This essay was submitted on April 15, 2022 for my Bible & Western Culture course.
The 2018 film Boy Erased follows Jared Eamons, the son of a Baptist preacher as he undergoes gay conversion therapy. Based on the memoir with the same name, Boy Erased unveils the psychologically-damaging effects of conversion therapy, which currently remains legal at some capacity in all states of the United States (“Conversion ‘Therapy’ Laws”) and has only become illegal in Canada earlier in 2022 (Aeillo). Throughout the history of human civilization, societies have oriented themselves towards the wishes of the transcendent creators of the world in order to retain the prosperity and harmony of the cosmos. However in contemporary times, religious ideologies are dismissed as mere outdated conceptions of the world, undermining other core values of religion that enhance the human experience rather than conflict with it. Utilizing Rob Meens’ article “Politics, Mirrors of Princes and the Bible: Sins, Kings, and the Well-Being of the Realm” to gain some insight into the intentions of conversion therapy, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s letter on “Religionless Christianity” for a perspective on religion’s place in contemporary times, this paper will explore the issue of gay conversion therapy as depicted in Boy Erased. While Christian people in power may feel a sense of duty to impart their moral values on others in an effort to make the world a better place, misguided efforts stray away from experiencing God’s unconditional love in one’s life.
As seen in Boy Erased, conversion therapy is founded upon recognizing the Christian value of heterosexuality in the creation of man and woman, and the condemnation of homosexual activity. There are numerous biblical accounts condemning homosexuality; most notably Genesis 19 depicts the story of God destroying Sodom after the men of the city expressed desire to have sex with men, resulting in the term sodomy. Jared decides to attend the conversion therapy program at Love In Action in Tennessee with a desire to be a man of God and become a better son for his parents. Marshall, Jared’s father and Baptist pastor, tells Jared, “We’ve only got one God-given right, and that is when a man and a woman come together to create life.” He is referring to God’s creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1 as the prototype of marriage, creating male and female with the intent of uniting as one-flesh and multiplying. Victor Sykes, the chief counselor at Love In Action, inaugurates the program with an inspirational monologue: “We have just one task: to bring ourselves back to God. To invite him back in. To understand how He truly meant to create us before all those pieces got torn away.”
As devout Christians in a position of power, Marshall and Mr. Sykes feel a sense of duty akin to ancient and early medieval political leaders analyzed in Meen’s article. In earlier iterations of civilization, human life was understood to be integrated in a network with the rest of nature as part of creation ruled under the deities. The biblical books Deuteronomy and Leviticus outline the bountiful blessings God will grant to those who obey His commandments: “They will be glorified above all peoples of the earth, their towns and lands will flourish, crops will grow abundantly, children will be born in abundance, their enemies will be subdued, it will rain in due time, trees will bear plenty of fruit and wild animals will disappear” (Meens 356). By guiding others towards a life away from sin, Marshall and Mr. Sykes are ensuring that more people are able to experience the blessings and prosperity promised to those who obey God’s commandments.
Meens notes that the consequences of an unjust king were especially detrimental to the cosmos, as “an act of injustice by the person who should be the supreme guardian of justice, sets the whole cosmos in disorder” (351). The leader of a nation holds tremendous influence and power that directly impacts his subjects and the fate of the nation, further affecting neighboring nations and presumably the whole world. Ultimately, a king’s actions should represent the justice, compassion, strength, wisdom, and good-will of God (350). Pastors such as Marshall are especially presumed to exemplify Christian values as a church leader, and his sense of responsibility to lead by example makes it difficult for him to wholeheartedly accept his son as a homosexual man.
It comes to no surprise that the prime responsibility of ancient and early medieval political leaders was to ensure his subjects were on the right moral path, as the consequences of immorality could not only negatively impact the state of the nation, but could likely disrupt the harmony of the cosmos (345). The performance of penitential rituals and observance of fasting were thus considered political concerns that a good leader ensured were done properly in order to keep the nation in good standings with God (346). Parallel to public penitential rituals, participants of the Love In Action conversion program confess their homosexual transgressions in front of the other participants and counselors, with Mr. Sykes’ guidance ensuring a thorough repentance. Ultimately, the diligent efforts of Marshall and Mr. Sykes to discourage sinful behavior is attributed to their sense of duty to make the world around them right with God in order to restore the goodness that comes with cosmic harmony.
