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Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith
God's love for us breaks every boundary. So should our love for each other.
Mihee Kim-Kort is a wife, a mom, and a Presbyterian minister. And she's queer. As she became aware of her queer sexuality, Mihee wondered what that meant for her spirituality. But instead of pushing her away from God, her queerness has brought her closer to Jesus and taught her how to love better.
In Outside the Lines, Mihee shows us how God, in Jesus, is oriented toward us in a queer and radical way. Through the life, work, and witness of Jesus, we see a God who loves us with a queer love. And our faith in that God becomes a queer spirituality--a spirituality that crashes through definitions and moves us outside of the categories of our making. Whenever we love ourselves and our neighbors with the boundary-breaking love of God, we live out this queer spirituality in the world.
With a captivating mix of personal story and biblical analysis, Outside the Lines shows us how each of our bodies fits into the body of Christ. Outside the lines and without exceptions.
Mihee Kim-Kort is a wife, a mom, and a Presbyterian minister. And she's queer. As she became aware of her queer sexuality, Mihee wondered what that meant for her spirituality. But instead of pushing her away from God, her queerness has brought her closer to Jesus and taught her how to love better.
In Outside the Lines, Mihee shows us how God, in Jesus, is oriented toward us in a queer and radical way. Through the life, work, and witness of Jesus, we see a God who loves us with a queer love. And our faith in that God becomes a queer spirituality--a spirituality that crashes through definitions and moves us outside of the categories of our making. Whenever we love ourselves and our neighbors with the boundary-breaking love of God, we live out this queer spirituality in the world.
With a captivating mix of personal story and biblical analysis, Outside the Lines shows us how each of our bodies fits into the body of Christ. Outside the lines and without exceptions.
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
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1229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 20, 2020
I was surprised to find I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. It seems right up my alley. The author seems primarily concerned with applying a queer perspective to spirituality. I mean, I guess that pretty much is the title. But something was kind of missing for me. It felt too academic in a way. It was queer as in “outside of the box” rather than queer as an identity, although she did explore identity a bit. I did like how she pointed out that Jesus went against the norms of his time, against the rules of social etiquette. Because he did. She also discussed the story in which a gentile woman approached Jesus and he kind of blew her off, a story I’d forgotten about. The author suggests that the woman had something to teach Jesus about reaching everyone, not just the chosen. I found that very interesting.
“The story of the nameless woman – the one who shows up in two Gospels in a handful of sentences barely worth mentioning - speaks to me more than anything else. In Matthew she’s the Canaanite woman and in Mark she’s the Syrophoenician woman. In other words, she’s a gentile, a foreigner and the enemy, someone who occupies the bottom rung. She was no better than a dog, or to to use a colloquialism accurate to that time, a “little bitch”, as Jesus himself called her.
As the stories often go, we read that Jesus is tired and finds respite at an unknown home. Somehow this woman finds out and immediately goes to him. In the Matthew version, she begin shouting at him, calling him Son of David, asking for mercy, and annoying the disciples, who asked Jesus to send her away. In both accounts, she positions herself at Jesus’s feet and begs for his help for the sake of her daughter, who is possessed by a demon. Jesus attempts to deflect her request, mumbling something about only going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs’ (Matthew 15:26.) And then her response: ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table’ (Matthew 15:27).
What is going on with Jesus in this moment? Some scholars suggest that Jesus does not fully realize his mission is for all - both Jews and gentiles - until this moment. It takes an outsider woman to come to him and squarely place herself in front of him. Not only does this woman have the audacity to speak to Jesus in the first place, but she schools him. And in speaking truth to power, she shifts history. Jesus realizes that the kingdom is meant for all. The table is wide enough for every single human being. Somehow this woman, likely deemed unclean and therefore despicable and expendable, recognizes Jesus.”
“The story of the nameless woman – the one who shows up in two Gospels in a handful of sentences barely worth mentioning - speaks to me more than anything else. In Matthew she’s the Canaanite woman and in Mark she’s the Syrophoenician woman. In other words, she’s a gentile, a foreigner and the enemy, someone who occupies the bottom rung. She was no better than a dog, or to to use a colloquialism accurate to that time, a “little bitch”, as Jesus himself called her.
As the stories often go, we read that Jesus is tired and finds respite at an unknown home. Somehow this woman finds out and immediately goes to him. In the Matthew version, she begin shouting at him, calling him Son of David, asking for mercy, and annoying the disciples, who asked Jesus to send her away. In both accounts, she positions herself at Jesus’s feet and begs for his help for the sake of her daughter, who is possessed by a demon. Jesus attempts to deflect her request, mumbling something about only going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs’ (Matthew 15:26.) And then her response: ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table’ (Matthew 15:27).
What is going on with Jesus in this moment? Some scholars suggest that Jesus does not fully realize his mission is for all - both Jews and gentiles - until this moment. It takes an outsider woman to come to him and squarely place herself in front of him. Not only does this woman have the audacity to speak to Jesus in the first place, but she schools him. And in speaking truth to power, she shifts history. Jesus realizes that the kingdom is meant for all. The table is wide enough for every single human being. Somehow this woman, likely deemed unclean and therefore despicable and expendable, recognizes Jesus.”
