It’s actually sourced
Footnotes throughout, academic journals and lexicons at the back. The reviewers who came in ready to argue singled this out first.
“Well researched.Well written.”
Readers came in skeptical and left with something they didn’t expect: permission. Here’s what they said about Broke the Bread, Spilled the Tea.
$9.99 paperback · $7.99 eBook · free on Kindle Unlimited
Free on Kindle Unlimited · Hardcover, paperback & eBook
49written reviews
699want to read
87%4 stars or higher
Three things reviewers keep saying
The same notes, over and over
You can finish it
157 pages in plain language, with a bite-sized summary at the end of every argument. Described again and again as accessible, digestible, easy to follow.
You can hand it to someone
The most repeated compliment: this is the one you could give a moderately conservative relative without starting a fight.
In their words, from Goodreads & NetGalley
The reviews
★★★★★
Under the radar, well researched, well written.
★★★★★
An essential guide for those who desire an honest, condensed, and intelligent approach to LGBT+ issues in The Bible. Not only worthwhile, but reinvigorating, restorative, and worthy of passing along at will.
★★★★☆
The kind of thing I could see handing to moderately conservative relatives who still think the Bible is against LGBT+ folks. Short, very accessible and easy to understand.
★★★★★
He goes through the “gay verses” one by one and gives us historical context and how that changes the meaning in a significant way. This book is worth reading and rereading.
★★★★★
This book helped me heal that disconnect I had. Important not only for those grappling with bridging their identity with their faith, but for everyone who feels like they’ve lost their connection to it.
★★★☆☆
Full of validation, personal growth, and research that is accessible to anyone. Kesller’s perspective is vitally important in the cultural discussion the wider Church is having about LGBTQ inclusion.
★★★★☆
I was really surprised how the author managed to explain (and practically gut) the verses. Not only did he show us the context of the events, he also talked about bad translations.
★★★★☆
An essay and a memoir, kindness and linguistical analysis — all in one book. The author’s story of being rejected by his family and the Church can resonate with even non-believers.
★★★★★
Such a heartfelt book that I truly believe will be a light to so many. The author is so personable and presents his concepts in an easily digestible format.
★★★★☆
He cites his sources, and it is clear he has done his homework. Presented in a way that would be digestible to anyone with an open mind.
★★★★★
Kesller is a scholar. He provides context and motivation to continue the research. He also offers accountability while still providing hope for those who may have lost it in the church.
★★★★☆
What an insightful and validating read! The author did a fantastic job of breaking things down in terms that anyone could understand.
So what is it, actually?
Part memoir,
part investigation.
A fourth-generation pastor’s kid takes the six verses used to condemn queer people and reads them the way you’d read any ancient text: in the original Hebrew and Greek, in the century they were written, alongside what the same chapter says three verses later.
Along the way he tells his own story: the youth ministry he founded, the seminary workshops, the years of believing God had made a mistake, and the phone call from his aunt that set the whole thing off.
- All six “clobber texts”, one at a time
- A short history of how the Bible was assembled and translated
- Every other thing the church got wrong: slavery, interracial marriage, antisemitism
- A closing chapter for anyone who has been shown the door
Questions
Is this an anti-Christian book?
The opposite. It’s written by a believer, from inside the faith, and it takes scripture seriously enough to read it in the original languages. The argument is that the church has misread six verses, not that the Bible should be thrown out.
Do I need a theology degree to follow it?
No. It’s 157 pages in plain language, and every verse in chapter 5 closes with a bite-sized summary that puts the traditional reading and the contextual one side by side. Reviewers describe it as accessible more than any other word.
Is it actually sourced?
Yes. Footnotes throughout, plus a reference list of academic journals and lexicons at the back. The reviewers who came in skeptical singled this out first.
I’m a parent, not a scholar. Is this for me?
It was written with you in mind as much as anyone. Readers describe it as the book they could hand to a moderately conservative relative: it explains without attacking.
Find out what
they’re talking about.
$9.99 paperback · $7.99 eBook · free on Kindle Unlimited
Hardcover, paperback, eBook & Kindle Unlimited