Loading...
18th out of 154 books
—
70 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America
by
Mel White
White examines his own life as a devout Christian, husband, father, and preacher, and details the extreme and painful measures he took to deny his natural sexual desires. He provides a shocking firsthand account of the methods and tactics the religious right uses to wage a campaign of fear and hatred against homosexuals. National ad/media.
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
April 1st 1995
by Plume Books
(first published 1994)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
313)
For any Christian who struggles with the issue of homosexuality (especially if he/she wonders if people are born gay, or choose to be gay)...this book will help. Mel White grew up in a Strict Baptist home and knew he was different from a very young age. He fought it every way he knew how; prayer, confession, good deeds, penance, and electro-shock treatment. His final "fight" was his long term marriage. His ex-wife writes a moving forward in the book and they are today close friends. As...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Very powerful and moving book. While some parts were a little tedious or repetitive, those parts rarely went on for more than a paragraph, let alone a page; most of the story was engaging and easy to relate to. It's an inspiring account of White's struggle to find out who he was and what he believed -- a struggle many people, young and old, find themselves in today. Regardless of one's religious beliefs, I think that this is a very important read in this day and age; hopefully, this book can ope...more
The story of a person who tried to please God and the people ze loved and admired by hiding part of zirself, until ze realized that not only did God love all of zir, but ze had a responsibility to speak out against the injustice done to LGBT people, especially by Christians. In places it was quite gripping, but overall, too repetitive and disorganized. I think it suffered from trying to be two things at once -- an honest, in-depth autobiography, and an explanation of how fundamentalists have i...more
Kate
rated it
Mel White has done amazing things for the LGBT community when it comes to faith justice. This book and his involvement in the MCC sort of "started it all" for him. He has now moved into the territory of civil disobedience with the aim of achieving equal rights for the LGBT community by founding "Soulforce." I have nothing but respect for him and his work.
Mel White has quite the life story: A former ghost writer for the likes of Jerry Falwell and other conservative Christian honchos, he was married with two children and then came out as a gay man when in his 40s. This account starts with his childhood (as it should) and works up from there to his activism in the present. He is a good writer, but unfortunately this memoir sometimes gets bogged down in self-involvement. He really didn't need to delineate all of his relational-sexual exploits for th...more
Zigforas
rated it
Recommends it for:
Evangelical Christians, and others
Recommended to Zigforas by:
MSW program
I found reading this intensely powerful. It made me feel immense sorrow for the religiously-based beliefs I have held in the past about homosexuality and shock at the things I never knew about the people behind the people who encouraged and fostered these beliefs. Mel White's story is a powerful testimony for greater inclusion and love in the evangelical church for gays and lesbians.
This book made me realize that it truly is acceptable to be gay and Christian. So many Christian churches make gays feel that they have to choose one or the other, but not both. That is a lie!
A radical story of a man heavily involved with the far right... and his journey out from under it, as well as his journey out of self-denial.
I wasn't quite sure how I felt about his view on the subject of homosexulaity & Christianity. It definately was eye- opening to learn the difficulties that most proclaimed Christians endure when discovering that they're attracted to the same sex, then trying to evaluate what that means for them spiritually. I do have a great deal of respect for the author and his boldness to share his story. If you're struggling with this subject, no matter what your sexual orienation, I encourage you to deeply ...more
have to say that his experiences in coming out and being christian mirror my own, except about a decade earlier....
A fantastic read. Will forever chane your mind on being gay and christian.
If you are gay and were raised in an evangelical Christian home, this book needs to be on your shelf. As Mel described his thoughts and feelings during his journey of coming to terms with who he is, I frequently found myself nodding along in complete understanding. This book reminded me that so many of us, who have suffered for years because of the many messages we heard growing up from our churches, our families, and members of the Religious Right, share very similar stories.
Perhap...more
Perhap...more
Karina
is currently reading it
I'm reading this for a class, but its surpassingly interesting.
This is Soulforce founder Mel White's memoir of living as a closeted, married, gay evangelical through coming out. As a former ghost writer for numerous religious conservatives (Falwell, Robertson, for example), White has an intriguing story and a special insight into that world.
This is a fascinating book about a Christian leader from the 60's and his journey into a homosexual lifestyle. It illustrates how much of a "god" homosexuality can be, as he obviously warps and distorts his theology to fit his behavioral choices.
Christina
rated it
a little sentimental and apologetic, but still an interesting read: a gay baptist minister who's in with the religious right- and comes out anyway.
It is flawed like all memoirs, but it manages to get out without seeming pretentious.
It is flawed like all memoirs, but it manages to get out without seeming pretentious.
This book changed my life. Mel White's struggle with being gay and Christian helped set me on a journey to reconcile my faith and sexual orientation. A fascinating biography.
I have read this book a number of times. Mel White has an awesome testimony for all Christians to read and be open to learning about Christians and homomsexuality.
Mel White's harrowing account of his own self deception and the encouragement he received from the Christian community to maintain it.
Very compelling.
Wow! Deep book.
Arvind
marked it as to-read
Bridget Ware
marked it as to-read
Rose
marked it as to-read
Jami
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
