A Book Review from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Key to Pandora’s Box
Section One: The Myth of the “Sexual Minority”
1 The Making of the Myth
2 Loving v. Virginia
3 The Founders of the Feast
4 The Ubiquitous, Ever-Growing, Self-Contradictory Acronym—Part I: LGBT
5 The Ubiquitous, Ever-Growing, Self-Contradictory Acronym—Part II: QIA2S+
Section Two: The Growth of the Movement
6 How We Got Here
7 The Enemy Within
Section Three: The Truth We Must Define and Defend
8 Is It Fair to Use the Bible?
9 What Happens When We Buy the Lie?
10 God’s Design for Marriage
11 And Such Were Some of You
Conclusion
Review
In his introduction to It’s Not Like Being Black, Baucham writes that he is a black man and that as a black man he wants to say unequivocally: “Whether you identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, trigender, multigender, two-spirit, furry, queer, demiflux, other-kin, or as a mermaid, a British Columbia wolf, or an avian-human hybrid: Not one of those things is like being black” (xii). In the paragraph before this statement, he calls the equating of race with sexual preferences and proclivities a lie and an insult to those who “fought legitimate civil rights struggles.” On the podcast The Sword & The Trowel, where he was interviewed about this book, Baucham said that his goal was “to sound the alarm” and represent biblical truth. This book is not a dispassionate, abstract philosophical analysis of the cultural state and theological-ethical issues. It is a call to action and a call to cast off apathy. If Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self is a work of scholarship in the history of ideas and contemporary culture, Baucham’s It’s Not Like Being Black is more like a sermon. It does not have the depth or nuance of the former, but it’s working to motivate change, particularly in the church and in the church’s witness. Baucham’s material reads like words for the pulpit more than for the lectern; it is more preaching than academic lecturing. It reads like a pastoral exhortation, motivated by a pastoral heart, calling people to repentance, faith, and holiness in Christ.
Although I think this book will be polarizing—I foresee it receiving either the highest praise or significant condemnation depending on the reader’s presuppositions and worldview—I think it needs to be read with both careful criticism and open-mindedness. For those who take a liberal Christian approach to these issues, be open to listening to the points Baucham makes. For those who want to blast the woke left and read words of condemnation, don’t suspend your critical judgment when you read this book. Personally speaking, I agree with the main thrust of the book, but I think there are some miscues that hinder the book from being as strong as it could have been. Please bear in mind that minor errors do not overturn the major points, nor do they mean that the book is not worth reading or helpful in many ways.
There are obvious strengths and weaknesses in different approaches and presentations of material. Not every book is written for the same audience, age, and education level, or with the same goals and purposes in mind. If people approach It’s Not Like Being Black looking for a strong intellectual argument that synthesizes and analyzes a broad range of sources into a coherent whole, they will not find what they are looking for. In fact, the subtitle of the book, How Sexual Activists Hijacked the Civil Rights Movement, does not seem to really be the focus of the material. More space is dedicated to discussing the contradictions of the LGBTQI2S+ community and movement than to making an intellectual argument that demonstrates that the LGBTQI2S+ community really did hijack the civil rights movement. This is not to say that no evidence is presented, but the argument is thin in terms of evidence. I think Baucham presents what he takes to be enough evidence to substantiate his claims, but it is the level of evidence that is found in a sermon or popular-level book, not in an academic one. Again, understanding what Baucham’s aim and purpose is for the book is important for critiquing its merits. It’s not fair to criticize an apple for not being an orange, and I don’t think Baucham is intending this book to be taken as a rigorous work of scholarship.
One of the realities of the writing style and intellectual level of Not Like Being Black is that it is more accessible and more readable than many other Christian books on the LGBTQI2S+ community and issues. It is more personal and pastoral than most. In terms of location on the theological spectrum, it fits snuggly in the right of the evangelical, conservative camp. For example, even amongst conservative evangelicals, there is debate about whether same-sex attraction is itself sinful (i.e., is it inherently sinful to be tempted in a same-sex way, or only a sin if the person gives in?), and whether a sexual orientation can be changed. Baucham maintains that sexual orientation is mutable, and that same-sex attracted individuals can change to be opposite-sex attracted. He argues that God calls sinners to holiness in Christ, and this means giving up impure desires (which include sexual attraction to a member of the same sex). Baucham’s view is consistent with a growing opinion in conservative evangelical circles, but it is not a consensus or majority view. This doesn’t mean that Baucham is wrong, but he provides virtually no interaction with other conservative evangelical voices who do not arrive at his conclusions.
