Book description:
At 14, David Bennett came out to his parents.
At 19, he encountered Jesus Christ.
At that moment, his life changed forever.
As a young gay man, David Bennett saw Christianity as an enemy to freedom for LGBTQI people, and his early experiences with prejudice and homophobia led him to become a gay activist. But when Jesus came into his life in a highly unexpected way, he was led down a path he never would have predicted or imagined.
In A War of Loves, David recounts his dramatic story, from his early years exploring new age religions and French existentialism to his university experiences as an activist. Following supernatural encounters with God, he embarked on a journey not only of seeking to reconcile his faith and sexuality but also of discovering the higher call of Jesus Christ.
A War of Loves investigates what the Bible teaches about sexuality and demonstrates the profligate, unqualified grace of God for all people. David describes the joy and intimacy he found in following Jesus Christ and how love has taken on a radically new and far richer meaning for him.
My review:
This is a book everyone should read: the Christian who has no clue about gay people and how to treat them, the out and proud gay person, the gay people in the closet, and those like me: we who struggle with this issue, know it is wrong to give into our attractions and desires, and are striving to serve God despite it.
It is a book that if you go into it with the wrong mindset, you will be distracted by what you don't agree with, and will miss out. I didn't agree 100% with David, but that is OK.
I ran across the author a few months back, and followed him on Twitter and Facebook, as I am interested in anyone who has same-sex attractions/is gay and serving God. I thought his book sounded worth reading, and I was fortunate to be able to review it.
My review could be summed up in a few words: David's story is amazing. They of course want more than a few words, so I will go on.
A lot of gay/SSA people have church backgrounds, and may be a little antagonistic towards God and Christians. David was an atheist and despised Christians. He took delight in fighting them (not physically), and had absolutely no interest in the church or God. Who would imagine a young man like him would be converted in a pub.
His story doesn't read like many others I have read. It took him a few years to completely walk away from dating other guys, and surrendering his sexuality and desire for a boyfriend completely to God. I found his story very inspiring and encouraging, and also convicting. The point he came to in his surrender is one I honestly don't think I have ever come to, along with many other Christians.
Bennett makes an interesting case for Christians with SSA to use the gay Christian label. I am not sure I agree, but he did stretch my thinking and caused me to look at some things like that in a different view.
The book ends with an appendix of how he researched the verses on what the Bible says about homosexuality, and how he eventually came to believe that the Bible does not condone any kind of sexual relationship between people of the same sex.
David Bennett's story is very inspiring and miraculous.... that God could save a young gay activist who didn't believe in God, and despised Christians and the church. It should give us hope that God can reach anyone.
If there was such a thing as required reading for Christians, this book belongs on that list. I wish every Christian would read this book. There are a lot of books out there like it, but David does an amazing job of portraying what it is like to have these attractions and desires, and what it costs and what it takes to forsake them to follow Jesus.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
About the author:
David Bennett is from Sydney, Australia, and is reading for a DPhil (PhD) in theology at the University of Oxford. He is a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and holds an Oxford postgraduate degree in theology, as well as a master’s degree in analytic theology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
Find David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidACBennett
And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidacbennett/
Check out the website for his book: https://www.awarofloves.com/
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