People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue

by Preston M. Sprinkle, Wesley Hill (Foreword)

Christians who are confused by the homosexuality debate raging in the US are looking for resources that are based solidly on a deep study of what Scripture says about the issue. In People to Be Loved, Preston Sprinkle challenges those on all sides of the debate to consider what the Bible says and how we should approach the topic of homosexuality in light of it.

In a manner that appeals to a scholarly and lay-audience alike, Preston takes on difficult questions such as how should the church treat people struggling with same-sex attraction? Is same-sex attraction a product of biological or societal factors or both? How should the church think about larger cultural issues, such as gay marriage, gay pride, and whether intolerance over LGBT amounts to racism? How (or if) Christians should do business with LGBT persons and supportive companies?

Simply saying that the Bible condemns homosexuality is not accurate, nor is it enough to end the debate. Those holding a traditional view still struggle to reconcile the Bible’s prohibition of same-sex attraction with the message of radical, unconditional grace. This book meets that need.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Faith, LGBT, Christian Living

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2015

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the title and blurb of this book, I had high hopes for it (which is why I requested it for review).

But then I saw that the author had co-written Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up with Francis Chan. Which didn’t bode well because that is a poorly written, unscholarly, non-researched piece of propaganda. (For my full review on the subject, go here.)

So, I attempted to jump into this book as objectively as I could.

And the book starts out really strong. It seems like he really does attempt to have some compassion, and really does attempt good research

“I frequently wake up way before my alarm, haunted by the pain that Christians have caused gay people.”

I think he really wants to do right.

His section on the terms that we should use was spot on. I don’t think I’ve read a Christian book about this subject (by someone who was not gay) where so much care was taken about what terms are important to the LGBT community.

He understands that:

“…most people who are attracted to the same sex don’t end up leaving the church because they were told that same-sex behavior is wrong. They leave because they were dehumanized, ridiculed, and treated like an ‘other.'”

This is so, so true. And he tries so, so hard to be compassionate. And I really appreciate that.

“If the gospel is not good news for gay people, then it’s not good news.”

I agree. But I think that it’s ironic (in light of the book he wrote with Chan) that he paraphrases Rob Bell: “If the gospel isn’t good news for everybody, then it isn’t good news for anybody.”

I’m glad that he takes issue with this:

"I love the Bible and I cherish its life-giving words. But like a gladiator’s sword, some of its passages are dripping with blood. They have been wielded with reckless ignorance to slash open old wounds and carve out new ones. Razor-sharp verses are thrust between the ribs of people…”

But he follows it up with a story about a woman who was abused by her father, and isn’t gay, but will only have relationships with women. This is a really poor example, but it plays right into his nature-nurture beliefs.

I appreciate a lot of the conclusions that he comes to, given that he believes that maintaining a homosexual relationship is wrong. He’s much more loving and compassionate than I’ve seen any other writer. But the way he comes to believe that homosexuality is a sin is problematic in light of his compassion and research.

“This book is written for Christians, those who consider the Bible to be authoritative.”

But what he doesn’t say here, it is also for those who have a very specific hermeneutic (or way of interpreting the Bible) – that they also consider the Bible to be pretty much all literal, and that it can be used to find prooftexts to prove what is right and what is wrong.

He goes on to say, “You may find it shocking, but most scholars who have written books about homosexuality in the last forty years have concluded that the Bible does not condemn consensual, monogamous, same-sex relations.” At least he’s honest, but then he will go on to disagree with “most scholars”.

It would probably be easiest to go through the arguments that he makes for determining that the Bible (and therefore God) condemns being actively homosexual.

Genesis

First of all, there’s Genesis.

The first thing Sprinkle relies on is the creation story. Not the ‘Adam and Steve’ argument; he agrees that this argument is stupid.

He says:

“Three things seem to be necessary for marriage according to Genesis 2: (1) both partners need to be human, (2) both partners come from different families (2:24), and—if I’m right about kenegdo [a Greek word he brings up in the text -JM] —(3) both partners display sexual difference.”

But (and it’s a big but), this assumes that 1) Genesis 1 is literal (and that all evangelical Christians believe this); and 2) That this creation ‘story’ is intended to be the model for all relationships going forward; and 3) That Adam and Eve’s children married someone from outside their family.

These are some pretty big assumptions that are plainly not addressed

But he also hinges this argument on the idea that Genesis 1 and 2 are intended to be taken as a single unit. The problem with that is most scholars don’t believe that this is true. Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are two separate creation stories that most scholars agree with written by two different people.

On top of that, he notes where Jesus and Paul refer to “men and women” and tries to tie it back to Genesis 1-2 to try to force a rule out of Genesis 1. This is a bit of a stretch.

It’s such an ultra-legalistic way of looking at the Bible: to mine it for rules to follow. Aren’t there enough direct commands in the Bible that we don’t have to try to piece together to invent new ones?

But he does finish the chapter with this discussion by saying there’s not enough here to settle the debate. So at least he doesn’t think he’s done.

Leviticus (and Jewish Law)

I really like what he says about Sodom:

“What chilling hypocrisy: some Christians who have “excess of food, and prosperous ease” and fail to “aid the poor and needy”— the sins that caused heaven to rumble—have the audacity to condemn gay people when, according to the Bible, they [Christians] are the real Sodomites. Six thousand children die daily from hunger and preventable diseases. Still, some Christians shed more tears over the repeal of DOMA and Prop 8.”

This is what the Bible teaches, though most Christians overlook it

He’s willing to say that Sodom wasn’t destroyed for sexual sin, but goes through some amazing mental gymnastics to indicate that Leviticus is still binding to Christians.

He wants to argue that if the Jews had to follow it, we do too, unless there is a specific command in the New Testament that refutes it. But didn’t Paul say that this isn’t about law anymore? Do evangelicals really believe that the Old Testament is a source for us to find rules and laws to follow? After Paul says we are no longer under the law?

