Find out the latest indie author news. For FREE.

ADVERTISEMENT

Susan E. Gilmore
Author
The Peace Seeker: One Woman’s Battle in the Church’s War on Homosexuality
Susan E. Gilmore planned a career in Christian work after graduating from Bible college in the early 1980s but soon discovered that her identity as a homosexual would prohibit her from pursuing her dream. In The Peace Seeker, she chronicles her struggle to reconcile her sexual identity with the teachings of the Christian church. Her nearly thirty-year search for self-acceptance and understanding, a story of deep pain and devotion, is resolved only when she is prompted to investigate biblical passages used to condemn homosexuality as a sin. This book is important because it informs the public about what is going on behind the doors of the churches in their community. The world needs to know about the treatment of gay Christians, and the church needs to take a second look at what it is doing to the gay community. Whether you are interested in gay issues, religion, biblical scholarship, or human rights, this book will expand your awareness.
Reviews
Gilmore recounts her coming to terms with her homosexuality amid strong opposition from the evangelical Christian environment surrounding her. After briefly relating her childhood, she describes her expulsion from a Florida Bible college, her sense of vocation and missionary work in Europe, and intricately details the romantic relationships she has to hide. She eventually finds an affirming congregation and accepts that loving same-sex relationships are not in conflict with her faith. Before this acceptance, she deftly portrays herself and others as firm in their sexual orientation, but also feeling any sexual behavior would be a sin. Her account is a standard gay Christian narrative, including a re-reading of the supposedly anti-gay Bible verses and a resolution that loving same-sex relationships are acceptable. Although there is little new, the writing is engaging in this memoir that addresses and softens more conservative evangelicals’ opposition to homosexuality. (BookLife)
Ed Cyzewski, Author of A Christian Survival Guide: A Lifeline to Faith and Growt

“Susan E. Gilmore has given the church what it so desperately needs in the midst of our fractured theological debates over LGBT issues: a passionate, honest, behind-the-scenes story that helps us recapture the humanity of everyone involved in these battles over theology and morality.”

Rabbi Malka Drucker, Founding rabbi of HaMakom and author of White Fire: A Portr

“Susan Gilmore has written a morally audacious, searingly honest, and profoundly consoling account of her journey to bridge the distance between whom she loves and the path of evangelical Christianity. Read it to learn how far the human heart can reach to find God buried under fear and prejudice. Read it, weep, and cheer at the glory of the human spirit.”

 

Rev. Dr. Sharon R. Graff, Lead pastor, Gloria Dei Church Huntingdon Valley, PA

“Susan Gilmore’s story is a blessing to gay and lesbian Christians and their straight allies. She engages the reader in a conversation about love as the essence of the Christian narrative: how we love, whom we love, and the effects love has on rigid institutions. Her story offers hope to others on the journey.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Loading...