There are other times when the book seems one-sided and under-supported evidentially. Some examples include his brief discussion on slavery and racism, where he cites Thomas Sowell and reaches a sweeping conclusion about the relationship between slavery and racism in the US (pages 14-16). There is also his connection between the civil rights movement and gay liberation (pages 85-87, but barely over one page of print), where he concludes that, “The two movements were very much intertwined as far back as the 1950s—and what united them was a commitment to neo-Marxist values.” In Baucham’s discussion of this latter point, there are a total of three citations: one from an internet article written in 2009; one from a biography published in 2004; and one from a Washington Post article from 2020. This is simply not the kind of citation material that justifies that kind of conclusion in an academic work, but it is the kind of research that pastors do in preparing their sermons. Again, it doesn’t mean the conclusion is wrong, but the strength of the conclusion is not justified on the basis of the strength of the sources cited.
One last example will suffice. On page 149, Baucham says concerning Michel Foucault: “Before dying of AIDS at the age of fifty-seven, Foucault—who is revered by those advocating for changing terminology to ‘minor-attracted persons’—was living in Tunisia, reportedly paying to have sex with eight-year old boys” (p. 149). A key word is reportedly, and there is one citation to substantiate this claim. However, the source cited is highly biased against Foucault and is non-academic. This is the kind of assertion and citation that Baucham uses which detracts from his case rather than enhancing it. Personally speaking, I’ve read a number of Foucault’s books, including his four-volume History of Sexuality. I have often had to engage with his thought in lectures on sexuality, and in other contexts. If someone does their homework in reading Foucault, he says more than enough to demonstrate his immorality and the dangerous implications of his worldview! There is no need to repeat what basically amounts to a rumor about Foucault’s sexual activity in Tunisia.
Frankly, there is nothing incompatible with Foucault’s thought and his engaging in sexual relations with minors, but there is no real evidence that substantiates the accusation. If we accept the premise that someone is innocent until proven guilty, there is no fair court that upholds American principles of jurisprudence which would convict Foucault on these charges. Perhaps more evidence will emerge in future, but as of now the report cannot be verified and seems to be questionable in its reliability. Until a stronger case can be made, it seems unwise and uncharitable to include accusations of such incredibly evil actions. Foucault’s ideas and behavior that is verifiable and public is more than enough to see how antithetical his thought and life are to biblical truth and ethics. My worry is that this kind of claim in the book can cause some who are hostile to Baucham’s overarching message to dismiss him as too biased to be reliable. At worst, some might think Baucham is willing to pass on slander or bear false witness; at a minimum, it looks like a bit of mud-slinging. I agree with a great deal of Baucham’s material, but many others will be looking for reasons to reject what he’s teaching, and the claim about Foucault is exactly the kind of thing that undercuts credibility.
While more careful scholarship would have strengthened the claims made in the book, this does not mean that the book is, on balance, inaccurate, unhelpful, or wrong. Although not every detail is compelling, the overarching theme of the book fits in well in a conservative evangelical perspective. Baucham is at his best when he articulates the differences between interracial marriage and same-sex marriage, or when he deals with some of the contradictions and tensions that exist between the letters of the LGBTQI2S+ community. (For this latter point, Trueman’s work is more detailed, but for many Baucham will prove more readable.) His chapter on God’s Design for Marriage is biblical; his concern for how people are genuinely hurt by progressive ideology is commendable. Baucham’s expose on Kinsey seems to be better-evidenced than some of his other claims, and although it should be fact-checked, the general drift is a damning indictment and greatly troubling. When he looks at Biden and Trump in terms of their stance on same-sex marriage, he is even-handed and notes that both equally fail to uphold a biblical definition of marriage.
This is not the only book a pastor should read on these issues, but it is one of them. Pragmatically, a lot of people will likely order copies, and it’s good to be informed about what people are reading. Beyond pragmatics, however, this book contains some positive challenges. It does sound the alarm, and Baucham can be forgiven for hitting a shrill note or two when calling people to battle in defense of their loved ones. Baucham’s work does expose some of the lies, contradictions, and agenda-driven ideology that is operating today, and it does so in a clear way. As a pastor, it challenges me to check my life for compromise, and it makes me ask myself if I am capitulating to the world or standing firm in the truth of God. As a professor, it challenges me to be rigorously accurate with the way I use material in making points while teaching. The book provides a helpful sketch of certain issues, and in doing so it can help teachers craft a lesson or illustrate a message. This is not an infallible or inerrant guide, but it is a good book to help frame out some of the relevant issues. In calling us to honor God, love others—truly love others, which can only be in righteousness—and stand for the truth against a devastating and ungodly ideology and cultural movement, Baucham has done good service for the Lord and his church. It is not a perfect book, but it is worth reading and challenging.
Steve West