And then he drops this.

“Leviticus 18:19 says that a man shouldn’t have sex with his wife while she is menstruating, and some people say that this law is no longer binding. I’ve never actually seen a good argument that shows why it’s totally okay for a husband to have sex while his wife is menstruating.”

What? What?? WHAT?!?

You’re actually going to suggest that the Levitical law that a man could not have sex with his wife while on her period may actually be binding to believers today?? (He’s arguing here that all the sex rules in Leviticus 19-20 still apply.)

Note: this is when I knew the book was really running off the rails.

So to make this an anti-gay prooftext, you’re going to suggest that a man sins every time he has sex with his wife if she’s on her period? Are you really going to base your argument on this??

Jesus

This isn’t much better.

Sprinkle seems to believe that when Jesus said he came, not to abolish the law, he really intended for us to set up a complex system of prooftexts whereby we cross-reference the Old Testament with the New Testament to come up with every specific rule God wants us to follow. Really? Even in the light of the Greatest Commands (see Matthew 22)?

So, Christianity is still about mining the Bible for laws?

Sprinkle’s hermeneutic is so messed up: A) All of Genesis is literal. B) We have the Bible primarily for figuring out which laws to follow.

This evangelical hermeneutic is all about believing that God dropped the Bible from heaven, created as a single thing – just like the earth in Genesis 1. It doesn’t take into account that it was written by fallible men (even if they were inspired) and definitely doesn’t take into account that it was assembled by fallible men (that many evangelicals don’t even suggest were inspired.)

So, we have to follow every OT law ever unless the NT specifically redacts it? Crazy. Especially in light of what Sprinkle believes about Paul’s letters.

Sprinkle says:

“I don’t want to put words in Jesus’ mouth. But I also don’t want to recreate Jesus in our twenty-first-century, Western, postmodern, do-whatever-feels-right-for-you image. Jesus is not some ethical Gumby that we can bend around our personal desires.

Because this is what people who aren’t Sprinkle are doing. I feel some of the compassion melt away here – as if to say ‘this is what you people are doing.’

“Jesus cares deeply about obedience. Not man-made, legalistic obedience cooked up by twentieth-century American fundamentalism, but that radical, counterintuitive, life-giving obedience to our gracious Creator.”

What’s the difference, Mr. Sprinkle? I’m not sure he could tell us.

Then he keeps saying that he’s not comparing gays to tax collectors. But he keeps comparing gays to tax collectors.

Paul

Romans 1. “Their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature…men committed shameful acts with other men.”

According to Sprinkle, this is unequivocally all-inclusive of every same-sex relationship. I just can’t get there. Even trying to follow all the mental gymnastics he takes to get there.

He relies on the interpretation of a specific Greek term to indicate all same-sex relations. the phrase is para physin and it means “contrary to nature”. It doesn’t translate literally as “gay sex”. Though he suggests that is what it is used for all through the ancient world. So when Paul uses this phrase in Romans 11:24 when he talks about Gentiles and Jews worshipping together, and a wild olive tree branch being grafted onto a domesticated olive tree – he’s definitely talking about gay sex here, too? Oh – Sprinkle discusses this…but still. To suggest that this phrase is always used throughout the ancient world to talk about homosexual activity is a stretch. Especially since he admits most of these writers also thought that non-procreative sex was contrary to nature.

1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1. Both of these use other Greek words that are sometimes translated as homosexual in one way or another.

While many scholars have come to many different conclusions about what the Greek words mean in these passages, Sprinkle agreed with the ones that say this includes any sexual relationships between two men.

This is why I have such a problem with Evangelicalism and fundamentalism. They suggest to know God’s intention when he wrote the Bible. They say they aren’t using their own reason. They say it’s just scriptural authority. Again, as my daughter would say, “But…is it?”

This is why books like this, couched in such compassionate language may be even more dangerous then books that just are out right anti-gay like one I just reviewed (The Beauty of Intolerance: Setting a Generation Free to Know Truth and Love). Because he makes a pretense to be compassionate and the pretense to research, but the logic is just as bad.

The second ½ of the book discusses how we should be or act toward the LGBT community. And while he says a lot of good stuff, some of the stuff is still troubling.

While he focuses on the fact that the scientific community doesn’t fully know where it lands on the nature-nurture debate, they do agree that it’s largely unchangeable. But if it’s nurture, shouldn’t it be able to be changed?

He’s a bit soft reparative therapy: “many people didn’t experience the change they were expecting and sometimes promised.” No – it just doesn’t really work at all, Preston. That’s why Exodus International closed its doors.

He talks about the two other options (besides reparative therapy) that are open to Christians who are gay. (Well, he suggests Christians who are gay shouldn’t call themselves gay. Whatever.)

The first is the Mixed Orientation Marriage. This is when a gay person marries a straight person of the opposite sex. But he only gives 2 anecdotes to support that this is a plausible idea.

The second is celibacy. Which he doesn’t do justice to. I mean, unless a gay Christian is willing to marry someone of the opposite sex, to Sprinkle, celibacy is the only option (if they want to remain a Christian). He’s suggesting God would force someone who is gay to remain celibate for their whole life. He feels like Matthew Vines (in God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships) misrepresents the problems that this causes. And goes on to talk about the “gift of singleness”. I feel like he’s really downplaying this as an option.

And the there’s the discussion of whether or not just having the orientation is a sin. Sprinkle concludes it’s not. But, really? Is this even worthy of a discussion? This is insane.

He ends on a decent note, talking about the importance of treating people in the LGBT community like Jesus would have. With the same love and compassion you treat anyone else. And that’s all good. But still. This isn’t something I could recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Brent Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue offers a compassionate and humanizing explanation of a non-affirming Christian position, but struggles to bring serious challenge to Christian same-sex proponents.