June 19, 2018
So often when we speak of transformation, especially in matters of faith, we speak of it in the past tense. It has already happened and so we can reflect on it but the change has already come. Kim-Kort is not done, but in process. She finds herself in the midst of a transformation as much as she hopes and prays that the church is in the midst of transformation.
So there are bits of this heartfelt prayer that feel clunky and disjointed because it should. Kim-Kort defines queerness as a posture, a playfulness and finally a practice. It is clear that she is practicing as she digs into scripture, news headlines and her own story to describe how she sees the boundary-crossing God already at work in the world.
It’s the kind of book that begs to be discussed in church parlors decorated by old ladies where the word change is whispered like a swear. It’s a pastoral book in that it is tender and respectful, even as it pushes on edges gender, sex and even christology. I really wish I was lucky enough to read this book with that group of church goers who want to get it. I think Kim-Kort has something to offer them that hasn’t been said before. I don’t know if I’ll ever be so lucky to be in that conversation, but I know that this will be a great companion to anyone who feels like, to use Kim-Kort’s words, they find themselves outside the lines because really what’s been written here is how to practice transformation. So if you’re in transformation, read this.
So there are bits of this heartfelt prayer that feel clunky and disjointed because it should. Kim-Kort defines queerness as a posture, a playfulness and finally a practice. It is clear that she is practicing as she digs into scripture, news headlines and her own story to describe how she sees the boundary-crossing God already at work in the world.
It’s the kind of book that begs to be discussed in church parlors decorated by old ladies where the word change is whispered like a swear. It’s a pastoral book in that it is tender and respectful, even as it pushes on edges gender, sex and even christology. I really wish I was lucky enough to read this book with that group of church goers who want to get it. I think Kim-Kort has something to offer them that hasn’t been said before. I don’t know if I’ll ever be so lucky to be in that conversation, but I know that this will be a great companion to anyone who feels like, to use Kim-Kort’s words, they find themselves outside the lines because really what’s been written here is how to practice transformation. So if you’re in transformation, read this.
June 11, 2018
Like many who perhaps are of a certain generation and older, "queer" was not something that you wanted to be called. It was used as a playground insult at my elementary school; an insult rooted in homophobia meant to sting the person at whom it was hurled. Whether one actually identified as LGBTQ or not, kids (particularly boys) tried their best to avoid being called queer.
As a derogatory term, of course, the word has been used in much more harmful ways at those who do identify in non-hetero terms. It is a label used by privileged and powerful oppressors to shame and belittle and dehumanize those who are different; who think and act and appear and love outside what people consider normal. Its roots are destructive and hateful, rather than life-giving or empowering.
In more recent times, at least a certain portion of the LGBT community has sought to embrace and reclaim this designation. While not all wish to do so, "queer" has come to mean something much more affirming than before. When once a slur for what was different, now more and more are claiming it as if to say, "Yes, we are different, and we are proud, and now let me tell you why and what that means to me."
Such is one of the statements at the core of Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith by Mihee Kim-Kort. Kort helps define what identifying as queer means not just in terms of gender or sexuality, but also in how it affects faith, relationships, community, family, and theology. She does so with a broad audience in mind: both those who are exploring that identity or who have already claimed it for themselves, but also those who have never considered how it might apply to them as heterosexual or cisgender.
As mentioned, Kort does begin with sex and gender. With thoughtfulness, patience, and a generous amount of her own story, she explores queerness in terms of breaking or defying societal expectations for what boys and girls, men and women are supposed to look or act like. She describes her own kids fighting over certain colored bowls at meal times because they've absorbed the notion that certain colors are for certain genders, leading to a larger discussion of how the messages we internalize shape our identity, yet also are worth exploring and breaking out of.
Much of what Kort discusses has to do with relationships, which she doesn't limit to sexuality. At various points, she discusses hospitality to those who are different, friendship, and who we define as family. As she presents it, queerness mostly involves an expansion of how we apply these categories. We are allowed, she argues, to travel outside of what is acceptable or typical in order to broaden the scope of what these things mean to us. Perhaps one considers their biological relatives to be family, or perhaps one has found a supportive and nurturing group of people outside of that circle more deserving of the term. Perhaps some avoid applying the term "friend" because they desire more out of certain relationships or are afraid of what that means; queerness involves an embracing and acceptance of it instead.
Throughout, Kort suggests that Jesus embodied queerness in his relationships with others. At various points, she discusses his meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery as examples of how he breaks with what's considered normal to expand people's definitions of relationships and interaction. Because Jesus often defied such categories, she lifts him up as a model for what this looks like. Kort's weaving of Biblical knowledge with personal anecdote and sociological findings enrich each chapter, making a thought-provoking case for each element that she discusses.
Outside the Lines is provocative, deep, and personal. Mihee Kim-Kort has gifted the church and the world with a call to embrace and apply a word once used for harm; to repurpose it for an ever-widening sense of what it means to be human, to be a child of God, and to be a disciple of Jesus. The word may still be a source of pain for some, but Kort has done well in presenting what it has come to mean to those seeking to give it a different, life-bringing power.
As a derogatory term, of course, the word has been used in much more harmful ways at those who do identify in non-hetero terms. It is a label used by privileged and powerful oppressors to shame and belittle and dehumanize those who are different; who think and act and appear and love outside what people consider normal. Its roots are destructive and hateful, rather than life-giving or empowering.
