Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family.
But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor.
Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace.
Messy Grace shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you. Even when it’s messy.
Biography
Caleb Kalenbach is the Lead Pastor at Discovery Church in Simi Valley, CA.
Raised in the LGBT community, he was exposed to how some Christians treated the LGBT community, and grew to hate Christians. In high school, he joined a Bible study to disprove the Bible, but ended up following Jesus instead. Later, his parents followed Jesus too. This is the subject of his first book, "Messy Grace" --holding on to the truth of God's Word while being filled with grace.
Caleb is a graduate of Ozark Christian College, Talbot School of Theology (Biola University), and is finishing his doctorate at Dallas Theological Seminary. He speaks widely on the subjects of reconciliation, faith, diversity, and grace/truth. Caleb and his wife, Amy, reside in Southern California with their two kids.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading this book. It definitely made me think a lot while I was reading. I'm not sure if I agree with every single thing he says in the book, but he brought up some very good points about how Christians should treat people who are different from us. Even those who are not LGBT. He was fairly sound in his doctrine and opinions on what the Bible says about homosexuality. His thoughts on how we should act as Christians toward others are spot on. I can say that I learned a lot from his insights and I could see how us as Christians need to change. There were a few things that I am not sure I agree with, but I really feel like each person should make up his or her mind in regards to the book. I do not feel like this book wouldn't be appropriate for new Christians as it deals with a lot of taboo issues that may be hard for some to understand. As I say with a lot of the books I review on hard/spiritual issues, pray and ask the Lord for guidance as you read.
Caleb had some very good points in his book that we can all learn from. I enjoyed his insights and was able to learn a lot. We should always give others grace especially because we as Christians have been given ultimate grace from God.
I was blessed with a copy of this book to review by Blogging for Books review program in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not required.
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