I was aware of the author from their work on the topic of non-violence. With this in mind I was eager to see Preston Sprinkle bring his attention to an issue currently causing massive strife and division within the Church. Right off the bat Sprinkle acknowledges this is a complex topic that defies easy answers and that this merely his first word on the topic, not the last.

The introductory chapter is an honest and brutal recounting of heartbreaking personal stories. Sprinkle uses them to remind the reader that whatever one's position on homosexual people, they are still people and thus worthy of dignity, respect and above all our love. A seemingly obvious point of fact that, sadly, the Church has often failed to acknowledge. He adds: "I love the Bible and I cherish its life-giving words. But like a gladiator’s sword, some of its passages are dripping with blood. They have been wielded with reckless ignorance to slash open old wounds and carve out new ones."

Sprinkle contrasts this response to the gospels, where Jesus draws close to all kinds of broken, sinful and marginalized people. He adds "And none walk away wanting to kill themselves". It is a chilling critique on Christianity's frequent failure to some of society's most isolated and vulnerable members.

The author then launches into a balanced critique of both affirming and non-affirming positions on homosexuality from the Bible, working from the ground up. It starts promisingly enough, with an even-handed discussion of biblical marriage that staggered me in its courage and frankness. But it is shortly after this that I feel the wheels fall off and the scales become heavily weighted to one side.

His defense of the infamous "clobber verses" in Leviticus (18:22 & 20:13) draws the conclusion that while other Levitical laws might no longer still apply, the sexual laws are most certainly still binding to Christians. This leads to Sprinkle specifically defending the law against having sex with a menstruating wife as being just as legally binding to Christians as 18:22 & 20:13. A position that'd would sound reasonable were the Church equally haranguing such couples to the point of suicide for their sinful behavior.

He then grants that many Christians don't consider this law binding and despite the fact "there's no evidence for this" position, but even if this law isn't binding the rest of the sex commands still are. We're left to draw our own conclusions as to why this particular sex law gets special exemption.

Another example is in his treatment of the word arsenokoites, which he looks to only a handful of non-biblical uses of the word before concluding it means "man who sleeps with men". However, as Greek Scholar Dr. Anne Nyland notes "it does not apply exclusively to males as the receptors, as it was also used for women receptors" (The source New Testament, Smith and Stirling, 2004. p.314). This is reason enough to doubt Sprinkle's definition.

Having reconstructed the biblical position on homosexuality, we continue by exploring what Sprinkle sees as the three options for same-sex attracted Christians. The first is Reparative Therapy, which he concedes is massively ineffective and produces mostly minor changes when it does work. Next is a "mixed-orientation (MO) marriage", which encourages homosexuals to marry straight members of the opposite sex. The final alternative is Celibacy. Sprinkle rejects that this is a sentence to misery and depression denying the happiness that could be found in a same-sex marriage by pointing out:

"I know many married people who are incredibly lonely and depressed. Just look at the number of people who get divorced, have an affair (emotional or physical), or become addicted to porn after they get married. Some of the loneliest people I know are married."

If this is honestly how he views heterosexual marriage, one wonders what hope those recommended to mixed-orientation marriages, where one partner starts out with considerably less attraction to their spouse, stand of happiness.

Despite these frustrations, I thoroughly enjoyed People To Be Loved, when Sprinkle relates our response to homosexuality to the Gospel message. It is here that Sprinkle's pastoral strength lies and it provides a wealth of spiritual food to chew on, even though we clearly draw very different conclusions about a biblical understanding of monogamous same sex relationships. Such as when he asks the challenging question of "what would happen if Christians were known more by their radical, otherworldly love for gay people than their stance against gay sex?". That's a vision of the kingdom I think we all share in.

Ultimately I think People To Be Loved is better presented as a primer to homosexuality and the Gospel message for those who've possibly yet to encounter homosexuality or do so only at a distances and see homosexuals as boogeyman. People who'd find the personal testimonies contained within a uniquely humanizing contact with an abstract topic. The people who are convinced, as Sprinkle puts it, that "gay pride is why Sodom fried".

Approached in this manner, I think People To Be Loved is a useful source of education, not only to correct that common misconception about Sodom, but also to offer a gentle but forceful reminder that regardless of your own position on the issue, the commandment to love the sinner means a dramatic turnaround in Church attitudes towards homosexuals across the theological spectrum. One that does so fully respecting the personhood and dignity of homosexuals.

The book itself highlights this, telling the story of how he gave a number of his students an assignment to interview an LGBT person. While none of them experienced a sudden reversal of their beliefs, they each grew in compassion, love and understanding for people who experience same-sex attraction.

If People To Be Loved can impact people in the same manner, that alone makes it a worthwhile read.

[Hunter Smithpeters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Posture taken by Sprinkle couldn't be better. Learned a ton on the topic and learned how to think about "people". Leave conservative propaganda at the door.

[Kristel Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preston takes the reader on a journey. It’s clear he takes scripture seriously and it’s also clear he loves people. I appreciate that he isn’t quick to draw conclusions, but allows space for people to wrestle with the text and listen to the stories of the LGBTQ community. Highly recommend!

[Peter Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sprinkle is one of those folks who thinks himself conservative, but is really a half step away from being a full-blown liberal. This mindset skews his entire approach. He thinks he is holding the line. The reality he is part of a rear-guard action that has retreated into the keep in hopes that the enemy will finally go away. But they won't and surrender is inevitable. If the best you can say about a book is that at least he doesn't think men should sleep with men, it isn't a conservative book. He qualifies everything to death. He makes sure conservative Christians understand they are usually a much bigger problem than gays are. He isn't even sure about excommunicating practicing homosexuals. Maybe, possibly, in a few select circumstances we could go this far. Sodom and Gomorrah has nothing to say to us about sodomy. Greedy, rich, coveting Christians are really the problem here, not gays. On and on it goes. The feeling one gets reading the book is that homosexual Christians have his sympathy while those who think sodomy and the desire for same-sex relationships are sin are more likely than not homophobic.

