Sanctified: An Anthology Of Poetry By LGBT Christians
Edited By Justin Cannon
ISBN: 9781438247854
CreateSpace
Reviewed By Wendy Paulson

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


The term "LGBT" evokes various different sentiments when mentioned, depending upon one's background, upbringing, experience, or even political leanings. Regardless of your particular view of the term, though, what you wouldn't typically expect to see is the term "Christian" fall in lock-step right behind it. In the eyes of many, such a phenomenon would seem to be an anomaly, to put it mildly.

There's no denying the veracity of its existence, though, and it's apparently a moniker that increasing segments of the population will have to become more accustomed to hearing – at least as far as the literary world is concerned. In Sanctified: An Anthology Of Poetry By LGBT Christians, editor Justin Cannon has compiled a litany of powerful, insightful verse by a vastly diverse group of authors, each with a stirringly original perspective on life that is sure to challenge the mainstream flow of thought.

Consider, for example, this passage from the piece entitled "Resurrected", by J. Michael Braiden:

"The gates have closed us out.
But we've been out before.
We are the outcasts,
infidels
and heretics of faith.
We are the unclean
un-circumcised
and unworthy too…
In spite of it all
we are the ones haunted
by the memory
of Your face."


And this passage from "Commandment No. 5", by Ben Barton:

"My father hasn't always been
This stranger in my life
We were close, once
He organized my life, an official referee
Strict

He holds my gaze, unsure
if he loves me…"


The lyrical, straight-ahead fashion of these pieces embodies the subtle, yet unapologetic undertone of personal affirmation pervading throughout the collection.

But perhaps no more stirring a collective statement for these artists can be made than in this passage from "Breaking The Cycle", by Jeffery Johnson:

"I long for the death of injustice. I long to rejoice.
We can decide to live hatred or to fight it.
I utter a prayer with a weary voice.
I raise my voice and consider my choice."


Despite our hopes to the contrary, discrimination, bias, prejudice, and downright hatred will never truly die. As co-habitants on this earth, though, the best we can aspire to do is make our collective living conditions here as tolerable as possible. Since understanding breeds acceptance – which is the stepping stone to establishing tolerance – collections like Sanctified play a crucial role in helping to foster just such an environment. By providing an in-depth look into the very souls of those that we would tend to fear or shun, Sanctified effectively rebuffs the conventional mode of thinking by showing us that they're not so different from us after all.