I'm non-binary and sapphic so normally I avoid church. I was kicked out of a church around 7 years ago for my sexuality and I really was unsure of this bible study but I actually felt very comforted by it and highly recommend it.

This is a beautiful bible study. I will be recommending it for inclusion at my local book store. I was originally pulled in by the fun cover and title leaning towards a more controversial topic within my faith community but was kept reading by the insightful writing and deft handling of the nuance within biblical text.

While I'm not the target audience of God, Gospel, and Gender, I did grow up attending a Christian school, and have queer friends. These experiences make me very much believe this book will prove important and informative in many lives.
The warm and supportive exploration this book takes its reader on holds an important message about love and acceptance within the Christian community. It could be exactly what young LGBTQIA+ folks, their families, and their church communities need.

Thank you Church Publishing Incorporated and Netgalley for the digital copy. All thoughts and options are my own and this review was left voluntarily.

I received a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Church should be a place of solace, of support. For LGBT teens, and for teens with LGBT friends, it often doesn’t feel that way. Margie Baker has managed to thread the needle well in giving teens the chance to look in depth at the scripture and to see what the gospel says on gender, and come to their own conclusions. This is a great bible study, and one I hope a lot of churches will do for their youth programs…and, honestly, for their adult classes, too.

I am not this book‘s target audience (LGBTQ Christian teens) but I’m glad it exists for those who are. Written by a lesbian Christian mom, it’s supportive and full of affirming scripture and discussion topics.

From the book:

What we offer is a message of love, acceptance, and justice from Scripture. This serves as a sort of antidote to some of the poison queer and trans folk, especially youth, are dealing with these days. You are loved, deeply, just as you are. You are enough. You are called.

Each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic, a prayer, and an ice‑breaker activity. The activities work best with a partner, but they can be reflective as well. These three elements work together to initiate the wondering process and prepare us to enter into a deep, imaginative, faithful reading of Scripture. The majority of each chapter is devoted to one or more passages of Scripture along with context, language notes, and questions to guide your reading. The questions are designed to make space for wonder and to invite connections between Scripture, your own life, and the wider world.

(I read a digital ARC of this book for review.)

I mis-read the pub date when requesting it and realize this is not an advance copy but still think it is an important work for those who long to throw open the door of inclusion wider!

This is precisely what I imagine many young Christians needing. Something that tells them that they can be both queer and religious, and that everything will be okay.
I love that it goes into the aspects of God that are not just "male", and explores a lot around that.