What God Has Joined Together?: A Christian Case for Gay Marriage (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Letha Dawson Scanzoni (Author) "A LONG-AGO SERMON recalled a time when the village church was burning..." (more)
Key Phrases: changing sexual orientation, sexual reorientation, reparative therapy, New Testament, United States, Bible Doe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coauthors Myers (who serves on the board of the National Marriage Project) and Scanzoni (of the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus) "take marriage... [and] our Christian faith seriously." Bringing together those two commitments to build a Christian case for gay marriage, they begin by arguing that marriage is good for society: marriage correlates to longevity; boys raised by married parents are less likely to commit crimes; married moms are less prone to depression than single moms and so forth. Why, the authors ask, should these good things be reserved for heterosexuals? They then consider what Scripture has to say about sexual orientation, rehearsing the by now familiar arguments that Jesus has nothing to say about homosexuality, and though the Bible does talk occasionally about homosexual sex, it does not deal with "loving committed homosexual relationships." Myers and Scanzoni's tone is calm, respectful and balanced. For example, though they present some of the latest scientific evidence about the causes of sexual orientation (including a chart of "mental rotation scores by sexual orientation"!), they also freely admit that scientific studies on this issue are still in the early stages, and that even conclusive scientific information "cannot... resolve values questions." With its traditional defense of marriage and its progressive embrace of same-sex relationships, this book cannot be pigeonholed, and that in itself is refreshing. (June)
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Review

"A well-reasoned, important and timely contribution to the national debate." -- David Popenoe, Co-Director, National Marriage Project, Rutgers University.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060774614
• ISBN-13: 978-0060774615
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #630,242 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book - needed!, June 11, 2005

By	T. Eggebeen "Tom Eggebeen" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Myers & Scanzoni have written a solid middle-ground book that builds lots of bridges. I hope that folks on different sides of the chasm will use this book to heal the terrible divide on gay marriage. Well written, easy to read, clear arguments, lots of information. Glad to read such a carefully balanced book; wonderful alternative to the angry bombast coming from both sides of the argument. - Tom Eggebeen

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What God Has Joined Together?: A Christian Case For Gay Marriage, July 18, 2006

By	A. Purdon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book for those interested in learning about Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, and the alienation of Gays from traditional Religion. I was impressed with the chapter on What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say. It corrects mis-translations and points out that "the word Homosexuality is never used in Scripture" and didn't exist until the late 19th century. This is an a good resource for Bible students as well.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Happy Chance Find, October 30, 2007

By	John Erickson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage (Paperback)

I saw this while browsing a local bookstore and picked it up, and I'm glad I did. Myers and Scanzoni make a very convincing case that A) marriage is good for both individuals and society and should therefor be protected, and that B) the best way to protect marriage and promote a healthy society is to allow gays to marry as well. They contend that the battle against gay marriage serves to support the alternatives to marriage movement (for straights as well as gays) which harms society and is bad for individuals. Myers and Scanzoni also give good summaries of related issues such as apparent condemnations of homosexuality in the bible, and sexual reorientation training (it doesn't work).