In more recent times, at least a certain portion of the LGBT community has sought to embrace and reclaim this designation. While not all wish to do so, "queer" has come to mean something much more affirming than before. When once a slur for what was different, now more and more are claiming it as if to say, "Yes, we are different, and we are proud, and now let me tell you why and what that means to me."
Such is one of the statements at the core of Outside the Lines: How Embracing Queerness Will Transform Your Faith by Mihee Kim-Kort. Kort helps define what identifying as queer means not just in terms of gender or sexuality, but also in how it affects faith, relationships, community, family, and theology. She does so with a broad audience in mind: both those who are exploring that identity or who have already claimed it for themselves, but also those who have never considered how it might apply to them as heterosexual or cisgender.
As mentioned, Kort does begin with sex and gender. With thoughtfulness, patience, and a generous amount of her own story, she explores queerness in terms of breaking or defying societal expectations for what boys and girls, men and women are supposed to look or act like. She describes her own kids fighting over certain colored bowls at meal times because they've absorbed the notion that certain colors are for certain genders, leading to a larger discussion of how the messages we internalize shape our identity, yet also are worth exploring and breaking out of.
Much of what Kort discusses has to do with relationships, which she doesn't limit to sexuality. At various points, she discusses hospitality to those who are different, friendship, and who we define as family. As she presents it, queerness mostly involves an expansion of how we apply these categories. We are allowed, she argues, to travel outside of what is acceptable or typical in order to broaden the scope of what these things mean to us. Perhaps one considers their biological relatives to be family, or perhaps one has found a supportive and nurturing group of people outside of that circle more deserving of the term. Perhaps some avoid applying the term "friend" because they desire more out of certain relationships or are afraid of what that means; queerness involves an embracing and acceptance of it instead.
Throughout, Kort suggests that Jesus embodied queerness in his relationships with others. At various points, she discusses his meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery as examples of how he breaks with what's considered normal to expand people's definitions of relationships and interaction. Because Jesus often defied such categories, she lifts him up as a model for what this looks like. Kort's weaving of Biblical knowledge with personal anecdote and sociological findings enrich each chapter, making a thought-provoking case for each element that she discusses.
Outside the Lines is provocative, deep, and personal. Mihee Kim-Kort has gifted the church and the world with a call to embrace and apply a word once used for harm; to repurpose it for an ever-widening sense of what it means to be human, to be a child of God, and to be a disciple of Jesus. The word may still be a source of pain for some, but Kort has done well in presenting what it has come to mean to those seeking to give it a different, life-bringing power.
December 18, 2024
Important content but really difficult to follow at times with how it switches from memoir, academic writing, and flowery poetic abstraction. I wish I enjoyed it more but it might take a couple rereads to fully appreciate the work put into it. Sometimes it felt like Mihee was repeating generalizations that are not necessarily new or profound, then she wouldn’t expand on them or relate all of them with scripture, which would’ve been helpful I think.
February 20, 2023
I loved this! Whether or not you are queer or straight, Mihee expands and in some ways destroys the boundaries for what is proper and orthodox in expressing our faith. Having faith in Jesus is queer and He calls us into a relationship that is boundless, welcoming, and expansive.
March 6, 2019
From its beginnings, Christianity was characterized by transgressive encounters, the crossing of boundaries. […]A queer spirituality today continues that legacy by challenging and dismantling the kind of purity that locks people out, locks people in their bodies, or locks people out of the fullest expression of faithfulness we are called to and created for in God. (172)
Outside the Lines was not the book I expected it to be. Firstly, this is not a book about the legitimacy of LGBTQ+ identities from a Christian view... or at least, it's mostly not. Kim-Kort has produced a book that is more like a collection of essays-- a little bit theology, a little bit memoir-- about breaking down categorization of identities and relationships altogether.
Imagine the reality of identity as the meeting point of all different Kinsey scales. Queerness engages whose measurements—but also liberates us from them, because queerness acknowledges that identity cannot be so easily defined or categorized. […]A queer spirituality allows for loving pandemonium—the challenge of shifts and transitions, the realization that we are shaped by each other, and the emergence of new identities, new creations within each relationship. (41)
The reference to "queerness" in the title is not about gender and/or sexuality, but rather about non-traditionalism, progressiveness, and thinking beyond binaries. While a valid interpretation, it did feel like something of a bait-and-switch. In practice, there was little actually said on the subject of sexuality itself, and what was said was couched in anecdotes and flowery speech. There were some moments of really interesting insight, but it felt like they got lost amongst the less engaging ideas. For example, there was this intriguing line:
But once we let go of the pressures of purity—this unrealistic expectation to “love unconditionally”—we might find ourselves more and more empathetic and concerned for the other. (140)I wanted to hear more about how loving unconditionally is unrealistic, maybe some interrogation of biblical scripture, but instead this was the only sentence on the topic. It was brought up and then just dropped without any exploration, and Kim-Kort moved on to some utterly unoriginal ponderings about the importance of kin who aren't blood relatives. The whole book felt like that: endless ruminating on well-tread topics, but never lingering on anything thought-provoking. I did like the chapter on drag, though.
