Sean McDowell - Same-sex marriage: a thoughtful approach to Gods design for marriage

2014 Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet

Published by Baker Books

A division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-2693-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the English Standard Version, Copyright 2001. The ESV and English Standard Version are trademarks of Good News Publishers.

Other versions used are

KJV King James Version. Authorized King James Version.

THE MESSAGE Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE.

Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.

Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK

Sometimes it seems like all the logical arguments for traditional marriage were trumped by these two words: marriage equality. Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet provide an important perspective with compelling prose and selected interviews. They explain how we got to where we are today, set forth the case for marriage, and provide an action plan for the twenty-first century. You need this book in order to understand what is going on and in order to be an effective witness for Christ.

Kerby Anderson

President, Probe Ministries

Host, Point of View radio talk show

The marriage terrain has undergone a seismic shift over the past decade, leaving Christians disoriented and confused about where to turn for help. Thankfully, John and Sean have written a clear and reliable guide to all of the major questions. This is a book that trades in shrillness for substance, offers wisdom and not platitudes, and counsels faithful hope, rather than despair.

Matthew Lee Anderson

Lead Writer at MereOrthodoxy.com

Author, The End of Our Exploring: A Book about Questioning and the Confidence of Faith

This well-written work is a sobering, yet hopeful, examination of the factors that have led to our current social ethic on sex, marriage and identity, as well as an insightful map showing the Christian community our pathway back to regaining our cultural influence. This book is a must read for everyone who is seriously seeking to move from simply winning arguments to the gospel call of winning souls.

Chris Brooks

Campus Dean, Moody Theological SeminaryMichigan

Senior Pastor, Evangel Ministries, Detroit, Michigan

Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet are two of the brightest minds on the planet. But their best quality is love. They love Jesus. And they love people. So with keen intellects and love-filled hearts, Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to Gods Design For Marriage , was written. This is an important book! Buy one for yourself and a friend.

Derwin L. Gray

Lead Pastor, Transformation Church, Indian Land, South Carolina

Author, Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future

Spectacular! This is the book on same-sex marriage that weve all been waiting for. A clear, winsome and engaging treatment of one of the most important topics of our time.

Eric Metaxas

Bestselling Author, Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace

Cohost, BreakPoint

Biblically-informed, pastorally-focused, and culturally-sensitive, Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet have given us a superb guide to the same-sex marriage debate. They not only show us whats right and wrong, but they also offer us a way forward in repentance and faith. Read this as soon as possible.

C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.

Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee

John Stonestreet and Sean McDowell arent content to win an argument about the present controversies. They also seek to cast into the future a compelling case for the necessity of marriage as the one-flesh union of a man and a woman for life. This book is packed with truth, hope, joy and gospel love. Read it and start thinking about how to articulate the good of marriage, no matter how confused the culture may be.

Russell D. Moore, Ph.D.

President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission,

Southern Baptist Convention, www.russellmoore.com

So what do you think about same-sex marriage? Its not if Christians will have to share their views on same-sex marriage but when . Many Christians dont know what to say. Finally theres a book that helps Christians think clearly, compassionately and courageously about how they should engage the new reality of same-sex marriage. This book also offers practical wisdom for navigating difficult personal and family situations. When students raise the question of how to think about same-sex marriage from a Christian perspective, this will be the first book I recommend!

Jonathan Morrow

Speaker and Author of Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bibles Authority

Founder of Think Christianly (http://thinkchristianly.org)

The mainstreaming of homosexuality is such a contentious issue in society today primarily because it creates a very radical view of human sexuality and the family that no society has ever faced before. Those of us trying to navigate this issue in thoughtfulness and truth have a valuable gift in what McDowell and Stonestreet provide for the Church in this important book. They are uniquely well-versed to provide this wisdom and insight, both from much study and experience as thought leaders.

Glenn Stanton

Director of Global Family Formation Studies, Focus on the Family

Contents

Part 1:
What Marriage Is and Why It Matters

The issue of same-sex marriage is a major shift for our society and presents a major challenge to Christians who embrace a biblical view of sex and marriage .

Not long ago, same-sex marriage was unthinkable, even to many within the homosexual community. Today, it seems all but inevitable. It is important to understand the shift in context to demonstrate how quickly and comprehensively change has happened .

Most of the noise and heat between advocates and opponents of same-sex marriage boils down to differing answers to one question: What is marriage? Interview: Dr. Glenn Stanton on how same-sex marriage changes what we know about marriage .

To understand what God thinks of same-sex marriage, we must first determine what God thinks of marriage .

If the biblical witness is true, we should expect to find reasons and evidence for Gods view of marriage outside of Scripture. Interviews: Jennifer Marshall and Austin Nimocks on same-sex marriage and religious freedom .

The push to extend the boundaries of marriage to include same-sex couples involves more than just marriage equality. Rather, it codifies in law an entirely new definition of marriage. When the two definitions of marriage are clearly defined and contrasted, the common arguments for same-sex marriage are answered .

Same-sex marriage is not an isolated issue. Dramatic shifts in how we understand the meaning of life, the meaning of freedom and the meaning of sex are part of a larger shift in our understanding of the human person. Interview: Kathy Koch on what we know about sexual orientation.

Part 2:
What We Can Do for Marriage

How then should Christians live in a culture that embraces same-sex marriage? How do we remain both faithful to truth and loving to people in the days to come?