Customer Reviews

Prayer Warriors

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I read this book in 24 hours. It's like Stuart was writing about my upbringing. I too would love to share with my parents that I am gay, but our fundementalist background prevents that. I know that my coming out would result in a situation similar to Stuart's, yet I hate to lie to them. And as Shakespeare would say, "There's the rub." The Bible says that liars shall have their share of the lake of fire. At least Stuart isn't a liar. He told his family the truth about his life. To his sister and sister-in-law who I have noticed have written responses to this work here at Amazon.com, do you love Stuart? Do you truely love him? It sure seems like you are still bent on judging him rather than showing Christ's unconditional love to him. I love my family and know that someday I will have to tell them the truth. I don't want to be a liar any longer to them. I just pray daily that their reaction will not be the same as the Miller family's reaction, but deep down...I know it will be, and that frightens me to death.

I am a fifteen-year old homosexal teengr living in north Texas, or what is sometimes called "the Bible Belt." My parents are Christian, but they were not near as bad as Stuart Howell Miller's parents were. I was very pleased to find out he reacted the way he did towards his parents hostile and abusive threats. Stuart Howell Miller is definetely a pituresque portrayl of how God wants us to treat others- with love and respect, even if we don't agree with them. Because, above all, love is the most important thing.

I was amazed in this book of a family's capacity to hate and to teach hate. I have heard about the beliefs of Fundamentalist Christians, but it was really hard to read. Miller did well in his book to explain, understand and respect his parents belief systems. He did not waste time condemning them, instead he persuaded the reader to look at their side of the argument as well as his.

The book was written fairly and honestly with Miller adding a lot of personal information that I am sure was difficult to write. He should be commended for having the courage to write this book.

This book is truly special. It describes exactly what a "Christian" family does to "change" a gay son. Very well written, lots of emotions. A very good book.

Stuart... I read your book from cover to cover in less than 48 hours.. I found it very compelling and thoughtful, and especially appreciate the honesty and intellect you displayed in writing it. I think that it is a real human tragedy when people mis-use the power of prayer. Unfortunately, a day will come when these people will have to answer for that sin, too. The book was very well written, and I would highly recommend it. Definitely worth writing a sequel!

Bravo to Stuart Howell Miller!

I just completed Mr. Miller's book and I must say it is very well written and to the point. As an openly gay man and a recovering fundamentalist "Christian" who has since found what the true Peace of God means in my life, I am amazed at his honesty and sincerity as he relates how his family chose to react to the news of his homosexuality. As good as their intentions may be , we must remember that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".

I recommend this book to anyone who needs to learn that the only true healing there is begins within. We can no longer afford to point the finger and say "you caused me this misory". We can only make ourselves miserable. Stuart seems to have learned this lesson. I pray that his family will follow suit.

Thank you Stuart for the valuable lesson in forgiveness and many blessings to you and your family. You now have a new "prayer (peaceful) warrior".

As a Christian I know the power of prayer. After reading Prayer Warriors I now know another side of that power. We've seen prayer as healing, now we can see prayer as harming. Why? Because Stuart Miller's parents went beyond praying for their son, they used prayer to condemn their son, to attack who he was. As a Christian I was disgusted and disturbed by the treatment Stuart received from his parents. A faith based around love, grace, and focused on Jesus Christ shouldn't treat a son this way. On the other side, As a gay man I was sadened by this story. One would hope that nothing could tear apart the bond between a child and his parents. Is it any wonder so many people stay in the closet? I'm greatful that Stuart Miller took the time to tell his story. Your friends may leave you, your relatives may leave you, your prarents may disown you or attack you with prayer, but God still loves us all. While I may not agree with Stuart Miller on some theological issues, I do agree with the bottom line, that gay or straight, we all truly can come to God, just as we are.

Prayer Warriors is a tragic story, to be sure. Stuart's story of coming out as gay to his fundamentalist family and their pained, seemingly heartless response is hard to read. The conflict between Stuart and his family is easy to understand and frustrating to witness; it lays bare the problem that so many people have with fundamentalism - that it so often forces its followers to decide between what they believe and who they love. Stuart has my sympathy (and indeed, my empathy) for having to deal with this at all in the first place.

Despite my heart going out to him, however, my head had a hard time understanding exactly where he was coming from. It seems that many of Stuart's negative experiences were a result of either expecting the worst in a given situation or reacting as negatively as possible. Although certainly he is treated appallingly by his family and former church, Stuart rarely takes any personal responsibility for his own reactions to how others treat him. I felt conflicted when reading: although it was obvious that what his family was doing to him was atrocious, it was just as obvious that Stuart did not exercise the self-control necessary to come away from the experience with anything other than self-indulgent pity.

I was not disappointed by the book's "lack of a resolution" as another reviewer was; in real life, we oftentimes lack true resolutions to true problems such as the ones found here in the Miller family. However, I do have a problem that Stuart chose to share his story when it is obvious he is still deeply disturbed by it; that he seeks to teach an audience about what he learned when it is so clear he has not yet learned everything he should have from his experience.

And who am I to know what Stuart should or should not have learned from this? Just a reader, like any other, drawing my own conclusions from what was presented to me in the pages of this book. That, I think, is this book's final failure: although it is heartwrenching and brutally honest about his personal feelings and experiences, it does not convince its readers of Stuart's ultimate rightness. Stuart, then, comes off as eminently human, but hardly as somebody we should have spent 192 learning from. His honesty is appreciated and his story is truly tragic, but his authority feels hollow.

Any gay person raised in a church community will identify with large parts of the author's story. And since few of us have been accepted by everyone in our families, the effect of Miller's coming out on various relationships offers material for reflection as well. He was strengthened more than he knows by his realization (not his deccision) that 'going back' wasn't an option. It is important to evaluate this for what it is: a personal memoir, not great literature. But it really could have used an editor, as much for grammar as for style. All in all, a very whorthwhile book to read.

Prayer Warriors is heart-breaking. It is an amazing book about a one man's struggle to overcome the effects of his family's abuse of God and their lack of compassion when he comes out as a gay man. This book illistrates that sometimes Christianity is used as a weapon of hate and not love.