Reviews
"Erzen wasn't interested in collecting fodder for political battles,
though, and that's what makes "Straight to Jesus" so enlightening. As
an ethnographer, she made every effort to listen to and understand
everyone at New Hope Ministry, whether or not she agreed with their
beliefs (and it's fairly clear that most of the time she didn't).
That's practically unheard of in most popular discussions of charged
issues like homosexuality -- and rare in scholarly discussions, either.
Nowadays, everyone's convinced that they already know everything the
other side has to say and that actually having to listen to it would
constitute an insupportable demand on their own patience. Everyone
thinks their side of the argument never gets any exposure, yet rabid,
ranting opinion of all varieties howls at us everywhere we turn....
What emerges from "Straight to Jesus" is a far more nuanced and moving
picture of the "ex-gay" movement than most readers will expect."
—Laura Miller, Salon (July 11, 2006)
Full Review
"This is ethnography at its best: an outsider's careful,
respectful translation of a subculture that is often poorly understood
and easily dismissed in academic and political discourse. In this case,
the subculture is religious conservatives who believe that
homosexuality is a choice to be overcome. Erzen, an assistant professor
of comparative studies at Ohio State University, spent a year of
intensive dissertation fieldwork in 2000 with a residential program in
the ex-gay movement called New Hope. The ministry caters to men,
usually from conservative Christian backgrounds, who struggle with a
deeply felt contradiction between their sexual desires and their
religious convictions. Erzen argues that most analysis of the ex-gay
movement has failed to grasp the powerful role of religion, and how
many homosexuals yearn to reconcile sexuality and faith. Her study puts
complex human faces on this small piece of the ex-gay movement while at
the same time providing a well-researched backdrop for where the
ministry fits into ongoing debates. She has terrific chapters on the
history of the ex-gay movement, the nature/nurture debate around
homosexuality and the discourse of addiction that undergirds much of
the ex-gay movement. Her book is likely to become a staple for college
courses on political discourse, religion and sexuality."
—Publishers Weekly Starred Review February 27, 2006)
Interview with Publisher's Weekly
"Tanya Erzen's Straight to Jesus is one of those books that you hope
someone will ask you about, when you are reading it in public. You
simply want to share the complicated, seemingly contradictory ex-gay
world Erzen so eloquently describes in her ethnography."
—Howell Williams, H-Net Review, (August, 2006)
Full Review
"Books like Erzens. . . are increasingly important as Christians
struggle with the questions of sexual identity. They should be widely
read by people who want to understand the political positions not only
in the light of theological pronouncements, but also through the
textures of individual lives and experiences."
—Amy Johnson Frykholm, "Formerly Gay?, Christian Century (May
15, 2007,) p. 34.
Full Review
"Covers the clash of Christian conservatism and gay identity with
compassion and grace. Informative, well written and accessible, this
book will be a compelling read even if you have no previous knowledge
of the subject."
—Curve Magazine
"...It’s difficult to think of the ex-gay movement as anything but a
political tool of reactionaries, who proclaim love for the sinner while
conducting well-financed campaigns that claim same-sex love will lead
to the collapse of Western civilization. Yet Tanya Erzen’s book allows
you to do just that. She reveals the ex-gay project at its most
authentic, through a dozen or so lives.... the tale is fascinating....
—Esther Kaplan, Women's Review of Books, (May-June 2007).
Full Review
Academic Reviews
"Erzen is sensitive, savvy, and provocative. Her mastery of
historical sources, ethnographic technique, and accessible writing
style are evident throughout. She illuminates aspects of conservative
Christianity central to the 'culture wars,' deepening our understanding
of the movement's internal struggles over sexuality, gender, and family
issues. Erzen has written a wonderful book."
—Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Religion and Media, USC, author
of Red-Hot and Righteous: The Urban Religion of the Salvation Army
"Tanya Erzen's wonderful and timely book provides us with a
compelling cultural history of the Christian right in the post-war
period—from the cold war to family and sexual politics—as well as
remarkable ethnographic insight into the dynamics of Exodus
International. With compassion, humor, and insight, Erzen takes the
reader through the ideological, organizational, and daily practices
used in efforts to change people's theological and sexual orientations,
from self-help to conversion testimony."
—Faye Ginsburg, Professor of Anthropology, New York University, author
of Contested Lives
Journal Reviews
Tom Linneman, Men and Masculinities, 2007 10: 123-126.
Elizabeth Kaminski, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2008, vol. 33, no. 3.
Amy DeRogatis, Religious Studies Review, 2007.
R. Marie Griffith, Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, Volume 77,Issue 01, March 2008, pp 225-228.
Christine M. Robinson, Sociology of Religion, spring 2008, p. 110.
Omri Elisha, Gender, Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography, Volume 15 Issue 2 2008.