Jeza's Jesus Juice

I enjoy reading, thinking about, and reviewing books from just about any genre. It's a special delight when one arrives that touches on my own particular interests and experiences in combinations that don't often come up. This is exactly the case with Jeza's Jesus Juice: A Drag Queen's Christian Devotional by Jeza Belle.

From the publisher:

LGBTQ+ people are under constant attack, especially by those who claim the mantle of Christ. It’s not popular or easy to be a Christian and a member of this marginalized community. On the right are conservatives who claim to speak for God and try to block the path of LGBTQ+ Christians. On the left are those who have been harmed by the church and balk in the face of their continued belief. LGBTQ+ Christians are left in the middle to try to reconcile a religion that appears to demonize them and a God who loves them unconditionally.

Jeza’s Jesus Juice is a rare safe space for those who are committed to their faith but do not know where to go to deepen it. It is also a place for those searching for meaning in Christianity that does not negate their queer identity. This devotional provides personal stories, biblical apologetics, and damning indictments of today’s evangelical movement, all served up frothy over ice by one of America’s premier and unique drag talents.

Jeza Belle is a drag queen, comedian, produce, and award-winning author. She is also unapologetically Christian. She has penned cookbooks, historical fiction novels, and, of course, Jeza's Jesus Juice: A Drag Queen's Christian Devotional. She is up front about her faith, her politics, the struggles, the glory, and the outright absurdity that she has experienced in her life. She is a force to be reckoned with in any context.

This is a very fine book and lives up to the blurb above. It is equal parts personal anecdotes, scripture study, theological reflection, and affirmation rolled up in a delightful package. Jeza's style is plain-speaking, unapologetic, sometimes downright in-your-face. She speaks articulately about the immense love of God for every human being that is revealed in scripture and she is incisive in her criticism of those who deny that love's presence.

Jeza's Jesus Juice would be an encouraging, safe, supportive read for anyone who is interested in the experience of LGBTQ+ people who are also Christians. I think this book would be of special interest to LGBTQ+ folks who are curious about or part of Christian communities. Especially for those who are made fearful by the dominant Christian voices in North American media. So often these voices are the ones from the Evangelical tradition, aligned with American Christian Nationalism, and whose worldview has no place for LGBTQ+ people other than as objects of hate.

I found myself resonating with several of Jeza's stories. Particularly about the experience of needing to be constantly aware of one's own safety, especially the senselessness with which gender- and sexuality-based hate and violence is so frequently enacted. Sadly, this is still true in many Christian communities. One would hope that the teachings of radical acceptance, care, nonjudgement, and love would make it otherwise. But, as Jeza reminds us in the words of St Paul, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

My only significant quibble with Jeza's Jesus Juice is the choice of Bible translations to use throughout the book. Part of this is cultural difference: We Anglicans tend to prefer the New Revised Standard Version. The Evangelical traditions with which Jeza Belle is in dialogue in Jeza's Jesus Juice tend toward the New International Version, the New Living Translation or, as with most quotes in this book, the English Standard Version (ESV). Every Bible translation has, behind it, politics and a motivation for being translated and published. I find the politics and motivation behind the ESV especially troublesome, but knowing what the issues are makes engaging with it easier to do.

In summary, Jeza's Jesus Juice is a great devotional that speaks strongly of the love of God for every human being. It's a soothing antidote to the disappointingly common hate spread by our Christian siblings. especially for LGBTQ+ folks. This would make a fine book for a group to read together, especially with the thoughtful prayers and discussion points at the end of each chapter. Definitely gets a recommendation from this bookish priest!

I received a free copy of this ebook from the author without any expectation of bias in this review.