Performing, passing, playing—none of this negates the authenticity of our words, actions, and relationships. Yet recognizing that we are all “playing”—acting and passing—helps us see the insidious scripts that penetrate all of our lives. (123)
Oh, but the chapter on purity was so frustrating! Kim-Kort spends the entire chapter basically regurgitating research and ideas from other authors, and then never goes anywhere new with it! She writes about the innate racism of how "purity" is always linked to "whiteness." She argues that purity is not what "purity culture" has turned it into, and that virginity is not the same as purity. But then what is it? What does the Bible actually mean when it talks about purity? For a minister, Kim-Kort does precious little to root her arguments in actual scripture.
[T]he value of a human being is love, not morality, not virginity, and not whiteness or proximity to whiteness. (184)
In the end, I think Outside the Lines just wasn't what I wanted it to be. It didn't hold my attention, and felt too broad and shallow to really say much of anything. It wasn't bad, and I agree with the general thesis, but I didn't really enjoy it.
July 25, 2020
This is a difficult book to review because I don't entirely know what I think about it, even after finishing. Like many others have noted, it was really different from what I'd anticipated, not just in content but even at a foundational level regarding the understanding of "queerness" that it operates from. Within the framework of the book, queerness is a conceptual conglomerate connected to (1) a posture of expansiveness that transgresses norms and boundaries, (2) an experimental spirit of playfulness, and (3) an embodied ethic that is practiced by our identities and within political and social realities. Within that understanding, then, there is of course an inclusion of people who hold identities more commonly regarded as queer, but it seems to stretch that umbrella far wider than that too.
However, I think you could argue, it runs the risk of losing the umbrella altogether in its movement away from particularity towards abstraction and generalization. And I can see how that's fitting with Kim-Kort's logical trajectory, where queerness moves us (all of us) away from clearly marked boundaries and binaries of "in" and "out" but at the same time, I don't know if enough work was done on the front end to avoid the framework being co-opted as problematically appropriative. In fact, I received the book from a friend of mine who is queer and, expecting to feel represented in her identity (which is so rarely the case, especially within Christian publishing) got so frustrated with the looseness of the term's usage that she gave up halfway through. I have some familiarity with queer theory and that definitely helped me to follow her train of thought around the inherent connection between "queer" and "transgressive" but if this was my introduction, I think those waters would be more muddied than clear. From what I can remember, there was still of sense of centeredness regarding those with identities explicitly outside of cis/heteronormativity, and I can see how people feel this book moves away from that. For example, she explores drag performances and fictive kin, both of which are directly connected to experiences of those with queer identities, but then seems to open that up for others in relating them to wearing garments as a priest or prioritizing friendships in general. At another point, she associates her Asian identity as a marker of her queerness, and while I've certainly seen commentary on the intersection of racial and queer identities, I have never encountered a conflation of the two.
With that said, it's not like I disliked the book. Kim-Kort is a terrific writer who gives herself room to dip into some more poetic writing while still clipping along at a pace that's easy to follow. More importantly, she's offering a vision of a faith and a church that's really beautiful and compelling. I loved her exhortations to practice hospitality, expand the boundaries of family, and embrace a transgressive faith that traverses unhealthy boundaries and disrupts oppressive binaries. All of that is genuinely great! And at a personal level, I especially enjoyed the chapter on prioritizing friendship as its own meaningful end in relationship, as well as her exploration of Jesus's conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. There's plenty here worth reading, it's just a little less cohesive and a lot less clear than I had hoped going in.
However, I think you could argue, it runs the risk of losing the umbrella altogether in its movement away from particularity towards abstraction and generalization. And I can see how that's fitting with Kim-Kort's logical trajectory, where queerness moves us (all of us) away from clearly marked boundaries and binaries of "in" and "out" but at the same time, I don't know if enough work was done on the front end to avoid the framework being co-opted as problematically appropriative. In fact, I received the book from a friend of mine who is queer and, expecting to feel represented in her identity (which is so rarely the case, especially within Christian publishing) got so frustrated with the looseness of the term's usage that she gave up halfway through. I have some familiarity with queer theory and that definitely helped me to follow her train of thought around the inherent connection between "queer" and "transgressive" but if this was my introduction, I think those waters would be more muddied than clear. From what I can remember, there was still of sense of centeredness regarding those with identities explicitly outside of cis/heteronormativity, and I can see how people feel this book moves away from that. For example, she explores drag performances and fictive kin, both of which are directly connected to experiences of those with queer identities, but then seems to open that up for others in relating them to wearing garments as a priest or prioritizing friendships in general. At another point, she associates her Asian identity as a marker of her queerness, and while I've certainly seen commentary on the intersection of racial and queer identities, I have never encountered a conflation of the two.
With that said, it's not like I disliked the book. Kim-Kort is a terrific writer who gives herself room to dip into some more poetic writing while still clipping along at a pace that's easy to follow. More importantly, she's offering a vision of a faith and a church that's really beautiful and compelling. I loved her exhortations to practice hospitality, expand the boundaries of family, and embrace a transgressive faith that traverses unhealthy boundaries and disrupts oppressive binaries. All of that is genuinely great! And at a personal level, I especially enjoyed the chapter on prioritizing friendship as its own meaningful end in relationship, as well as her exploration of Jesus's conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. There's plenty here worth reading, it's just a little less cohesive and a lot less clear than I had hoped going in.
