God for Gays: A Yuma County Revelation
In 1970s Amarillo, Texas, there was nowhere for a questioning child to go with dangerous questions about sexuality and faith. Larry Bennett's raw, unflinching memoir chronicles a forty-year journey through domestic violence, addiction, incarceration, and family rejection?all while carrying a Jesus who never abandoned him, even when His supposed representatives did.
From surviving twelve years of systematic abuse in a relationship that nearly killed him, to finding unexpected community as "Mama Blue" in prison, to facing homelessness and an HIV diagnosis at fifty, Bennett's story reveals how authentic faith can emerge from the deepest trauma. His theological insights challenge comfortable assumptions about sexuality, spirituality, and redemption, offering hope to anyone who has ever felt rejected by religious institutions while still longing for God.
Written while living on the streets of Galveston, this memoir isn't just a survival story?it's a theological manifesto. Bennett introduces readers to a Jesus who sits in prison cells and homeless camps, who loves without conditions, and who transforms trauma into purpose. His "Magnificent Banquet" philosophy shows how society's most marginalized citizens often possess the very wisdom needed to heal our broken systems.
The book culminates with Bennett's vision for the Gravy Boat Complex, a revolutionary approach to trauma recovery that honors the whole person, not just their wounds. Part testimony, part call to action, "God for Gays" proves that those who survive the unsurvivable often become the most powerful advocates for change.
This is the story of finding authentic faith outside institutional walls, discovering family among fellow outcasts, and learning that being different doesn't mean being wrong. Bennett's voice is unflinching in its honesty and unwavering in its hope?showing readers that no matter how broken you become, you still have a place at life's magnificent banquet.
