Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Guilt! Guilt! Guilt! And More Guilt! September 1, 2006
2 out of 27 found this review helpful
This is one of the most poorly written books I have read in recent times. From its tortured grammer to its flawed psychology, all it peddles is guilt and self loathing despite anything the author may say to the contrary. Sexual drive, fantasies and masterbation (yes, Mrs Payne, even after puberty!) are normal biological responses. Many people have fantasies about homosexual sex, but never act them out, and have no real desire to act them out. This is not something to thrash oneself over, even as a Christian. The two main case studies in this book involve people who are suffering, not because of homosexuality but because of parental neglect and abuse. Mrs Payne and her ilk need to realise the two are, more often than not, unrelated. She constantly confuses sexuality with degrees of masculinity and femininity. Homosexuals are no more likely to be sterotypically feminine or masculine than heterosexual men and women. I'm sure some people can change their sexual orientation for whatever reason but just as some people are 'hard wired' as exclusively heterosexual, some people are also wired to be excluively homosexual and no amount of prayer, guilt or 'tough love' will change that. It will just result in one very angry, damaged and often suicidal person, not to mention broken marriages, confused and hurt spouses and distressed children. Hardly the desired outcome. All I learned from this book is that Christian guilt and the shame associated with not living up to the standards of one's peers are far more destrutive to the human psyche and spirit than the so called 'condition' of homosexuality.
 PRACTICAL Help on how to invite the POWER of God to HEAL May 15, 2006
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
Book about inviting Jesus to do it and to show you what your real need is (i.e. comfort, love, security, a hug, to be held, to be affirmed, etc.) and learning how to "hear" what He is saying and see what He is doing. A little heady reading, but well worth the seeing what its about.
I now have HOPE too because Jesus helped me with my battles with lesbianism and continues to help me- now He's helping me with my anger and frustration that I sometimes display with my children. But you know what?- Jesus is there to help me, to help you through anything whether it's homosexuality or whether its through anger or whether it's through problems with... well, you fill in the blank. He just promises to be there to help because the Bible says that Jesus "came to seek and save what was lost." (Luke 19:10). You ever feel lost? I know I have and I have been so amazed at this Jesus who never gave up and never gives up on me even when I have and think He should. There really is HOPE, my friend. The sadness and always pursuing in other women what I wanted from my mom is and what I wanted to see in me is just engulfing and never satiated or satisfied when I go at it with this route. I just felt like I only hungered for more and more versus ever feeling truly met. Well, now Jesus is teaching me a peace about myself (get that!- too cool as at one point I would never have imagined it) and more and more about sweet friendships and loving women in a deeper way than I ever could before. He's also letting me be loved in a deeper way than I've known before too- Jesus just blows me away. Take care, my precious fellow traveler. I hope you find rest along the way too.
Good Integration of Theology and Theory January 11, 2005
31 out of 33 found this review helpful
Leanne Payne's book brings together the classical views of both orthodox theology believed through the centuries about sexuality and the Healing Power of Christ (see writings of Patristic Fathers such as Irenaeus, St. Basil, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory Nazianzus) as well as psychoanalytic theory predominantly accepted before the removal of Homosexuality from the DSM III (and still developed by practioners today such as Nicolosi and Socarides, among others). Those who are of the more recent Gay Affirmative persuasion (i.e. the last 20 years or so) and who espouse the complete impossibility of change or reorientation for those whose values are in conflict with their sexual attractions will disagree with this and may have many vitriolic epithets and accusations for theologians and theorists of the same persuasion as this book. But the theoretical and theological basis of Payne's writings resonate with a broad spectrum of theologians such as Joseph Pieper, Thomas Aquinas, and Donald Bloesch, and with psychological theories drawn from both psychoanalytic and developmental perspectives such as Object Relations and Logos Therapy. As she is coming from a purely Christian worldview, she promotes the transforming and healing power of God through the redemptive work of Jesus in his incarnation, life, death and resurrection. For those who are not espousing this worldview, they may find those aspects of her work objectionable. And for those who espouse some sort of christian worldview that embraces homosexuality as normal and part of God's design, objections may also be strong and passionate. But in a truly tolerant and multi-cultural society, there must be room to agree to disagree, and within that mileu, Payne's work deserves as good a hearing as any soundly researched and founded work would, however particularly founded and researched it is on certain pervasive worldviews and perspectives within the multitude of alternate ones existing in our culture today.
Great for Homosexual who tries so hard to follow JesusChrist November 4, 2004
28 out of 34 found this review helpful
I was a lesbian (homosexual) but got saved through the salvations of Jesus Christ. This book will teach you how to (lead people or yourself) pray and bring the great inner-soul healing and peace for any hardship and hurt that once were hidden so deep in the soul in the past and no one can retrieve it, not even psychologists. Great book, touches my heart and my soul, and help me to get out the homosexuality with a full peaceful heart and totally renewal life.
Religious Right Flim-Flam April 3, 2004
16 out of 80 found this review helpful
As a licensed psychotherapist it is disturbing to see that "christian" writers must attempt to vilify homosexuality in the name of "love." Bigotry and lack of scientific evidence wrapped in the Bible is still bigotry. What all believers in "reparative therapy" (disavowed by the APA and the overwhelming majority of mental health professionals) cannot grasp is that behavior does not equal identity. Certainly heterosexuality is not defined only by it's erotic states. This "old shoe" theory of a maladaptive relationship with the father simply doesn't hold water in scientific studies. Also of note, is the "relapse" of the notable names in reparative therapy, (John Paulk among others.) Mainstream mental health professionals (heathens to the likes of Ms. Payne) believe that anyone can temporarily change sexual behavior, bisexuals for example. But behavior change does not equal identity change. Promoting that it does, is the big lie of christian counseling. (...)Payne and her ilk, (dispite growing evidence to the contrary) refuse to even consider the possibility that God created homosexuals. This does not fit into the evangelical rigid black and white thinking. Sadly, the clients I see have been tortured by this "Christian love", and are seeking a real path to heightened self-esteem through acceptance of themselves exactly as they are.
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