A Happy Chance Find
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).
Excellent Introduction to the subject
I am a heterosexual,christian physician with a number of gay and lesbian patients who have been significantly injured by the disgraceful way the church deals with issues of orientation. Having studied religion personally and academically, I have long been aware of the very real question of what the bible actually has to say about homosexuality and the unfortunate human consequences of the church's failure to address this subject honestly.
This book represents a beginning to an honest discussion, that I hope the church and individual christians will have the courage to pursue. The authors did an excellent job of presenting a very complicated subject simply and fairly. The controversy and lack of certainty in the popular translations has generally been hidden from the less educated mass of christians. If you want a more thorough discussion of the subject, try "Misquoting Jesus" by Ehrman, the chair of religious studies at UNC Chapel Hill.
Deceptive
This book is insidious. It lures you into its web by starting with principles people on all sides of the issue share. Before you know it, you are so used to nodding in agreement that you continue nodding when the arguments become weaker, and soon you are nodding at arguments that most of us would never accept if we stopped and thought about it.
And the authors are trying to answer the wrong question. This book is written for a Christian audience, among whom homosexual marriage is a small part of a much more critical issue. The debate isn't about marriage; it is about sin. If practicing homosexuality is not sin, then there is no reason to prohibit same-sex marriages. But if practicing homosexuality is sin, then even all the worldly benefits that Myers and Scanzoni predict (from lower depression and suicide rates to more stable relationships) cannot justify supporting those marriages or taking any other actions that condone that sin. This is the same principle that applies to all sin, including adultery and hate and gossip and even breaking the traffic laws. As a Christian, I am responsible for my homosexual brothers and sisters just as I am for other sinners, and I am accountable if my actions lead someone else to fall.
So the first, and possibly only, question a Christian needs to ask is: how does the Bible treat homosexual acts? Although Myers and Scanzoni do address that question, their arguments get mixed in with other issues while creating a surface appeal that sucumbs to the head-nodding process discussed above.
I'm not suggesting that you avoid this book. The only way to understand any issue is to know the arguments on both sides. But if you do read it you should also read the counterpoint in Straight & Narrow by Thomas E. Schmidt. Straight & Narrow?: Compassion & Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate Schmidt's book preceeded Myers and Scanzoni's book by a decade and does not cover some of the more recent research they discuss. But that research is inconclusive and/or unreplicated, and it does not make Schmidt's arguments any less valid.
I'm also not questioning the sincerity of the authors' Christian beliefs. On the contrary, David Myers was one of my favorite professors in college, and I always thought he was a strong Christian. (And although that was many years ago, I have no reason to believe it has changed.) But, as the authors readily admit, Christians aren't God, and some of our beliefs will inevitably contain error. So don't take their book (or Schmidt's) as gospel.
What God Has Joined Together is well-written and easy to read. It is even well-reasoned on the surface. But it is not what it seems.
A decent book on the gay marriage debate
Ok, if you are going to read a book on the gay marriage debate, this seems like a good one. If you are reading this review, you should know that I did not support gay marriage before nor do I now. This book is basically divided into three divisions.
Section 1: Promotes the value of marriage
Section 2: Describes what science can or cannot tell us about homosexuality
Section 3: Describes what the bible does or does not say about homosexuality
If you want a lot of specifics, I recommend reading the book. I was pretty impressed with Section 1 & 2. Ok, so what is my complaint about Section 3? Well, I find it mysterious that scholars are "all of a sudden" reinterpreting verses to say they are not referring to homosexuality. Also, the church history section is rather scarce. What has the church historically thought of homosexuality? If the conservative church takes the authors advice, I have a feeling there will be a lot more empty pews.
Well done...
"What God Has Joined Together" is a gracefully written argument in favor of gay marriage. Despite the contentious debate around this issue, the book is written in a gentle style that reminded me of a peaceful sermon. The authors use empirical studies to make their case -- all people need community and security, gays and lesbians can't change their orientation, marriage can be strengthened by allowing gays and lesbians to marry. This isn't a polemic designed to galvanize one side in opposition to another - it is a call for liberal and conservative Christians to find common ground.