There are few interesting sections in the book, including his part about mixed-orientation marriages. He gets some exegesis correct over and against some pro-homosexual folks. I did not disagree with him on everything. But on the whole the book is so condescending to the average, conservative Christian, contains so many qualifications, and gives up so much ground to the pro-homosexual groups that isn't that helpful.

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book “People To Be Loved”, Preston Sprinkle takes his readers—whether they be affirming readers or non-affirming readers—on a journey through the discussion revolving around the LGBTQ+ community, same-sex orientation, same-sex attraction, and same-sex activity. As a biblical scholar, Sprinkle filters this conversation through the lens of Scripture, hearing arguments from both the left and the right, but ultimately seeking to find, as best any of us can through the help of the Holy Spirit, what the Bible, and more importantly what the God of the Bible, has to say about not only the topic or the “issue” of homosexuality, but the people that have been caught in the throes of this debate within Christianity.

I appreciate Sprinkle’s handling of the topic, and his transparency throughout the book. I applaud his thorough research not only of the biblical text(s), but also of the people that have been most affected by these texts—whether for good or for evil. One can tell simply by reading the first few pages that Sprinkle does not have simple or easy answers to these hard and difficult questions, because all of these answers will in one way or another impact the lives of many, many people—including individuals who he considers to be close friends and colleagues. Sprinkle succeeds in being both scholarly and pastoral as he exegete Scripture and examines his fellow brothers and sisters.

This book is meant for Christians, who are interested in such a discussion concerning homosexuality, and who hold to a high view of Scripture (i.e. in some form or fashion, the Bible is authoritative for how Christians behave and believe). It touches on a plethora of topics and discussions that were most definitely “out of my league”, and yet the way in which Sprinkle explains, dissects, and unfolds these complexities of the conversation is incredibly helpful, and allows for any sort of interested reader to glean from his writings. He does not shy away from competing arguments, but rather tackles them head on—pointing out both strong and weak aspects of any specific argument—and ultimately, Sprinkle has challenging words for both affirming and non-affirming Christians.

I would highly recommend this book to my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, who are wondering about the topic of homosexuality, but more than anything, who are willing and ready to befriend, love, defend, and care for all people, all neighbors, whether gay or straight.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: While I don't think it is perfect, I do think People to be Loved is the best presentation of the traditional position on homosexuality. Sprinkle sets up the book as being about people more than theory, we care about this issue because we care about real live people that are gay.

The bulk of the main book is then dealing with the main six bible passages that could be about homosexual activity. This is occasionally technical language stuff, but it is accessibly written.

The end of the book walks through ministry implications.

I think this is the best book I have read from a traditional position. But I think there are some problems. First it uses the traditional six passage format. That has been done over and over, and while this is better than most, it feels a bit overdone. Second, while I do think the tone is better than most books I have read from a traditional position, there are multiple places where I think cultural bias creeps in, even though I think he tries to be fair. Third, I think it would be better to mix up the structure a bit. Even though I read a fair amount of bible and theology, I got a bit bored in the middle of the bible section.

My slightly longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/people-to-be-loved/

[Hattush · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like how this book is compassionate and non-judgmental. It is kind and every word is carefully chosen and spoken with respect. I like how both sides of the argument – whether homosexuality is wrong – are clearly laid out and examined. I respect that the Bible was consulted with each argument.

So why my low rating?

I felt like in an attempt not to offend anyone, this book became bland and meaningless. Man, that sounded so bad...forgive me. In today’s world, you’re going to step on toes, you’re going to upset people and try as you might, you can’t go through life without offending someone. When we try too hard to please everyone, we please no one and our beliefs become weak and shallow. We need to know what we believe and stand strong on that, not waver back and forth, trying to fit in with the crowd. That’s what I felt happened with this book.

The author tried too hard to make the Bible fit a mold that it doesn’t and can’t fit. The Bible is clear on what it says and no matter how you try to pick it apart and take verses out of context and such, there are certain things that are wrong and you can’t force the Bible to say otherwise.
I believe the author was truly trying to be objective and honest, but the book was flat and frankly just made me mad...

[Dr. Amanda]

Retroactively removing my 5 star review because I no longer (and haven’t for years) agreed with the conclusion of this book. Didn’t even realize I had given it 5 stars when I was 17.

[David Sarkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Then neither do I condemn you”, Jesus declared
28 January 2023 - Newtown

I’m not sure what I can say about this book that I haven’t said elsewhere about the church’s relationship with the LGBT community, which I have to admit is not good. Actually, the hatred does tend to go both ways, and there are certainly actors on both sides of the war that are going out of their way to stoke the flames. Of course, while I do agree with Sprinkle’s view, I also hold the position that what goes on in the bedroom, and who you want to marry, is none of my business.

Having been to a number of churches throughout the years, I have been exposed to a number of different opinions regarding homosexuality – well, actually a number of things from ‘you must stop thus behaviour because God cannot use you while you continue to live in sin’ to ‘God forgives you’. The ironic thing is that God will work in his own time, and sometimes there are certain behaviours that he will ween us off, and there are certain behaviours that will remain a thorn in our side for the rest of our lives (and I’m not talking about same-sex attraction here, rather my own experience – as far as I’m concerned, that is something that is between you and God, and as I said, it is none of my business).

What Sprinkle is really getting at in his book is that being antagonistic towards the LGBT community is not going to solve any problems – in fact it is only going to continue to stoke the war until we reach a point where we are probably at at the moment. Then again, it isn’t as if this is the first time that the church has gone to war with people that hold differing views that I hold – atheists are a great target, as are Muslims, Buddhists, and people living together when they aren’t married. The problem is that these churches have an audience, and a lot of these people in the audience believe everything that is said from the pulpit – yeah, the bubble has been around much, much longer than Facebook.

