultimately find themselves merely replacing one idol for the other. Through abiding in Him and walking in the holiness that no one can see without the Lord (Hebrews 12:14), SSA Christians, even when alive to same-sex temptations, are able to choose God over their previous sexual identity. Their identity as image-bearers, and not their sexual impulses, is the primary identifier that many SSA men and women desperately need to hear from the pulpits and the pews. If sexuality was their (and our) primary identity, then that would make sexuality our primary call. But we were not ultimately made for sex; we were made for God and His glory alone (Col. 1:16)." (pages 180-181).
Most people in our world will have some take on this topic. 'Straight' Christians may feel one way, SSA Christians another, and non-believers another! Which is why I find a book like this SO important. It is easy for us to make a judgment on a difficult subject like this from afar, or based only on what we can determine in our own minds. Jackie presents her own walk, talks about the reality and relationship that she has experienced with God, and draws conclusions from that.
A very challenging, very different, and very important book.
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