March 12, 2019
Reviewed for THC Reviews
"3.5 stars" Outside the Lines was our latest church book club choice. In it, author Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister who identifies as queer, shows how embracing a queer mindset can help to transform an individual’s faith. This book has exceptionally high ratings on both Amazon and GoodReads. It also has a forward written by Rachel Held Evans, an author whose work I’ve enjoyed and whose journey I relate to quite well. With these things in mind, I went into reading Outside the Lines with high expectations, but I can’t say that it entirely lived up to them.
For me, the strength of the book lay in its more personal stories. I could relate to the author through her depictions of various events throughout her life and I enjoyed learning about her as a person. There were certain topics she covered that were of great interest to me as well, such as purity culture. I especially appreciated this section, because she talks about it not only in a sexual context, but also in a racial one. As a person of color, Ms. Kim-Kort has been affected by the overuse of purity in more ways than one, and I valued this new perspective on purity culture that I hadn’t considered before. I also like how the author reclaims and redefines some words with negative connotations, although readers who lack open-mindedness might find these creative interpretations offensive. Eg. The title of one chapter is “Blessed Are the Promiscuous,” which is pretty provocative, but not what you might think. Ultimately, I agreed with her conclusions as well about how we can move into a more transforming faith by embracing queerness. In fact, she turns this into the verb “queering” as she describes how we can “queer” the various areas of our lives. It mostly boils down to having a more queer mindset, which is all about erasing boundaries, subverting expectations, deconstructing systems, and opening our hearts and minds to a more expansive love that’s more like God’s love for all of us.
However, all that said, I struggled a bit with this book, often finding my mind wandering. I’m not entirely sure why, but overall, it simply didn’t engage me and speak to me in the way I wanted it to. Oddly enough, I wasn’t the only book club member who felt this way. Perhaps it was because there was a disconnect between the author’s writing style and me as the reader, or perhaps it was because the author and I have very different backgrounds and life experiences. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I just didn’t get as much out of the book as I’d hoped I would. Maybe it was because I was searching for a profound message and didn’t entirely find what I was looking for. In fact, the book felt a tad repetitive. The author takes a look at several different areas of life in each chapter, but by the end of each one, I felt like she was coming back around to the same general conclusion. I learned from one of our club members that the book was originally written as a series of essays and maybe that’s the reason why I felt like there were redundancies.
In any case, just because Outside the Lines didn’t fully work for me, doesn’t mean that it might not work for another reader. Clearly all the great ratings and reviews would suggest that it’s hitting the mark with most people, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I don’t doubt that persons who identify as queer would probably find inspiration and affirmation within its pages. I also think that it would make a good read for anyone who is looking for a queer counter-cultural message to traditional fundamentalist Christianity. Overall, I felt it had some good points to make and was a worthwhile read, just not one that really excited me or that will make it to my keeper shelf.
"3.5 stars" Outside the Lines was our latest church book club choice. In it, author Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister who identifies as queer, shows how embracing a queer mindset can help to transform an individual’s faith. This book has exceptionally high ratings on both Amazon and GoodReads. It also has a forward written by Rachel Held Evans, an author whose work I’ve enjoyed and whose journey I relate to quite well. With these things in mind, I went into reading Outside the Lines with high expectations, but I can’t say that it entirely lived up to them.
For me, the strength of the book lay in its more personal stories. I could relate to the author through her depictions of various events throughout her life and I enjoyed learning about her as a person. There were certain topics she covered that were of great interest to me as well, such as purity culture. I especially appreciated this section, because she talks about it not only in a sexual context, but also in a racial one. As a person of color, Ms. Kim-Kort has been affected by the overuse of purity in more ways than one, and I valued this new perspective on purity culture that I hadn’t considered before. I also like how the author reclaims and redefines some words with negative connotations, although readers who lack open-mindedness might find these creative interpretations offensive. Eg. The title of one chapter is “Blessed Are the Promiscuous,” which is pretty provocative, but not what you might think. Ultimately, I agreed with her conclusions as well about how we can move into a more transforming faith by embracing queerness. In fact, she turns this into the verb “queering” as she describes how we can “queer” the various areas of our lives. It mostly boils down to having a more queer mindset, which is all about erasing boundaries, subverting expectations, deconstructing systems, and opening our hearts and minds to a more expansive love that’s more like God’s love for all of us.
However, all that said, I struggled a bit with this book, often finding my mind wandering. I’m not entirely sure why, but overall, it simply didn’t engage me and speak to me in the way I wanted it to. Oddly enough, I wasn’t the only book club member who felt this way. Perhaps it was because there was a disconnect between the author’s writing style and me as the reader, or perhaps it was because the author and I have very different backgrounds and life experiences. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I just didn’t get as much out of the book as I’d hoped I would. Maybe it was because I was searching for a profound message and didn’t entirely find what I was looking for. In fact, the book felt a tad repetitive. The author takes a look at several different areas of life in each chapter, but by the end of each one, I felt like she was coming back around to the same general conclusion. I learned from one of our club members that the book was originally written as a series of essays and maybe that’s the reason why I felt like there were redundancies.
In any case, just because Outside the Lines didn’t fully work for me, doesn’t mean that it might not work for another reader. Clearly all the great ratings and reviews would suggest that it’s hitting the mark with most people, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I don’t doubt that persons who identify as queer would probably find inspiration and affirmation within its pages. I also think that it would make a good read for anyone who is looking for a queer counter-cultural message to traditional fundamentalist Christianity. Overall, I felt it had some good points to make and was a worthwhile read, just not one that really excited me or that will make it to my keeper shelf.
