Mark Achtemeier "Bible says to Gay Marriage" - Unconvincing Revisionist Argument
The title of Mark Achtemeier’s The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical’s Change of Heart leaves no doubt as to his conclusion. Achtemeier, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor and theologian, wants to lead his readers toward the same “change of heart” that caused him to embrace same-sex marriage. He writes graciously and gently. But his book will be persuasive only to those who already agree with him. Though he aims to make a biblical and logical case for same-sex marriage, the book fails on both counts. Hollow Definition of Marriage Like many revisionist treatments of this subject , Achtemeier is anxious to get to the proof texts. He wants to show that the seven classic Bible passages used to condemn homosexuality have been misunderstood and misapplied . In his haste to do so, however, he completely misses the most important step of the argument: a coherent definition of marriage. If we’re going to argue about who should be married, we should first establish what mar