Well, the other issue is that the church’s attitude has the ability to drive people away – which I why I say that Christianity is it’s own worst enemy. Forever condemning people for what they feel, even if they don’t act on those feelings, doesn’t win any friends. In fact, it is incredibly destructive, from driving people away from the church into the arms of people who do care, or even worse. Look, I’ve had that experience as well, especially since back when I was a youth, and even today, the church pretty much enforces gender stereotypes, whether implicitly or explicitly. Because I wasn’t an outdoorsy football kicking, sport watching, teenager, I simply didn’t fit in with the youth group. Hell, I simply just didn’t fit in full stop, and that isn’t bringing in the issue of my school, that actively condemned by for playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Mind you, I also understand the fact that the church doesn’t do single people well – many of them seem to be focused on families, and if you aren’t a part of a family then there is something wrong with you. Actually, people have made assumptions about me in the past because I am an unmarried man. My situation is long and complicated, but the short answer is that being a progressive liberal doesn’t work all that well in a conservative congregation. Oh, and also the who Dungeons and Dragons thing, though the church that I went to as a young adult weren’t as antagonistic towards the game as my school was, yet the couple of people that actually did play simply weren’t interested in letting me into their social group, so, eventually, for a second time, I basically drifted away from the church.

This topic though is pretty long and complicated, but what Sprinkle is trying to do is first unpack the Bible to try to understand what it says about committed, monogamous, homosexual relationships, and also looks at a number of beliefs surrounding it in the context of the time. For instance, there is a belief that homosexuality in the Roman period was really only rape and pederasty. That’s not necessarily true, and my mind actually drifted to Plato’s Symposium as I was reading it. Culturally, yeah, male-male relationships were generally frowned upon, but they certainly did happen (and the speech by Aristophanes is quite interesting where he talks about sole mates, and some sole mates will be of the same sex, while others will be different). Gay relations aren’t something that has come out in the 20th Century. In fact, Edward II by Christopher Marlowe is actually a tragedy about a king who was in a homosexual relationship. It went on, people knew about it, but it was never really highlighted until recently. As one of my neighbours once told me of the 1930s, ‘oh yes, we called them queens back then – but we just let them do what they wanted to do, it was none of our business anyway’.

[Jeff Colston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind, gentle, convicting, humble, loving, well-researched. Committed to the Bible and to truth. I appreciated Sprinkle’s approach of just simply walking through every Biblical passage related to the subject of homosexuality, then offering answers to some of the practical questions.

I think this is a really good resource. It’s approachable and he really offers some great points. I feel much more informed—I see the nuances more clearly, feel more confident in my understanding of these passages, and feel much more equipped to love the LGBT community. He tackled questions there at the end that I have had for many years now. He just says it all. This was so good. Wow!

I could pick a lot of quotes to share, but I particularly enjoyed this section in his chapter on Romans 1:

“If I have rightly interpreted Paul, then this would logically mean that it would be more destructive, not less, to encourage people to fulfill their desire for sexual intimacy with a person of the same sex. It may seem to satisfy a person's felt needs and desires. It may appear to be the most loving thing to do. It may feel like you're looking out for the person's best interest and wanting them to flourish as human beings. But what if the opposite is true? If God is love, and if God wants humans to flourish, and if Romans 1 accurately reflects the will of God, then it is not loving nor would it cause a person to flourish as a human to encourage them to pursue same-sex sexual intimacy.

But let's remember the context of Romans 1. Paul doesn't write this chapter to condemn gay people. He writes it to condemn all people. Reading Romans 1 without reading Romans 2-3 (or the rest of the letter) is like walking out of a theater five minutes after the movie started. Any discussion, debate, sermon, or lecture on homosexuality that doesn't showcase the scandalous grace that beams from the rest of Romans is itself a scandalous disregard of the gospel. Until we find our own self-worth in Jesus, cling to his righteousness and not our own, pry every log from our eyes right down to the last splinter, assault every species of judgmentalism and hypocrisy lurking in the corners of our pharisaic hearts, trumpet the majesty of the cross and the triumph of the vacant tomb above all our good deeds—which are by-products of God's grace, though salted with our own sin—and pummel the insidious notion that we straight people are closer to God than ‘those’ gay people over there—until we do these things, we will never view homosexuality the way God does.”

[Grant Klinefelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really love Preston Sprinkle. Agree with him or not, you have to respect his approach and commend his grace and fairness in the topic. This is a great entry-level book for those exploring a Christian view of homosexuality. Pastorally-written and well-researched, all while maintaining a Jesus-centered and scripturally-based analysis.

Loved the simple reminder: homosexuality isn’t an issue. Gay, lesbian, bisexual trans*+ people are humans. Humans who reflect God’s image and are infinitely loved and valued.

[Joey Nigro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough. Compassionate. Thoughtful. Fair.

This book is an THE book for those interested in a Biblical look at homosexuality.

Also this book is about the Dodgers. Well okay, not ABOUT them, but they're mentioned more than once. Is it baseball season yet?

[Dana Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are reading this review, you should read this book. The Lord taught me and convicted me in beautiful ways throughout reading.

[Faith Kain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful voice in this conversation. Preston helps you think deeply & lovingly about people & God's word. I only wish I had read this sooner.

[Bryn Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough, generous, and well-researched book that should be on every evangelical's bookshelf, especially if they claim any opinion on the topic of homosexuality.

Sprinkle starts his book with the warning that if the reader just wants to "see where he stands on the issue" then they'll be disappointed and should stop reading. That's refreshing.

Sprinkle obviously did his research: his exegesis interacts with numerous modern commentaries and scholarship as well as a plethora of historic texts. He cross-references his word studies with contemporary sources (as opposed to simply inter-textual comparisons). He gives ear to contradicting arguments and he humbly confesses where his knowledge falls short.