As Jared continues to attend the daily therapy sessions, he becomes increasingly skeptical that this program will truly bring him closer to God. He notices the other participants becoming increasingly angry, resentful, ashamed, and morose as they endure the different exercises of the program with no signs of actual conversion and recovery. Mr. Sykes reprimands Cameron, another participant, for not acting angrier during a role-playing exercise that blamed his father for his impurity. Mr. Sykes says, “You’re gonna wish you havent been born because God will not love you the way you are right now unless you really want to change.” Jared empathically squeezes Cameron’s shoulder, only to be told off by another participant for disobeying rules against physical contact between participants. After catching sight of Mr. Sykes smoking a cigarette despite its prohibition at the facility, Jared must have wondered if Jesus would have challenged Mr. Sykes in the same way he questioned the religious elites for condemning a sinner as if they did not have their own faults (John 8:7). Jared’s mother, Nancy, similarly expresses regret for ignoring her motherly instinct that conversion therapy will hurt her son, instead choosing to believe others around her that had said the suffering will ultimately help Jared. There seems to be a disparity between the realities of Love In Action and the Christian understanding of God’s unconditional love that Jared and Nancy are both unable to reconcile.
Jared is experiencing similar sentiments as Bonhoeffer did in one of his prison letters as he wrestles with his own understanding of the Christian faith and the reality of Christianity in Nazi Germany. As the religious a priori foundations of Christianity begin to deteriorate with the rise of scientific reason, Bonhoeffer predicts that the world will truly become (or already is) “radically religionless”. Moreover, among the few who still consider themselves religious people are dishonestly practicing their beliefs, and Bonhoeffer laments that there are not many viable options left for the resurgence of Christianity in society as it currently presents itself. “What kind of situation emerges for us, for the church? [...] Is there such a thing as a religionless Christian?” Bonhoeffer questions (Bonhoeffer 363). Bonhoeffer explores sentiments of disconnect between the religious people he encounters and his “Christian instinct”, observing that most only leave room for God out of anxiety when human capacities of knowledge or strength are lacking (366). To Bonhoeffer, God is found “not in weakness but in strength, [...] not in death and guilt but in human life and human goodness” (367). God should not be placed at the periphery of human capacity but in the center where His transcendent powers can work alongside and in conjunction with human power.
As human civilization continues to understand the world beyond explanations given by religion, many become anxious with the fear of the unknown as intellectual breakthroughs seem to derail humanity away from God’s plan. While Christians like Marshall, Mr. Sykes, and the Love In Action ministry are adamant in bringing humanity back on track with biblical teachings, others like Jared and Nancy choose to focus on the virtue of love when expressing religiosity.
To place God in the center of one’s life akin to Bonhoeffer’s conception is to allow God’s power of ultimate unconditional love to be expressed through one’s behavior. While humans do not always have the capacity to love enemies, remain patient, or show compassion towards the suffering, Bonhoeffer believes that true Christian practice is to rely on God’s transcendence in order to choose love in all circumstances. By the conclusion of the film, it is clear that Jared has oriented his life towards emitting God’s love when he confronts Marshall about their estranged relationship. Jared speaks of the deep hurt his father has caused him without anger or judgment, and expresses his wishes to keep Marshall in his life. Jared shows an attitude of forgiveness while still communicating his incapacity to change his sexuality to align with his father’s beliefs. As Nancy had already found peace in allowing herself to love both her son and God, perhaps Marshall will too allow himself to love Jared unconditionally.
Work Cited
Aiello, Rachel. “Conversion Therapy Is Now Illegal in Canada.” CTVNews, CTV News, 7
Jan. 2022, https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/conversion-therapy-is-now-illegal-in-canada-1.5731911.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. “Prison Letter April 30 1944.” Letters and Papers From Prison,
Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2010, pp. 361–367, Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
“Conversion ‘Therapy’ Map.” Movement Advancement Project,
https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/conversion_therapy.
Edgerton, Joel, director. Boy Erased, Focus Features, 2018, Accessed 14 Apr. 2022.
Meens, Rob. “Politics, Mirrors of Princes and the Bible: Sins, Kings and the Well-Being of
the Realm.” Early Medieval Europe 7, Blackwell Publishers Ltd, Malden, MA, 1998, pp. 345–357.
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