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A review by drbobcornwall
Changing Our Mind: A call from America's leading evangelical ethics scholar for full acceptance of LGBT Christians in the Church by David P. Gushee
5.0
The question of the status of the LGBT community within the Church is a vexing one. Traditionally Christianity has held up the premise that sexual relations are to be confined to marriage, and marriage is the domain of a man and a woman. This premise has been grounded in understandings of biblical texts, theological reflection, culture, and understandings of the orders of creation. The traditional paradigm is collapsing, and therefore the church is in the midst of a time of crisis. If the traditional model doesn't work, what should we put in its place?
In recent years there has been a great abundance of new books that wrestle with this question. Several books by evangelicals have appeared in the past two years that open the conversation up in new ways. One of those contributions is this book by [a:David P. Gushee|146881|David P. Gushee|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-ccc56e79bcc2db9e6cdcd450a4940d46.png], an evangelical social ethicist. For a number of reasons David Gushee has had a change of mind on this topic, and has come out as a strong advocate for inclusion. In Changing Our Mind, Gushee shares how this change occurred and offers his rationale for why the church as a whole should follow his lead.
This is not a heavy read, though it will be a challenging one for many in the church. It will challenge both traditionalists and some revisionists. For one thing, he suggests that the way forward will require civility and patience. Speaking of traditional texts as clobber scriptures, while understandable, is not an effective strategy. For traditionalists, he wants them to understand that there are Gay Christians. Because of the closet, many have not known this to be true, but they're in our midst.
That is because while he embraces the full inclusion of LGBT folks in the church, he remains true to traditional values regarding the appropriate place for sexual relations to occur. In other words, it's not an anything goes kind of vision. Instead, he suggests that the idea of life-long covenant marriage be extended to LGBT persons. That will require, therefore, a commitment to one partner and one gender identity.
In the course of the book, he takes up texts that either are used in opposition to LGBT inclusion or that define marriage only in terms of male-female partnerships. He addresses the question of the orders of creation and notes their often problematic uses. Ultimately, this is a call for the church to recognize that the principle of exclusion is dangerous -- to body, soul, and spirit. It is an invitation to take up a new path.
For those of us who already embrace the change, this book should prove to be helpful in bringing others along. For those who are on the fence this may be the book that gets them to the other side. For those who have dug in their heals, if they are open to reading, perhaps their eyes will be opened to new realities. Whatever the case, this book has message whose time has come! Take and read!!
In recent years there has been a great abundance of new books that wrestle with this question. Several books by evangelicals have appeared in the past two years that open the conversation up in new ways. One of those contributions is this book by [a:David P. Gushee|146881|David P. Gushee|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-ccc56e79bcc2db9e6cdcd450a4940d46.png], an evangelical social ethicist. For a number of reasons David Gushee has had a change of mind on this topic, and has come out as a strong advocate for inclusion. In Changing Our Mind, Gushee shares how this change occurred and offers his rationale for why the church as a whole should follow his lead.
This is not a heavy read, though it will be a challenging one for many in the church. It will challenge both traditionalists and some revisionists. For one thing, he suggests that the way forward will require civility and patience. Speaking of traditional texts as clobber scriptures, while understandable, is not an effective strategy. For traditionalists, he wants them to understand that there are Gay Christians. Because of the closet, many have not known this to be true, but they're in our midst.
That is because while he embraces the full inclusion of LGBT folks in the church, he remains true to traditional values regarding the appropriate place for sexual relations to occur. In other words, it's not an anything goes kind of vision. Instead, he suggests that the idea of life-long covenant marriage be extended to LGBT persons. That will require, therefore, a commitment to one partner and one gender identity.
In the course of the book, he takes up texts that either are used in opposition to LGBT inclusion or that define marriage only in terms of male-female partnerships. He addresses the question of the orders of creation and notes their often problematic uses. Ultimately, this is a call for the church to recognize that the principle of exclusion is dangerous -- to body, soul, and spirit. It is an invitation to take up a new path.
For those of us who already embrace the change, this book should prove to be helpful in bringing others along. For those who are on the fence this may be the book that gets them to the other side. For those who have dug in their heals, if they are open to reading, perhaps their eyes will be opened to new realities. Whatever the case, this book has message whose time has come! Take and read!!