"I admire any Christian author who is willing to take on the subjects of homosexuality or same-sex attraction, and especially those who choose to take a 'traditional' rather than 'progressive' view of it. The subject is so raw and so controversial that any serious discussion is likely to generate barrages of fire from within the church and without."

I was beginning to read Tim Challies' review of Gay Girl, Good God when I had to pause at the end of this quotation. It was a bit difficult for me to swallow. What is there to admire? What is noteworthy here? What is so admirable about a person who is writing about a topic he/she is familiar with? Because in spite of the drama that surrounds the topic, to me, it is also mundane. It's so commonplace. I experience same-sex attraction every day and have experienced it every day for the past twenty years. In a way, I've accepted it as a norm and as a fact of life that I don't foresee changing in the near future. So when I read that someone "admires" another for being "willing" to "take on" this topic, the pause I take really illustrates the difference between the two of us.

But I too admire these Christian authors. There is nothing safe about this topic. The violence and the rage never get old.