Karl's Reading List

Published by B&H Publishing Group: Nashville, Tennessee, 2021. This is the second book I've read by Jackie Hill Perry, and is very different from her first book . Partially this is because her first book was a biography; partially it is the different styles in which the two books are written. Perry is a spoken word artist, and this influenced her first book in its structure - scenes would flow in and out, back and forth, and use various poetic features to emphasis different points. Holier Than Thou is a far more 'traditionally' structured book, and as a result was an 'easier' read for me. It took a bit longer to get through, however, because the subject matter of this book requires a bit more time to ponder. Like the best theology books, I would find myself reading a small section and then not being able to read on, because I was still processing what I had just read. As the title may suggest, Holier Than Thou is all about God's holiness and our response to ...

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 Christian...