Washed and Waiting

I just finished reading an excellent book. That is not especially shocking, what is surprising, is that the book is not several hundred years old. The book was published last year, it was written by a young man in his twenties, and it is going to sound incredibly controversial even though it isn’t.

The book is called Washed and Waiting and it is written by a young man named Wesley Hill. He is a homosexual divinity student who believes and affirms the biblical concept of marriage—one man with one woman, with no room for homosexual practice. So, being solely attracted to young man, he sees but one route for him…to continually resist temptation, and to live a completely celibate life.

He claims, and I believe him that there are a great many people in the conservative Christian church today who continually struggle with gay and lesbian desires, but affirm solely the biblical view of marriage. This book is written as an encouragement both to them and to the church at large in how to help them.

But, I found that the book has a wider application for heterosexuals as well. Or maybe it was just me. The book addresses everyone who is called to celibacy. That includes men and women who are heterosexual but have no yet found a spouse. That struck me is how very real he is about the depth and breadth of the burden of celibacy. It is not just abstaining from sex, though that can feel almost impossible some day in our sex-soaked and obsessed culture, it is the lose of the small intimacies, the lose of a person to build a home with, the constant reminders that you are missing out on the highest example of God’s love manifested in community. He is very real, and accurate about the loneliness, the struggle, and the despair. If you’ve ever struggled with your singleness, you need to read this book.

Another thing I appreciated about this book is his profound understanding of the theology of brokenness. It may seem odd that brokenness is consoling, but in showing the flaws, the beauty of redemption can become even more clear.

In all, this book is very simply and very powerfully written and provides a much-needed perspective on a set of very complicated issues. Y’all should read it. 