Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community
Andrew Marin
Andrew Marin may be my namesake by all but one letter, but he has had a rather different life. He's a rather remarkable fellow, and has written a very thoughtful book. I was alerted to the book by Andrew Goddard's review, and refer you there for a lengthy and helpful review.
Marin recounts how, as a young adult, three of his closest friends came out to him as gay in the space of a month or so. He is, in one sense, a mainstream/conservative Evangelical, and describes his own reactions of confusion, revulsion, and much else besides. But his considered response wasn't to flee, but to demonstrate his real friendship by immersing himself - a decidedly straight person - in gay culture. There he found many things that surprised him - and many people desperately seeking connection, lasting relationship, acceptance.
So he has devoted his life to loving and serving that community. He's made his home in Chicago's Boystown district ["the first officially recognized gay village in the United States" - Wikipedia], and established a distinctively Evangelical ministry there.
Well, the approach is distinctively Evangelical, and yet no matter how long you wait, the book doesn't "take sides". You will look in vain for condemnation of GLBT people - as he prefers to have it - and equally fail to find a denouncement of those whose theology places them in tune with what is euphemistically called "traditional teaching on morality". If there is criticism - and most of that is tangential or implied - it is of those who fail to love, fail to care, fail to support, of those who assume they know what it is like to be different.
And there is the play on words of the title: Love is an orientation. He's not making an argument about sexual orientation, but about Christ-like love and the way it affects the whole of life: how it transforms, rescues, renews a whole range of broken and hurting people.
There are probably sub-texts in the book if you go looking for them: if you bring prejudices you may find them challenged; you may find them reinforced (it depends on whether you want them challenged or not). My hunch - which he does nothing to confirm or deny, as far as I can see - is that Marin remains in his heart more conservative than, say, Tony Jones: but that isn't the point. Perhaps it's hard to build a constructive dialogue without taking some intermediate steps. It's a good book, and an important book. It has much to say to conservative Evangelicals, no matter how hard-line (or not) they might see themselves. It's a confronting book, and will, I think, challenge the preconceptions of the majority of its readers. I heartily recommend it.
4 comments:
Thanks for this. I had seen Goddard's review and meant to put it on a to-buy list, but then had forgotten. I think there's a lot to be said for not taking sides and instead trying for Christ-like transforming love.
Hi Ruth,
Thanks. I'm sure he won't find favour with all - indeed, the amazon.co.uk reviews are polarised, even if the amazon.com ones are almost entirely positive. But his subtitle "elevating the conversation" seems a great objective, and one he's certainly helping with.
I've now read the book and subsequently looked at the polarized amazon uk reviews. To be fair they are few.
One claims that Marin has accepted the pro-gay propoganda on theology (homosexuality isn't really condemned in the Bible, we can ignore the Old Testament and Paul didn't know what he was talking about) without thinking. I don't think he *has*. Not only do I think it's outrageous to claim that Marin hasn't thought, but I don't think for a moment that he's accepted the biblical theology described here (although he does summarize similar positions held by others).
I am very tempted to reply to that amazon review, although I need to calm down first.
The other negative review says, Validating LGBT narratives whilst a good starting point, unless backed up by genuine love and support remains the usual smoke and mirrors effort.... Again, after reading the book I am left with no doubt that Marin does back his words up with genuine love and support. Perhaps the reviewer is worried that others won't... which is a valid concern.
As for the positive review, which concedes that For those outside its target readership, the response may well be ..."Well, duh.", that made me laugh. Although I am simultaneously distressed to acknowledge that there are a lot of American evangelicals out there who need to be encouraged to treat GLBorT folk as people.
Hi Ruth, yea, but you didn't say what you thought of the book :-).
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