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The issue of homosexuality in the church has become a mainstream point of discussion, whereas just ten years ago, no one in the church who struggled with this sin would have dared to make mention of such in a public church setting. In those days, few would ever even approach their pastor or church counselor with such a confession, out of fear of complete rejection or unbearable shame.
Today, we have Gay Christians flouting their sexuality openly in mass media and demanding acceptance. We even have conservative pastors and seminary professors who proudly and publicly wear the label of celibate, Gay Christian. In large measure, the lack of solid teaching on the sin of same sex desire was booted out of the Christian Publishing world, when mainstream voices deemed reparative therapy as a dangerous abomination to the church and society.
Into that fray now Denny Burk and Heath Lambert dive with this well-written and researched title. They tackle the issue of homosexual desire in a way that is sorely needed in this day and age. The sinfulness of sin generally has been incredibly minimized to the point where people no longer understand the relationship between sinful desire and sinful action. I've continued for years to write and counsel such and have watched as each year fewer and fewer people seem to comprehend or are even willing to see the connection that Jesus, Paul, and James taught about why we commit sinful actions -- because they come from our sinful desire.
Burk and Lambert excel in their teaching in this area. They bring to light the fact that sinful desire is not only about inordinate desire (when we want a good thing too much - which can happen with all God's gifts including marriage), but also that sinful desire also includes wanting something that is expressly prohibited - in this case inappropriate intimacy with someone of the same sex.
For me (as someone who has studied this issue for more than 20 years), I do have a sincere quibble with Burk and Lambert on the topic. In decades past, the homosexuality debate revolved around the issue of nature vs. nurture. But Burk and Lambert's approach to transforming homosexuality did not seem to account for the nurture aspect as well as it could have.
Their treatment of nurture factors seems to stem from their interaction with the Reparative Therapy (RT) model. Yes, absolutely, much of what certain ministries tried to pass off as Biblical teaching in the RT movement was wrongheaded and unbiblical. For instance, defining transformation as someone who goes from a homosexual lifestyle to a heterosexual marriage is clearly not a sound way of thinking and dealing with this issue. However, perhaps because Burk and Lambert are cemented in the nouthetic counseling method, they also rejected many parts of the counseling methods used which are worth incorporating. As Biblical counselors, they are right in laying out the foundation of the problem as one of sin, desire, and the sin nature. However, to eschew dealing with the many nurture factors that foster sinful inclination is probably counterproductive. We live in a society where fatherlessness and family disfunction has become the norm. To ignore the dynamics of one's developmental relationships with parents, siblings, and friends of the same sex and opposite sex is to seriously hamstring a person's ability to get to the root of their desire problems. Yes, RT was known for going way over board in this area, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Nurture matters, too.
Overall this book is a tremendous resource. A must read for pastors and others on the front lines of the church.
For a gospel-centered follow-up, I would recommend: John Freeman's "Hide or Seek: When Men Get Real with God about Sex"
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Customers say
Customers find this book to be a helpful resource on an important topic, with detailed explanations and a biblical approach that ties change back to the Gospel. The content receives mixed reactions, with some finding it great while others consider it soul-destroying.
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9 customers mention biblical content, 7 positive, 2 negative
A much needed biblical tonic for dealing with the ever nebulous aspects and definition of what the world calls "sexual orientation"....Read more
...Overall this book is a tremendous resource. A must read for pastors and others on the front lines of the church....Read more
..."What makes the documentary so encouraging, however is the powerful testimony of change that attended his conversion to faith in the Lord Jesus....Read more
...I read it and almost lost my faith. It does not assist us celibate gay Christians....Read more
7 customers mention informative, 7 positive, 0 negative
...As a short book, it has its limitations. But it's a helpful book for a most important topic for a very important people whom the church has failed...Read more
...Nurture matters, too. Overall this book is a tremendous resource....Read more
...substitute any freshly desire in the title of this book and the principles apply. Desire and behaviors can be addressed by these biblical principles!Read more
I found this book to be solidly biblical and practical....Read more
5 customers mention gospel-centered, 4 positive, 1 negative
...be commended for tackling a difficult topic well, while tying change back to the Gospel, and not simply trying harder.Read more
Great book. Concise, clear, compassionate and Christ-centered....Read more
..." of homosexuality is addressed in a loving, compassionate, and biblical way....Read more
...Sexual orientation is not mentioned at all in the Bible, so for him to say that the scripture "only" identifies it when it is "evil,"...Read more
12 customers mention content, 8 positive, 4 negative
The "hot topic" of homosexuality is addressed in a loving, compassionate, and biblical way....Read more
...This would serve to cut the ground from under a pro-gay position. Sexual orientation is not mentioned at all in the Bible, so for him to say that...Read more
...the book is well organized and should be commended for tackling a difficult topic well, while tying change back to the Gospel, and not simply...Read more
One of the best books I’ve read in the topic. We can substitute any freshly desire in the title of this book and the principles apply....Read more
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- Kindle CustomerReviewed in Canada on January 4, 2025
Very compassionate !!
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