Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community

A Hugely Important Step Toward Bridging the Gulf Between Conservative Evangelical Christians and the GLBT Community 2009-11-17

Reviewer: Randall Pratt

"All God needs are willing hearts to extend his unconditional love for all of his children -- gay and straight. This is our blessing. This is our bold calling. This is our orientation." So Andrew Marin concludes his seminal book, "Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community."

As a "straight, white, conservative, Bible-believing, evangelical male," Marin was incredulous when, in a matter of three short months, three close friends independently confided that they were gay. Not knowing what to think or how to respond, he decided to immerse himself in the local (Chicago) GLBT community in an effort to understand his friends and learn about their struggles, their joys, and their experiences -- their lives. From this humble beginning, he eventually founded The Marin Foundation "to build a bridge between the religious and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities in a non-threatening, research and biblically oriented fashion."

In today's politicized society it is no secret that a great chasm of mistrust, fear, and even outright hatred exists between the GLBT community and conservative evangelical Christians. In this book Marin lays the groundwork to begin bridging that gulf and opening new lines of communication, understanding, and love.

This is an extremely important work. It is one of those rare books that I really think every thoughtful evangelical should read, especially given America's current divisive climate. Whether you find yourself agreeing with Marin or not, it is about time that Christians and the GLBT community stop talking past each other. This book is a great starting point.

Could use a little more love? 2009-11-16

Reviewer: L. James Tieszen

I appreciated Marin's compassion. I caught it, I think. It can be very helpful to see things though a different set of eyes and Marin provided "GLBT eyes" for me. I found his book thought provoking and helpful. I, too, am interested in "elevating the conversation with the gay community."

One of the questions on everyone's mind is "Do gays and lesbians go to heaven if they are involved in same-sex intimacy?" Marin seems unwilling to answer that question. On page 182 Marin asks "Do you think homosexuality is a sin?" He responds by following the reasoning of James (James 2:10) who says that if we participate in one sin we are guilty of them all. He also references Matthew 7:1-2 which reminds us that we will be judged in the same way we judge others. On page 184 he asks "Do you think that someone can be gay and Christian?" Amother other things, Marin says that this isn't a "yes-or-no question." On page 185 he asks "Are GLBT people going to hell?" After refering to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 he explains that eternal destiny is determined by God, not us.

My problem is that we actually know how God will judge practicing, unrepentant sinners. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 God clearly identifies a list of behaviors that keep people out of heaven. Here it is. "9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (The Holy Bible : New International Version (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984)

I believe that love is the orientation of the true Christian. What would love have us do? Suppose my friend is driving his car 70 mph at night toward a bridge that has been washed out. Suppose I know that he and his passenger will die if he doesn't stop. And, suppose I have the opportunity to talk to him about his future as he speeds toward death. What would I do if I loved him? Would I wait for God to speak to him personally about it? Or, would I try to convince him that if he does not stop he will die?

God has clearly stated the final destiny of individuals who intentionally continue to participate in sin. I wish Marin would have joined other loving Christians in making that point clear.

Sincerely,
L. James Tieszen

Love Is An Orientation - Andrew Marin 2009-11-13

Reviewer: Matthew Robbins

It's become one of the main issues of our time. It's a spiritual question, a relational question, and, in past decades, a highly politicized one. You'll find extremely strong opinions on both sides, and these polarized opinions can lead to confrontation, heated argument, broken relationships, even violence.

The issue: homosexuality.

The complexity of the issue is sometimes hidden beneath the same old rhetoric from both sides. One side tends to boil it down to a simple injunction to stop, often in very insensitive ways. The other side, defensive and angry, has its own tendencies to resort to inflammatory language and hate of its own. How can a bridge be built between these two communities?

Enter Andrew Marin and his book, Love is an Orientation.

Let me be clear about something up front. As a conservative (both theologically and politically), bible-believing Christian, I found a decent amount in this book that I disagreed with. I even found myself answering some of Marin's statements out loud. For the most part, however, I found myself challenged to take on a quality that the Christian community claims to value: empathy.

That's really the strength of this book. You might not agree with all that Marin says (I certainly didn't), but his ability to put you in the shoes of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) community is powerful. This is a quality missing from much of the discussion Christians have regarding the issue of homosexuality. It's easy to look at the passages in the bible that condemn homosexuality and think things are clear-cut; don't do it. The issue isn't really that simple, however, for GLBT people who desire to walk with God, but struggle to reconcile their sexual desires with God's revelations in scripture. Others who don't want anything to do with God simply hear a condemnation of their identity from Christians, which only confirms they want nothing to do with the God of those people.

Andrew Marin has learned empathy by immersing himself in Boystown, the GLBT neighborhood in Chicago, and forming The Marin Foundation, which works to build bridges between the GLBT community and the Christian community. Marin draws from this experience throughout the book, sharing stories of GLBT people he's encountered, detailing their stories and struggles. Some are powerful. Some give hope. Some of downright depressing. The same can be said of people from any group. Marin successfully and powerfully puts a human face on the issue, which is sorely needed for many to see.

There are a few problems with the book, though. For one, Marin never really articulates accurately what the gospel is and how it applies to the GLBT community. He talks about them having an "authentic relationship with God," but there's no discussion of specifically how Jesus' death on the cross saves people from God's wrath against their sin, enabling that relationship to happen. I'm certain Marin understands this, but I would have loved to hear a discussion of this in the context of the GLBT community. He's just a little too vague on the gospel for me.

He also refuses to really answer the question of whether or not homosexuality is a sin. I understand why he does this for the purposes of the book, but it just left me thinking that it eventually has to be answered for GLBT people at some point. He seems content leaving that decision up to the individuals and letting the Holy Spirit speak to them on the validity of their sexuality. I agree the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts of sin, but we're also called to help each other identify sin in our lives.

These issues aside, I think this is an important book for furthering (and elevating, as Marin puts it) the discussion. There are still many questions that beg for answers, and I believe those answers are there, but the discussion needs to be re-framed. I believe that happens when Christians really put themselves in the shoes of GLBT people, really love them regardless of whether or not they ever change their lifestyle. We don't have to water-down the truth, but love for the people that truth is affecting needs a more prominent place. That's the main thrust of the book, and it's an important message.

Love is an Orienation 2009-10-31

Reviewer: Todd Ferrell

Having been involved in ministry to the GLBT community for about 20 years, this is a breath of fresh air to see more work being done to build bridges. Andy comes from a great perspective coming from the heterosexual perspective and reaching out to bring the GLBT and church community together. Likewise we join him from the GLBT perspective to build bridges too and look forward to our future work together!

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Thank God! 2009-10-03

Reviewer: K. Macare

I cried when I read this book. Finally, an authoritative Christain voice that offers a Biblical way of thinking about the divide between the Christian and LGBTQ communities that calls for reconciliation with integrity. It's also a great read.