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Naked Surrender

Author:	Andrew Comiskey
Published By:	IVP (Nottingham)
Pages:	219
Price:	£8.99
ISBN:	978 1 84474 492 3

Reviewed by Philip Joy.

This is a gentle and in places inspiring treatment of sexuality-in-trouble. With this caveat, among the many aspects of sexual dis-ease such as sexual abuse, pornography and promiscuity with which this volume deals, it puts homosexuality into the same category as sexual abuse - something of which people need healing. That is what one divines from the blurb. Questions I therefore approached the book with were: is it theologically coherent, and, with the gay issue and books like Every Man’s Struggle in the back of my mind, is it pastorally sensitive?

It is certainly born out of pastoral experience. The author leads the organization called ‘Desert Stream Ministries,’ which works with churches which are prepared to engage openly with sexual issues. He also openly tells of his own “journey out of homosexuality into whole enough heterosexuality.” The style of the book is narrative with theology mixed in: people’s stories and biblical references, the interventions of the Lord etc. While this makes it a readable book for those who have time, it is like a novel - you can’t just dip in!

The central theme is that the body is like a house which the Lord inhabits, and individual bodies make up the Body which is the church: an indwelt living temple. So we have chapters ‘At Home in the Body,’ setting out the basic body theology; ‘Whose House are You?’, challenging us to offer our bodies to the Lord; ‘Laying a Sure Foundation,’ showing how the love of Jesus is the basis for all.

Other chapters include: ‘Opening Doors’, offering Christian love as a way of bringing wholeness to sexuality - loving, rather than shying away from, the ‘otherness’ in your spouse; ‘Housing Desire’, offering a free surrender to Jesus’ way of being human and sexual; ‘Cleaning House’, dealing with idolatry, and there is an interesting discussion of the selective virtual selves we project on internet sites, even such as Facebook; “Whole Houses” shows how authentic persons united in marriage can face difficulties and stresses that would otherwise be hidden and give rise to temptation; “Home Alone” helpfully reflects on the creative possibilities of solitude, as well as the negative expressions of sexuality it can engender (e.g. masturbation - again a helpful section). Finally, “Zeal for his House” shows how a person with a properly grounded sexuality can be a better witness because of it.

The more I read of this book, the more I liked it, and the positive principles which underlie it. Whether you would buy it probably depends on your position on homosexuality. I was disappointed that the book starts from the assumption that Christianity and homosexuality are anathema, rather than actually arguing that point. There are many hints of a theology along the way, but never a centred discussion. For me, personally, it is not biblically convincing to regard homosexuality as a disease people need to be cured of, but that is not finally the point. When the churches are trying to come to a mind on this subject, I think we need books which carefully lead their readers through a well-argued position. Otherwise it is merely preaching to the converted. Stories about gay people finding a cure, though interesting, probably do no more than show that some gay people are not 100% gay, or that those who weren’t cured were not really serious about getting cured in the first place (QED!), which Comiskey actually says at one point.

So to return to my opening questions: pastorally sensitive? - yes, but not for gay Christians. Theological? - yes, but only for gay Christians who can apply the theology as if the negative bits were not addressed to them! As they say on Big Brother: You decide!