Rating: 
Summary: The Affirmation Gay People Were Waiting For
Review: I, as the son of a minister, found this book to be enlightening, informative, and self-affirming. I would recommend it to anyone struggling with their sexuality and to anyone who truly wants to understand the struggle of a loved one, friend, family member, co-worker, or fellow human being who is gay. I notice that every negative review here doesn't supply a way to contact the supposed "reviewer". Afraid this book is right, huh? You are doing a grave injustice to people who could be helped by Mr. Whites' book. Shame!! If you can be anonymous, so can I.
Rating:
Summary: Revealing and Uplifting Autobiography!
Review: If you are gay or Christian, you MUST read this book. If you are a gay Christian and want to come out to your parents, give them this book. I have always tried to explain to my Christian friends what it is like to be gay and Christian. I thought they would never understand unless they were able to climb inside of my mind. This book is the answer.Mr. White does an incredible job explaining the self hatred and guilt that a gay Christian faces as he/she tries to come to terms with both their faith and sexuality. He recounts numerous examples of those that were destroyed by that struggle. He was almost destroyed by it. Mr. White is dismayed by the religious rights efforts to raise money by attacking homosexuality. They are raising money by destroying the lives on millions of young gay Christians. Every Christian should read this book. It will probably not change your beliefs about homosexuality, but it may change your attitude of hate to one of love!
Rating:
Summary: A Breath Of Fresh Air For GLBT Christians - A Mighty Warrior
Review: Imagine that you are away in the country on a camping trip with a group of guys. You are all sitting around a campfire and telling stories. As you are galing stories about headless horsemen, ghosts, and etc, imagine that when one man shares, he tells you a story of triumph and tragedy, defeat and victory, over some things that he has had to come through. Imagine that he allows you, even for a moment, to see through his eyes right into his soul. That is what Dr. White does in his book "Stranger At The Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America". He has shown his readers a picture...a moving picture of sights, sounds, scents, familiar feelings of childhood, awkward feelings of young adulthood, and the many other things that we keep hidden in our long-term memory bank. In reading this book, several chords were struck with me. I was very elated when Mel would talk about his years at WPC in Portland, OR, as well as his years at University Of Portland, as well as the broacasting projects that were local Portland favorites that gave Mel the start on his professional journey. I very easily identified with almost everything that Dr. White talked about here. Growing up in a fundamentalist environment, surrounded by people who's only focus in life was to get people "saved" and cared very little about accepting them for who, and what, they truly are. For the first time in my life, I was reading something where throughout almost the entire book I kept thinking to myself, "Finally! Someone else understands!" While going on this journey back in time with a heroic warrior, I felt as if we were discussing life issues over coffee at the nearest Starbucks. Mel is extremely personal in his writing and allows a metamorphosis to appear as evident to his readers...a metamorphosis between trying to live as his "ideal self" to loving, accepting, affirming, and living as his "true self". I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to come to terms with their sexuality, as well as anyone who has a glbt friend or relative. It is a real eye opener and honestly it blessed me and encouraged me.
Rating:
Summary: A Breath Of Fresh Air For GLBT Christians - A Mighty Warrior
Review: Imagine that you are away in the country on a camping trip with a group of guys. You are all sitting around a campfire and telling stories. As you are galing stories about headless horsemen, ghosts, and etc, imagine that when one man shares, he tells you a story of triumph and tragedy, defeat and victory, over some things that he has had to come through. Imagine that he allows you, even for a moment, to see through his eyes right into his soul. That is what Dr. White does in his book "Stranger At The Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America". He has shown his readers a picture...a moving picture of sights, sounds, scents, familiar feelings of childhood, awkward feelings of young adulthood, and the many other things that we keep hidden in our long-term memory bank. In reading this book, several chords were struck with me. I was very elated when Mel would talk about his years at WPC in Portland, OR, as well as his years at University Of Portland, as well as the broacasting projects that were local Portland favorites that gave Mel the start on his professional journey. I very easily identified with almost everything that Dr. White talked about here. Growing up in a fundamentalist environment, surrounded by people who's only focus in life was to get people "saved" and cared very little about accepting them for who, and what, they truly are. For the first time in my life, I was reading something where throughout almost the entire book I kept thinking to myself, "Finally! Someone else understands!" While going on this journey back in time with a heroic warrior, I felt as if we were discussing life issues over coffee at the nearest Starbucks. Mel is extremely personal in his writing and allows a metamorphosis to appear as evident to his readers...a metamorphosis between trying to live as his "ideal self" to loving, accepting, affirming, and living as his "true self". I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to come to terms with their sexuality, as well as anyone who has a glbt friend or relative. It is a real eye opener and honestly it blessed me and encouraged me.
Rating: 
Summary: A good eye-opener for thoughtful Christians
Review: It seems that some of the readers haven't actually READ the book, just saw what it dealt with and did some reflex Leviticus quoting.