July 12, 2018
I’m very glad I read this book. The author does an excellent job of weaving her own story, scripture, the church and the wisdom of the ages together to help the reader see the ways in which places thought of as at the margin are teaching the rest of us what it is to be human, what it means to be alive and with one another. Through queerness, both the metaphor and the embodied reality she makes the way plain. She reminds us, in ways little and large, not only of the pain of the world, but of the hope in it - often hidden from my own blind eyes. I’m grateful to her for writing such an honest, beautiful book. I bought this book new this month from Amazon.
November 26, 2019
This book simply does not do what its title claims. The author tells us that her life has been changed but then tells us nothing of how in particular. The author points to the church being changed but then gives very few examples. In the end it feels like a gloss on the sources that she (thankfully) cites in queer theology and broader queer and critical theory, but there is neither a deep engagement/analysis nor a practical piece. It uses critical language as jargon-filled argument but doesn’t actually present the argument itself.
Read
May 9, 2023I dnf'd this one. The writing was good and the author's story was interesting, but I was looking for something that dealt with Christianity and the LGBT experience in specifics, and this was all about queerness in a broad philosophical, theoretical, and re-defined way. Conceptually that is fine, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
September 4, 2019
GUSHING over the beauty, the vulnerability and the wisdom found in this book. I’m such a fan of Mihee‘s words, insight and storytelling ability.
December 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this, although it was not what I expected completely. Kim-Kort uses queerness to describe the many situations in life when individuals do not fit the norm or go against the grain, which includes the modern reclamation of “queer” by the LGBTQ+ community, but is not limited to this. In that light, she also notes that Jesus was the ultimately queer: always doing the unexpected. I’m not particularly religious, but I enjoy theology and the spiritual ways we make sense of the world. Kim-Kort makes it clear that this is her experience and perspective and it was all still so relatable for me. She uses current events and pop culture often, which I loved.
June 30, 2018
My church has a favourite hymn (well, one of many actually) that goes something like “God’s love colours outside the lines.” Now, hymns are not usually my favourite part of the service — unless the choir is going solo, then, yes, they may be my favourite part of the service — so I can only hope my attention was commanded during the singing of that song and I’m getting those lyrics right. If I am, they are apropos to the discussion of the book at hand, for Outside the Lines is a little bit about how passionately God loves us as we love Him. That’s also simplifying things, though. At first blush, the book seems to be another tome written by a cisgendered individual (though author Mihee Kim-Kort is personally fluid with that definition, partially because she is of South Korean descent) about accepting gays and lesbians into the broader Church community. However, the book is much more than that. This is a densely packed small book bursting to the gills with ideas and synopses of movie plots (Kim-Kort loves her movies) that give way to a radical understanding of God’s love for us and how that should be modelled by fellow human beings.
Outside the Lines is rather loosely structured. It is a collection of 10 essays that are linked tenuously and each could easily stand on their own. To that end, this is not a book about arguing why the Church must accept homosexuals and bolsters its findings or conclusions with proof texts in the Bible — which is what I was expecting. Rather, the book is about looking at theology through a different lens, one where the definition for the word “queer” is rather fluid and doesn’t automatically include sexuality and gender, but also things such as race and physical disability. This isn’t just a book about welcoming the gay community. It’s really about welcoming everyone.
Read the rest here: https://medium.com/@zachary_houle/a-r...
Outside the Lines is rather loosely structured. It is a collection of 10 essays that are linked tenuously and each could easily stand on their own. To that end, this is not a book about arguing why the Church must accept homosexuals and bolsters its findings or conclusions with proof texts in the Bible — which is what I was expecting. Rather, the book is about looking at theology through a different lens, one where the definition for the word “queer” is rather fluid and doesn’t automatically include sexuality and gender, but also things such as race and physical disability. This isn’t just a book about welcoming the gay community. It’s really about welcoming everyone.
Read the rest here: https://medium.com/@zachary_houle/a-r...
January 10, 2021
Unique, important, and inspirational. I really loved this book. Mihee Kim-Kort brings the academic concept of queer theology down to a level where everyone can understand and engage with it. Like Kim-Kort, I am a person of color who was raised in the highly white-influenced American evangelical Christianity, and like her I am also queer and attracted to both men and women. Therefore, I found many of her experiences very relatable. I love how she expands the meaning of queer beyond sexuality and gender identity, while also honoring those roots from which the positive connotations of the term queer arose. I love how she describes Jesus and parts of Christianity as a queer and then expands upon those claims using Biblical stories and personal experiences. I also love how she discusses a variety of topics including sexuality, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, race, raising children, being a clergy person, church, friendships, marriage, mental illness, and much more. Most of all, I love how Kim-Kort doesn't spend a lot of time defending queerness using Biblical or other resources, but simply starts off her book with the assumption that queerness is a good and holy thing. We need books defending queerness, but there is plenty of that already out there. My only complaint is that I wish Kim-Kort had given a bit more of a definition to her use of the term queer so that people less familiar with her use of the term (or the positive connotation of the term in general) would have a better understanding of what she is expressing. Overall, I found this to be a refreshing read that encouraged me to live deeper into my queerness and search more deeply for the queerness within my faith and spirituality. I believe it will do the same for many others.
