Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians About Homosexuality [Paperback]

Darren Main (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

Homosexuals and their friends, family, and supporters wishing to engage in meaningful and heartfelt discussions with conservative Christians will appreciate this resource of facts and inspirational essays, as will Christians striving to be compassionate and tolerant. By confronting one of this generation's most volatile social issues with civility and respect, the book shifts the emphasis away from political arguments toward gently changing religious attitudes, utilizing methods such as daily spiritual practices and figurative Bible study. Fully supported by biblical references and rounded out by recommendations for further reading and helpful websites, the extensively researched discussions on display make for the perfect tool to promote profound healing and reconciliation between two communities who often misunderstand one another.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A personal, sensitive and moving story of one man’s struggle to bring together his life as a gay man with his life as a Christian."  —Bishop John Shelby Spong, author, Jesus for the Non-Religious

"Beware, contents are explosive! Every socially-conservative, anti-gay Christian should buy a copy of this book to destroy, or else the gospel of inclusion may spread like wildfire."  —Justin R. Cannon, founder, InclusiveOrthodoxy.org and RainbowChristians.com

"Darren Main does a great job looking for the truth in the verses commonly used against gays and lesbians and shows us how to engage others so the truth comes out."  —James Schend, health editor, PlanetOut Inc.

"A very readable and insightful presentation of spirituality and sexuality. . . . When the heart is changed, then judgmental thinking can also change."  —Darlene Bogle, author, A Christian Lesbian Journey and A Miracle Woman: The Naomi Harvey Story

"This book is a must-read for queer, questioning, and non-queer folks alike. . . . It is well-researched, well-written and very readable."  —Mary Lou Wallner, cofounder, TEACH Ministries

About the Author

Darren Main is a yoga and meditation instructor and a regular columnist for PlanetOut. He is the author of The Findhorn Book of Meditation, Spiritual Journeys Along the Yellow Brick Road, and Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 155 pages
• Publisher: Findhorn Press (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844091457
• ISBN-13: 978-1844091454
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #843,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Darren Main is a yoga and meditation instructor and author. His books include "Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic", "Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road", Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians about Homosexuality" and "The Findhorn Book of Meditation".

In addition to his writing, he facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the United States and abroad. He currently resides in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - easy to read and good advice too!, October 29, 2008

By 

E. Horwedel (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians About Homosexuality (Paperback)

I found this book to be just wonderful! I read it cover to cover in something like 3 days because I found it so compelling. I am often finding myself in the midst of discussion on the topic of homosexuality and Christianity because I frequent a Christianity debate forum on line and every now and then the conversation will roll around to homosexuality and sinfulness. I tend to act just as is pointed out in the book - with unconstructive anger. A reminder that this approach is ineffective was good for me to hear, and to think about other ways that would be more effective. For example, not being a big bible reader, I never knew how to counteract the passages that are so often quoted as "proof" of Jesus' disdain for gays. The other thing I really appreciated was the depiction of Jesus and his teachings. Like the author, THIS is the Jesus that I admire, the Jesus of inclusion and compassion, rather than the Jesus that the religious right tries to portray. I don't understand the religious right and conservative America very much, except that I know that like all things involving prejudice, it is based on fear, which is a fear of things getting out of control and the subsequent need to stamp it down, to push it back in the box. The problem is that whenever you try and cage something in, it only serves to squeeze out the other side! And if you let it out and just get to know it, you realize there is no need for the fear. I think the world should read this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Important!, February 26, 2009

By 

Merry Jen (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians About Homosexuality (Paperback)

In his new book, "Hearts & Minds," Darren Main focused on information that I thought more people should know about. For instance, Jesus never mentioned homosexuality in the New Testament. Whether you're a Christian or not this is important! The author researched many interesting and important details like this that I had never heard before. I liked the way the author illustrated that ignorance, hatred and violence can be disarmed with knowledge, respect and equanimity. The author's experience as a meditation, yoga, and spirituality teacher brought a peaceful and thoughtful perspective to the subject matter. I experienced a feeling of hope after reading this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What these two camps could do for each other....!, December 8, 2009

By 

S. Thrush "diesel lover" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hearts & Minds: Talking to Christians About Homosexuality (Paperback)

There were more than a handful of times that these pages brought tears to my eyes. Being both someone that has a deeply intimate and profound relationship with Jesus and someone that has no doubt God knew what He was doing when He gave me natural attractions to men, some of David's thoughts and words touched deeply and reminded me how remarkable Our Creator is at touching us where we hurt the most.

And my ache is all about finding ways to bridge the gap between the evangelical and gay communities. I long for Christians to be more Christ-like in their love, reasonability and inclusion of others such as homosexuals and I yearn for the gay community, that has been just as exclusive and hateful at times, to realize the amazing gift of healing many of us have been given to bring people together. The author took real care in choosing words and taking positions that neither alienate or dismiss regardless of where you might be coming from.

It's so hard, when dealing with the core issue of whether or not to take the Bible literally and then how to interpret it, to forget that it was never meant to be a weapon, nor was it designed to give us rules to live by that would make us closer to God. Rules just don't have the ability to do that. Only grace can. Thank God for that! David seems, in a remarkably loving, yet strong way, to be able to communicate the importance of setting aside religion in order to rebuild and deepen relationships.

If you're gay....read this and look in this book for ways that might help you love and have compassion for those who have been hateful and closed-minded. And if you're a born-again Christian, find in this book guidelines that might help you understand that God's love is pervasive and His message is not always black and white. Jesus wants us all to love our perceived "enemies." He makes that perfectly clear. It's just so very tough to do.