If you are a Christian struggling to come to term with your sexuality, read this book. If you are GLBTQ and want insight into the lives of what your sisters and brothers embroiled in fundamentalism are up against, read this book.
If you're a minister in a conservative church, read this book. If you're a thoughtful Christian who adamently believes that homosexuality is a sin, read this book.
Why? Because understanding each other is important, no matter where you're at. Hearing the actual stories and struggles of another may shake your convictions a little bit, but it's something that should be done.
Rating: 
Summary: Natural desires aren't necessarily Godly desires
Review: Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, that homosexuality isn't a choice, and that the desire to have a sexual relationship with another man is a natural desire. My natural desire is to have a sexual relationship with women, whether it's my wife or someone else, so by the author's own logic does that mean that God has designed me to have sex with whoever I choose? No, the Bible plainly states that sex outside marriage is a sin. Do I have a choice as to whether or not I act on my natural desires? Of course, and God promises me that he will help me to do so. Can I have a strong, affectionate, non-sexual relationship with another man? Absolutely...look at the relationship John had with Jesus. I have lots of natural desires that aren't healthy for me in the long run (or the short run in many cases). So do my kids. As their father, part of my job is to lovingly teach them how to overcome those desires and make good choices. As our Father, part of God's job is to do the same. When we question or rebel against his infinite and perfect wisdom, we aren't just asking for trouble; we're stepping into it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding! I'm ordering 5 more for my friends & family!
Review: Mel White barely survived as gay man trapped in a Christian's body for years - a lifetime for many - but his love of God, his courage, his hope and his fervent desire to live life as God's gift at last set him free! My own heart raced as he told of fleeting glances he exchanged with other gay youths; I, too, felt the disappointment and shame he felt afterward. I share Dr. White's desire to serve the Lord, but I was also taught by the "selectively literal" church of my youth that to be gay and to be Christian were mutually exclusive. "Stranger" is as much an inspiration and a comfort to gay and lesbian Christians as it is a tutorial to those who have heard the rants of the religious right about homosexuality. It validates deeply-rooted Christian beliefs then demonstrates how those values apply (Wonderfully!) to the lives of lesbians and gay men. Mel White's story is my story and he has moved me to action! I choose now to end my own silence, to speak out and to be heard. To proudly serve God and be thankful for all of his gifts, including homosexuality. Not for my own sake and not only for the sake of the gay and lesbian community. But for all persons who are now or have been oppressed by others in the name of "right." God Bless you Dr. White.
Rating:
Summary: A Painful Story
Review: Mel White lays out clearly the dilemma that faces the Christian gay man who seeks to live a moral life: either come out as a young adult and risk losing the love and respect of everyone who is important to him, or get married and then spend years experiencing the agony of having deceived an innocent woman who is both his best friend and the greatest obstacle to his happiness. White's solution is ultimately very wise and, if Christianity is more than a collection of harsh rules cruelly applied, truly Christian: to accept himself, to welcome diversity, and to continue to love and support all of the people he loved before he came out. Nevertheless, it comes at great expense to him and to his (now former) wife. It is difficult to imagine such pain unless you've lived it. As some other reviewers have noted, the book is clumsily written in places and is at times more overwrought than elegant, but it is still profoundly moving. As it turns out, I knew one of the characters--now dead of AIDS--who was the first to win White's deepest affection, and reading about him brought him back to life for me. White, whose intelligence and integrity shines through his occasionally turgid prose, has a deep understanding of other people, having spent decades in emotional isolation, considering and reconsidering his own internal life. His humility and willingness to acknowledge past mistakes with grace and regret redeem him. Surrounding the central story of a man tormented and ultimately awakened by his homosexuality, White has a fascinating story to tell about the big business of evangelical Christianity and his own successes in the business.
Rating:
Summary: for better understanding
Review: Mel White put his life into words for everyone to read. He openly shares his innermost feelings and struggles to help others realize that God loves everyone. He has given me more understanding of homosexuality and I'm praying this book will help my gay friend realize that his homosexuality is not a barrier between him and God. I wish there would have been a study guide to go with the verses used in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written, defensive and vindictive book
Review: Mel White struggled for years unsuccessfully to control homosexual urges, and finally decided that the way to be happy was to totally indulge himself in his immature fantasies of male love. Oddly, he calls himself Christian and makes no mention of his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And he expects readers to join his cause celebre of giving up on moral responsibilty to wife and family, and giving in to selfish sexual urges. No thought of self-control here - I am sure he would advise all married men to give into all sexual urges, and flit about willy nilly to every adulterous opportunity that came their way. Positively shameful. He ignores the causes of his own homosexual desire (anyone else notice the total absence of any description of his father - GEE!). And it is hard to imagine that this author was a successful ghost writer - his writing is fraught with cliche, extremely repetitive and garishly overdramatic, to the point where it is difficult to stomach the verbage just trying to ferret out his main point. In summary - no new information, no valuable insight, the meandering whining of a man unable to overcome an inability to emotionally mature and take responsibility.
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