November 22, 2023
In "Outside the Lines," Mihee Kim-Kort, a Presbyterian minister who identifies as queer, explores how adopting a queer mindset can transform one's faith. Despite positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, along with a recommendation from a friend and a forward by Rachel Held Evans, my expectations for the book were not met.
While I appreciated the author's personal story and found some topics interesting, certain aspects didn't align with my language preferences. For example, the chapter titled "Blessed Are the Promiscuous" uses alarming language, but the application is different from what one might expect. Kim-Kort's use of the term "queer" also extends beyond my own interpretation of the word. The book seemed somewhat repetitive at times and, in some instances, meandered off course.
I believe the marketing of the book could be reconsidered to avoid potentially alarming Christians who might be deterred by the expected content. The central theme of embracing differences resonates with me, and I agree with the importance of fostering acceptance of others.
While I appreciated the author's personal story and found some topics interesting, certain aspects didn't align with my language preferences. For example, the chapter titled "Blessed Are the Promiscuous" uses alarming language, but the application is different from what one might expect. Kim-Kort's use of the term "queer" also extends beyond my own interpretation of the word. The book seemed somewhat repetitive at times and, in some instances, meandered off course.
I believe the marketing of the book could be reconsidered to avoid potentially alarming Christians who might be deterred by the expected content. The central theme of embracing differences resonates with me, and I agree with the importance of fostering acceptance of others.
April 17, 2019
I needed to read this book. It is not that is solved all my problems and answered my question, but it soothed some fears and gave me a sense of strength and hope to figure out my issues. The language is very easy to read ans feels honest but not painfully earnest as some spiritual and religious discussions can be at times. Kim-Kort just writes as a normal, flawed human who wants to do better. The while idea of being queer as being closer to Jesus and God is such a mind blowing idea for me, despite the work I have done to accept and love my queerness while balancing my religion and faith, which had always made queerness feel wrong and dirty. This is a must read for anyone struggling with their Christian faith and queerness.
July 12, 2022
Just a fantastic, insightful read. Very spiritually rich.
June 26, 2018
"The more I look around, it is clear a kind of revolution is happening around identity. People are recognizing the tenuous boundaries around their selves… How we understand ourselves is constantly shifting, and it’s that slippage that compels me. It’s in that slippage where queerness emerges as a means to embrace the gray areas and the ambiguities" (27-28).
In embracing queerness, in understanding who we are, we begin to be open to God more fully, and the work of compassion flows more freely.
This is an important book to read, as many of us struggle to find our place, to figure out who we are—whether it be our gender or sexuality, or our ethnic identity as more of us become descendants of mixed backgrounds—and I suspect, our faith identity, as many of us as Christians relate to our siblings in Judaism and Islam, and our other cousins of Buddhism and other traditions. Embracing queerness means a both/and, and more, in all aspects of our identity, and in our understanding of God.
Full review here: http://rev-o-lution.org/2018/06/25/bo...
In embracing queerness, in understanding who we are, we begin to be open to God more fully, and the work of compassion flows more freely.
This is an important book to read, as many of us struggle to find our place, to figure out who we are—whether it be our gender or sexuality, or our ethnic identity as more of us become descendants of mixed backgrounds—and I suspect, our faith identity, as many of us as Christians relate to our siblings in Judaism and Islam, and our other cousins of Buddhism and other traditions. Embracing queerness means a both/and, and more, in all aspects of our identity, and in our understanding of God.
Full review here: http://rev-o-lution.org/2018/06/25/bo...
April 8, 2022
While retired from active parish ministry I continue to enjoy reading books about theology and understanding God's presence in our lives. Much is now being written about the spirituality of LGBTQ people. This book caught my attention due to its subtitle of "embracing queerness" a term closely associated with LGBTQ people. Kim-Kort is a Presbyterian Church (USA) pastor, a mother, a wife, and queer. Queerness focuses on fluidity, living between the either/or answers of establishment life. Ultimately, queerness is about loving oneself and loving others for who they are, and not who society says they should be. Indeed, cisgender heterosexuals can be perfectly queer when it comes to faith and relationship with God.
I enjoyed Kim-Kort's reflection both upon scripture and her own life story and experiences in pulling together this volume. Much to think about and many good passages for reflection. I think any person who seeks to follow Jesus, and who hopes to bring more vitality and honesty to Christian community, will benefit from reading this book.
I enjoyed Kim-Kort's reflection both upon scripture and her own life story and experiences in pulling together this volume. Much to think about and many good passages for reflection. I think any person who seeks to follow Jesus, and who hopes to bring more vitality and honesty to Christian community, will benefit from reading this book.
April 5, 2021
Hmmmm. On the one hand, this book is very accessible, and it was refreshing to read something that goes beyond apologetics. Kim-Kort is not concerned with the "is being gay a sin" debate. She instead focuses her work on celebrating the ways queerness enriches faith.
On the other hand, much of the theology she presents is way underdeveloped and even problematic. There is some really great potential, but her transitions are unclear and she tends to rely on fictional accounts of queer representation rather than rooting her arguments in the actual embodied experiences of queer individuals. Her own personal anecdotes are helpful, and her identity as a Korean-American contributes to discussions about intersectionality, yet they themselves are limited. I finished several chapters thinking there was some beautiful writing and interesting points, but it was difficult to discern the intended takeaway.