All that said, Sprinkles is a necessary voice. But I'm frustrated that he still takes a very modernistic and- I believe- narrow-eyed look at the Biblical text and that this hurts his argument (as it does Matthew Vines, in some ways). His perspective is solely exegetical and really does not- that I saw- dedicate much time to a biblical theology, a narrative theology if you will. He misses the forest for the trees. There's no engagement with the meta-narrative of scripture other than references to Christ's grace through his death. That's problematic. And it's indicative of the whole conversation around this topic. There is a tendency to get lost in the nit-picky, microscopic exegetical notes (I think I know more about two little words in Romans 1 than I do about all of Ezekiel). We do the text a disfavor, we do Christ a disfavor when we focus on the tiniest of details without at least acknowledging the bigger picture. It's like sitting down with a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and saying: "now why is that semi-colon on page RIGHT there?" We get obsessed with word studies and sentence structures, rhetorical theories, and contemporary perspectives. This is not to say these are bad things to notice and take into account. But I've yet to read a book on this topic that really situates it within the grand narrative of God's love for, care of, and coming redemptive work through his creation and his people.

Until we situate these texts in an equally articulated and contemplated Biblical scope, we're missing out on the true implications and conclusions of the text. And, in the meantime, it's the people behind the 'issues' that suffer. Which (to be fair and bring this all to a point) Sprinkle does well in illustrating and reiterating throughout the book.

[Stevie Ekkelkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that walks through most of the theological elements of this discussion while focusing on the humanity of people. As a much needed resounding gong, Sprinkle comes back time and time again to the need for loving a person and recognizing they have value regardless of perceived flaws. I believe that when people are categorized their categorization becomes more important than their value as a human. Too often humans are denounced due to the Christians personal search for dichotic values that make us feel justified as "walking the narrow path." Our perception of right and wrong is then presented in judgement on others at the cost of our ability to love. We come to conclusions from our own personal search and decide others are either ignorant or wrong. I would rather be wrong theologically in loving someone than right and thereby judge and ostracizing them. For both of these options are failures but one doesn't lead to people committing suicide. There is a sobering point in this book where Sprinkle says that Christians are described in this order as 1-homophobic 2-judgmental and 3-hypocrites. We have banners that say "come as you are," but the underlying expectation is "come as you are but change into us." It's that mentality that says "I want to get to know you so I can show you how to change and then you will be happy." Our love can't be genuine and respectful if there is an agenda. So then what is our role? As Sprinkle explains, I think it simple needs to be to listen.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I liked this book. I am blessed by the author’s ministry I just wanted this book to be more about what the title implied. Don’t get me wrong the Biblical exegesis was spot on and at times convicting, but what I was really wanting from this book was more practical ways to reach out to the LGBTQ community. And while this book did a fantastic job with showing where we are lacking in our relationships with people different than us, and how to speak and love with our words! A good book!

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed-bag. Biblical discernment required.

[J.L. Neyhart · Rating 1 out of 5]

While Preston Sprinkle is more compassionate than most who write books in the "non-affirming" camp, he is still wrong and I cannot recommend this book.

Bad theology kills.

[The Potholes · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I know absolutely nothing about the history of Christianity, or the Bible, or any other book on the subject of homosexuality. I've tried not to show my impressions of the book as fact, but for the record, this book could be 100% nonsense, and I wouldn't know.

This time it’s homosexuality in the Church. As I am neither Christian nor homosexual, I am clearly the best person to handle this. (<== sarcasm)

Hang on, it’s going to be a long ride.

(sorry.)


I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: An analysis about what the Bible actually says about homosexuality, and the author’s own view of how the gay community and the Church can coexist.

Review:

A warning: I am not the target audience of the book. I don’t want to say I was the wrong person to read it, but I am probably the wrong person to read it.

I am not Christian, and haven’t read the Bible, so to be honest, the author could literally have been speaking nonsense and making up everything he’s saying, and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

I don’t really want my own personal beliefs to clash with the review, but I still do want to address the debate the author has opened up. So I’ll be starting with an objective once-over, just because that’s easier.


Attempting Objectivity

I do think it was a good book. I don’t really have an issue with books being kind of boring; I read non-fiction books cover to cover when I was a kid, so boredom is not an issue. But even so, for a non-fiction book that is basically 100 pages of analysis of individual words, it’s actually pretty readable.

Books like this can be impenetrable and impossible to read, but it’s really, really not. It’s just shy of being too corny to bear, but is still professional enough that I can take it seriously.

It’s not going to take a day to finish, especially if you do feel strongly about the topic, but there are plenty of worse books out there.

The first part of the book is where the actual analysis of the Bible’s content is; the last part is more the author’s own personal belief.

The first part I’d say was better, but that may just be because I don’t personally align with his view. I am trying to be impartial, especially since this is the objective part, but I can’t guarantee that. At the very least, I will try to acknowledge where my bias is. I am pro-gay, the author is pro-gay people, anti-gay relations, so you may want to keep that in mind.

Aside from that digression, the first part of the book does come across as an impartial view of what the Bible says. It seems like an honest interpretation of the Bible with reference to homosexuality, with good arguments for both sides.

See, that may be because I was under the impression that the author was pro-gay (which he kind of is), so when he gave more substantial evidence that the Bible was anti-gay behavior, I thought that leaning towards the opposing side was a bold choice. I have a bit of a problem with playing devil’s advocate, so portraying both sides fairly is something that I really appreciate. However, again that may be because of my own preconception of the author’s view.

Honestly, as far as the author’s personal view goes, he really does only give evidence that supports his own view.

That may not be a bad thing, because of course he formed his view based on his evidence, so they’d naturally coincide, but if there’s anything the internet taught me, sometimes you manipulate the evidence to fit your view.

