And You Invited Me In: A Novel - Softcover

"And You Invited Me In is a powerful story of unconditional love and grace. This story grabbed me and reminded me of all the emotional roads that...gays and lesbians experience every day.... I wept as I recalled the many people who have crossed our paths in ministry who are the Scotts, Alexes, Annies, and Samuels. It is my prayer that God will use this real-life story to break all our hearts and cause us...to realize what really matters in life." -- Todd Ferrell, president of The Evangelical Network "As an avid reader, I found this book to be highly enjoyable. Mrs. Tyler seems to have captured what it must be like to be a gay man living with AIDS in a fundamentalist society." -- Mike Myrick, pastor from Nashville

Annie Whitley is a conservative Christian living in the small town of Hallton, Wisconsin. Her faith and family bonds are tested when she is unexpectedly faced with a difficult decision; her brother, Alex Marshall, is a successful gay lawyer living in Atlanta who, after leaving behind his conservative roots, is now is dying of AIDS. Should she care for him? Would it be right to practice forgiveness, compassion, and understanding and invite her brother home to Hallton to die having made peace with his former family and friends? Yet longtime family friends, including former professional football player, Jett Taylor, also a conservative Christian, believes inviting Alex and his partner, Scott Phillips, owner of a regional gay newspaper, to Hallton would be hypocritical and compromise the Whitleys' Christian faith and convictions. Annie finds herself searching her heart and soul and asking, "What would Jesus do?" The book explores the frustrations of a woman caught in-between a debate which has raged within and around the church for centuries: If we let our fellow man - or brother - die without even offering help or compassion? Are we guilty of an even greater sin than tolerating what we've been taught is unacceptable - homosexuality? Would Jesus not comfort the afflicted and heal the sick? The title brings to mind the powerful words in the New Testament: If we see Jesus in every man, would we not invite him in?