Overall, I'm eager to discover more developed on queer theology.
On the other hand, much of the theology she presents is way underdeveloped and even problematic. There is some really great potential, but her transitions are unclear and she tends to rely on fictional accounts of queer representation rather than rooting her arguments in the actual embodied experiences of queer individuals. Her own personal anecdotes are helpful, and her identity as a Korean-American contributes to discussions about intersectionality, yet they themselves are limited. I finished several chapters thinking there was some beautiful writing and interesting points, but it was difficult to discern the intended takeaway.
Overall, I'm eager to discover more developed on queer theology.
September 8, 2021
I really wanted this to be like my favorite book ever, and I was so excited! But, I think the format and genre of this book was really hard for me. There were some really good nuggets in this book, and I believe it was worth reading for those, but at a lot of times, when it tried to boil down complicated philosophical and theological questions into short direct answers, it felt shallow. I do appreciate the ways it challenges your conventions, but I really would have loved to read maybe a memoir. I think the feelings and themes of this book would be better translated in the context of a story. I really look forward to see if she releases any other books, and I would absolutely love to read something closer to a memoir.
July 2, 2018
Mihee deftly weaves together her own narrative of faith and sexuality with a rigorous yet accessible exegesis of Scripture and a passionate interpretation of queer theory. She develops a queer theology that is expansive, communal, embodied, rigorous, and real. Her writing is for us all, regardless of who or how we are in this world, because it is centered in the good news of a “desiring God” who desires to be in relationship with us all. In a world that seems more and more fractured and fractious, Kim-Kort’s queer spirituality provides both the freedom and the community I believe we all long for.
October 10, 2018
I am so excited to share this book with you all. Wow! My friend Mihee released this really wonderful exploration of queerness and faith just this month, and it’s so beautiful. I read the whole thing in two long sessions and was moved by Kim-Kort’s exploration of queer theology and the ways in which it can open up the church and people of faith to new and transformation visions of God’s kin-dom. The book blends confessional narrative with biblical exegesis, theological exploration, and a playful examination of things like families, bodies, and the sacraments. I found reading this to be joyful, compelling and life-giving and I hope you will too!
May 24, 2023
This book is challenging to review. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir, but am a little disappointed because I was expecting more of a guide for how to go about queering one's faith. This book is Kim-Korts reflection on her own queerness with few observations on how queerness can be applied to faith in general. Those rare nuggets where she talks about the broader applications of queerness to faith are gold and worth reading the book to find; I just wish the book was presented more as the memoir it actually is (which is a good memoir). I'd still recommend the book to folks with the caveat to adjust your expectations. I look forward to reading some of her other works.
April 18, 2020
This work provides opportunity to expand what it means to be a Christian and embracing a queer spirituality. Queer spirituality is about expanding the Christian definition of who receives love and is seen as beloved by God particularly highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community. Mihee illustrates how Christians are called to a love that transcends boundaries and embrace folks in all of their vulnerability and identities. This work combines biblical stories with her own personal journey and experiences with the church.
June 30, 2023
This book was phenomenal. Imagine taking everything you were ever taught about God, humans, and all of their various permutations and combinations of relationships, tossing it into a mixing bowl, pouring in a healthy portion of queerness, mixing it up, and then pouring it back into your brain.
For me, this is what that book was like. And the cake that it bakes tastes GOOD.
I’m still digesting that cake, but so far I like the new mental models that are coalescing. I highly recommend giving Queer Jesus a try.
For me, this is what that book was like. And the cake that it bakes tastes GOOD.
I’m still digesting that cake, but so far I like the new mental models that are coalescing. I highly recommend giving Queer Jesus a try.
November 24, 2023
This is the book that caused a year long division in the local church I attend. To be fair the division existed prior to so, I figured I should read the book.
Let me preface my comments to state Knowledge m-Kory is an extremely talented writer. She made some points that challenged me and made me think. Which I enjoy.
In the end I believe she used sensationalism to promote a book and make an overall controversial analogues. I feel somehow baited and taken advantage of. Although I do respect the author’s opinion and often her outlook I do not make the same conclusions as the author.
Let me preface my comments to state Knowledge m-Kory is an extremely talented writer. She made some points that challenged me and made me think. Which I enjoy.
In the end I believe she used sensationalism to promote a book and make an overall controversial analogues. I feel somehow baited and taken advantage of. Although I do respect the author’s opinion and often her outlook I do not make the same conclusions as the author.
November 12, 2024
I thought I would love it but the use of queer was too broad and academic for me to really benefit. I wanted more about how embracing people who are LGBT or how embracing yourself (if LGBT) can transform one's faith. I wanted more details about how Christianity can be inclusive of LGBT people and how someone who is LGBT could find a place for themselves in Christianity. However, the book defines queerness as anything outside of any binary, so I felt a little bit like the word queer lost some meaning or maybe was even appropriated a little bit.
January 1, 2026
Tapping out of finishing this after months of it idling sitting on my “reading” pile half finished. I really, REALLY wanted to like this. To devour it. Mihee is a wonderful person, and I loved our in-person discussions when she was in Madison for the Lyons Lecture, and I think she is an important, young, challenging voice in Christian theology, but this book didn’t really offer much meat for me to gnaw on. It might be the absolute perfect book for others interested in pushing the boundaries of faith, but it just didn’t click for me.
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