However, the author does seem incredibly (almost embarrassingly) genuine, which does come across well in terms of writing style. The author’s personality adds to the readability, but sometimes he came across as a bit hypocritical which was the main reason why I had difficulty reading it.

It also seemed to me to be very well researched. Even with the conversational tone, sources were provided and actual, sensible arguments were given. I’ve been to debates, participated in a few, and a lot of them are pretty much nonsense, but the arguments given in the book seemed logically sound and knowledgeable.

ALSO the cover is freakin’ fantastic.

Now addressing the homosexuality.

The author’s view is that having a gay sexual orientation is not a sin, but indulging in homosexual relations is.

He takes the “hate the sin, love the sinner” approach.

I take the “you can do whatever the hell (heh) you want, man.” approach.

If you’re gay, you have 3 options (in the author’s opinion):

1. Reparative therapy
In the book, the author mentions a secular psychologist who has a high success rate for reparative therapy. For the record, I tried looking up the person, and didn’t find anything. I’m not saying he doesn’t exist; I didn’t actually look that hard. The problem is, saying things like “fixing” your gay attraction just immediately turns me away from this book. Reparative therapy was basically completely disproved to the best of my knowledge, and the way he’s presenting it as a totally valid solution seems a bit off. He does mention the many lives harmed, but I don’t feel like it’s enough.

2. Marrying an opposite sex person
To justify this, the author brings up a few gay people who entered heterosexual marriage and eventually fell in love and grew attracted to their spouses. Unfortunately, I’m pretty certain that means that those few were bisexual as opposed to gay. Again, in the spirit of fairness, the author does mention at the end of the book that he hasn’t addressed bisexuality, transgender people, and a few other topics. But, it’s still misleading to present heterosexual marriage as a valid option for gay people, when those that will find a healthy, romantic, sexual relationship are those that are bisexual.

3. Celibacy
I don’t find anything wrong with celibacy in general. I do agree with what the author said about sexual, romantic relationships not being the only valid and worthwhile relationships. However, I don’t feel that this should be the only option for someone who still identifies as gay. If a straight person is allowed to have sex and marry consensually, then a gay person should be able to as well, right?

Even if I do disagree on that front, I do really appreciate the sentiment to make gay people feel more loved within the Church and the approach to love them rather than be repulsed by them.

It is a bit of a middle ground between absolutely against and absolutely for.

However, the book as a whole is definitely biased, and to me, the author doesn’t come across as self-aware as he should. He does seem hypocritical at times, especially when he says that people are free to their own opinions but then in certain paras:

“Does the same command apply to gay people in the church?

Ah, did you catch it? Hopefully you didn’t answer yes or no to the question. Instead, you should have asked, “What do you mean by ‘gay people’?” After all, the phrase “gay people” includes people who experience same-sex attraction but are not acting on it, or who have engaged in same-sex behaviour but are trying to repent from it.”

I mean, this isn’t a big deal. It really, really isn’t, and I don’t want to present it as something we should deride the author for. I get it, while writing (or debating) sometimes imperfect phrasing enters your words, and you don’t have something better to replace it with, so it stays in.

The (mild) problem I have with that para is that in previous chapters he says you are free to interpret the Bible. If you read it with an open mind, and accept whatever meaning you glean from it, then believe what you will. Except, in that excerpt you are wrong for not asking that question. If you 100% believe being gay is okay, the question wouldn’t cross your mind. If you 100% believe being gay is wrong, the question still wouldn’t cross your mind.

Again, I understand that sometimes your writing portrays something you don’t really mean, but there are a few examples like that throughout the book, and it makes it really difficult for me to read it.

A major point of the book was making homosexuality about people rather than an abstract issue, which is a great idea. The author keeps referencing the stories of children he’s met who are gay. I had a bit of a pet peeve with how he said it though. He kept mentioning them as “my lesbian friend, ____” or “my gay friend, ____”. It just kind of reminds of how people would say, “There’s no way I’m racist; I have a black friend!”

Though, disclaimer on that, while it irked me a little in the beginning of the book, it bothered me a lot more in the second part when I actually found out his view, so take my irritation with a grain of salt.

My personal beliefs about sexuality have been 0% influenced by Christianity and the Bible, and this book is really made for people who are trying to figure out where they stand. It’s not for me, at all.

It was a bit awkward to read, just because of how saturated it is with Christian belief. It’s nothing bad to be Christian, and I don’t mean to imply that, but as someone who is barely religious it’s a bit uncomfortable.

It is not a secular view of the debate, is what I’m trying to say.

I picked the book off from Netgalley because I did want to hear an actual Christian opinion on homosexuality that wasn’t based on paragraph long YouTube comments. I’m not sure how good of a choice this book was in terms of that.

It does strike a middle ground between the two sides, but then again, the debate has multiple sides; not just two. Everyone with a differing view is kind of on their own side, and defends their own belief, rather than represent both sides of the argument. And this book is not impartial, not by a long shot.

The book does often make references to other books on the same topic, but which have different views. In this book, as I read through it, those books came across as pretty heavily falling on one side (though I doubt it was the author’s intention to demean those books). From that perspective, it was a pretty good book to jump into the debate, because it seems less biased than those others, but also addresses the points they bring up.

However, for the most part he only brings those books up to dismiss them, and it’s not as if this book isn’t incredibly preachy. I don’t really think there is a good place to step into the debate. But I think, in all honesty, anything that challenges your own opinion is a good way to open your own mind. As long you remember that the author is also a person with opinions and is fallible, you could probably start reading about the debate wherever you want.

The real important thing is to decide for yourself what you believe and what you stand for. This book didn’t change my opinion, and it doesn’t have to change yours. It did, however, expose me to a different view on a topic that I (and the rest of the folks writing with me on this blog) feel strongly about, and from that point of view, I do think it’s a worthwhile read.

Another thing to remember: you are free to love whoever you want.

