Coming out is hard enough. Coming out when you’re family is conservative and Christian is even harder. When Taylor Adams’ parents find out their son is gay, they ship him off for a six-week stay at “Straight to God” in the hopes that he can be saved.
Now Taylor had had no problems with balancing out his sexuality and his faith. His love for God was in no way affected by his love for his boyfriend Will. Still, to please his family, he is willing to endure this separation from the boy of his dreams. At “Straight to God”, Taylor is forced to try to put away all former images of his sinful life, easier said than done. The other kids in the program, whether there for drugs, violence, disobedience, or inappropriate lust, are a mixed bag. There’s some Taylor feels a connection with, some he doesn’t. First impressions aren’t always right though, and that’s only the first lesson Taylor learns at S2G.
As Taylor interacts with his roommate Charles, with the sexy Sean, with the secretive and confusing Nate, as well as the other boys and girls and the facilitators and pastor, he is forced to really look at himself. Not to question his sexuality or his faith, but to better understand the balance between them, and what it means to be both gay and Christian.
This book admirably deals with some timely issues. How do we deal with those who misinterpret Scripture to condemn and to hate? How do we balance pride with humility? How do we stay strong in the face of almost overpowering rejection and condemnation, and how do we help others to do the same? Does the definition of sin change over time?
Through Taylor’s eyes, we see what real sin is: the absence of love.
This review was originally published on homorazzi