(as long as you’ve got consent, though.)

–charien

almostelysian.wordpress.com

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few books about Christianity and homosexuality now and I've come to the conclusion that if you care about this topic (which you should, if you care about the world around you), you should read multiple books on it. You should read one from an affirming view (I read Torn by Justin Lee), one from a historical Christian perspective (I read this book and Sprinkle's "Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage?: 21 Conversations from a Historically Christian View"), and if you read no other book, you should read one from a gay Christian perspective (affirming or nonaffirming; Torn by Justin Lee qualifies here as the former). What I appreciate about all three of the books I listed above are that they grow in me compassion toward and understanding of my gay brothers and sisters and bring me closer to exemplifying Christ and His church.

While 21 Conversations is primarily a book about the reasons for a historically Christian view of marriage, this book hits many of those reasons, some in more depth than they were given in the other (conveying and then addressing 21 different objections doesn't leave much room for each one). The books feel complementary that way. Like the other book, I felt that the arguments here pursued truth, not agenda, ceding ground where warranted and challenging us to have a more complex understanding even as they ultimately supported a historical Christian view.

This book doesn't stop at the question of what does Christianity says is sinful or not though. It also addresses several pastoral / life issues for our gay brothers and sisters, bringing in perspectives from gay writers and gay contacts / friends. While I felt glad that I had also read Torn for the depth of this topic, Sprinkle does a good job without making it the main focus of the book (which it was for Torn). While one could go even deeper, I feel this is a pretty good introduction to these topics and will certainly challenge / grow the majority of American Christians.

One small issue I had with the pastoral section was his relatively short discussions on reparative therapy and mixed-orientation marriages. I understand that, knowing those who have benefited from both, he wants to not abandon them completely but frame them with proper expectations of what is likely to occur, who should initiate those arrangements (the individual, not the church or family), how they should and should not be pursued, etc. In theory I'm okay with this and sharing the stories of those he knows who have benefited as he also shares some about the abuses and failures. However, I would have liked him to drive home more the damage that has been done by the misuse of these by well-meaning Christians in the past, to show what bad looks like and to ensure the same damaging mistakes are not made again. It is the existence of a convenient solution (oh, send the gay person to become non-gay at reparative therapy - which very rarely happens) that allows us to not do the hard work of figuring out how to love and properly include gay brothers and sisters into the church. It's not that Sprinkle doesn't warn us and admit these past mistakes on the church's behalf; I just wish he had spent a little more time here to really drive it home.

On a stylistic note, having read multiple books by Preston Sprinkle now, I can say that at times his style bothers me. He can be carefully intent on complex topics, then make a flippant comment in what seems like pursuit of a more conversational tone. It's jarring to me, and feels like it interrupts the seriousness of his endeavor, like when a pastor gets into a challenging message to his congregation and then undermines the requisite tension with a joke. This is a minor thing; most of the time, I enjoy his careful treatment of the topic.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others, but also suggest (as I said in the entry) that they read more than that.

[Kelsie Barnhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for someone who wants to work through what the Bible does or does not say about same sex attraction / homosexuality. I would not recommend it for anyone who doesn’t not want to approach the topic from that lens. With that said, even within the Christian worldview, opinions vary and this book helped me learn how to articulate the nuances of those views and understand the historical context of the Biblical writers. Also, Preston is CLEARLY someone who sought out voices from all points of the spectrum and he did so with so much humility and love for people - not issues. I appreciated the tone of this book as equally as I appreciated the level of research and clarity of presentation. I’m looking forward to his next book on the topic of transgender and intersex individuals quite a bit!

[L.K. Simonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really feel that anything I write here won't do justice to this book, so I'll just say this. Thank you, Pastor Sprinkle for the insights and enlightenment. I recommend People to Be Loved for all who call themselves Christian, especially all who are members of a local church. And I especially, especially, especially recommend it to those who are called to lead other believers in learning how to love. After all, God is love. And I'll even go as far as recommending this book to those who have been hurt by Christians. You might decide that every individual, no matter how they identify, deserves to be seen for who they are, rather than for who you think they are.

[Garrett Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really quite amazing - there’s nothing but love and compassion here. I thought Sprinkle did a great job here not just exploring what scripture has to say on homosexuality in light of the original Greek and context it was written and I actually kind of loved how nerdy it got diving into the language lol And more than just discussing what the Bible has to say I think this book was also a well done wake up call for Christians and the Church overall to get back to Jesus and love people with His same kind of radical love. Besides getting into the nitty gritty of language and translations that’s what stood out to me the most - I’m convicted and challenged myself to love the way Jesus does and to walk in His way.

[Hayoung Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book represents a gentle, relational, and exacting narrative about homosexuality and the contemporary church. if you are just starting to learn about homosexuality and traditional Christian sexual ethics, this is a great place to start especially if you don’t want an overly scholarly argument while still wanting reputable sources and voices. the book is charitable to Christians on all ends of the spectrum of beliefs and is also a loving representation of how to navigate Chtistian ethics in a humane, hospitable way.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most Scripturally backed books on homosexuality and what God’s word has to say about it. Sprinkle looks at EVERY piece of Scripture that may have to do with homosexuality and evaluates it on its own merit - and comes to conclusions on some passages that makes you rethink “proof-texting” as well as other practices by followers of Jesus (case and point Leviticus and not having sex with a woman while on her period).

Highly recommend - especially if you take the time to take notes and think deeply

[Chris Kidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The section on reparative therapy should not exist as it implicitly undermines other claims that Sprinkle makes regarding celibacy and sexuality. Otherwise, this book is outstanding, and is among the best-postured books on the subject at hand.

[Chris Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Appreciative of Preston Sprinkle’s commitment to biblical accuracy, clarity, and helpfulness.

[Caitlin Twiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly explained and challenging to both stances. Couldn’t recommend this more!!