"Marriage, Scripture, and the Church" (Darrin W. Snyder Belousek)

TITLE: Marriage, Scripture, and the Church: Theological Discernment on the Question of Same-Sex Union
AUTHOR: Darrin W. Snyder Belousek
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021, (352 pages).

How do we deal with the issue of same-sex marriage? Should the Church bless same-sex union as marriage? How do we deal with the growing divide between those who support and those who do not? These issues continue to split the Church all over the world. Do we take each Bible verse on the topic and start espousing how right we are and how wrong the other view is? Do we use such passages to hammer down the other party into submission? How is it possible for both sides to say that they are biblical and yet arrive at different conclusions of the same matter? With regard to same-sex union, the debate continues to rage. Feeling the tensions in his own Church as well, author and Professor Darrin W Snyder Belousek re-examines the common approaches done so far and proposes three key thrusts in dealing with these questions. First, he ties the issue of sexuality with marriage. How one deals with the topic of marriage will directly affect our interpretation of same-sex, and vice-versa. He brings in the examples of how Jesus deals with questions about divorce and the "three-faceted reality of marriage." Positively, the Bible sees marriage as likened to Christ as groom and the Church as the bride. Negatively, infidelity destroys such a nuptial union. The author also asserts that all three major branches of Christian tradition: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant have always taught marriage as man-woman monogamy. He pits the teachings of the patristics and the forefathers of the faith against modern scholars like David Gushee, Dale Martin, Robert Son, James Brownson, Mark Achtemeier, and so on. He brings in arguments for both sides before presenting theological conclusions. 

Second, he opts for a more positive terminology. Instead of labels such as "conservative vs liberal,"  "inclusive vs exclusive," or "biblical vs liberal," he chooses to use "traditionalists vs innovationists." This makes this book more charitable than some of the other books on this topic. In doing so, he invites readers to participate and to learn to see not from his point of view but to understand as best as possible the perspective of Scripture. Often, we put the heart of passion before the horse of the Word. In this sense, I applaud the author for taking the initiative to apply positive labels for all. Third, instead of simply spouting textbook answers on all the rights of one view and all the wrongs of the other, he puts forth four starting assumptions and criteria for anyone discerning from any position. 

1. "Primacy and Relevance of Scripture" to be the foremost authority on such issues.
2. "Responsibility of Justification" or the burden of proof falls on those who want to re-interpret Scripture according to their newly acquired positions.
3. "Consistency and Charity in Interpretation" to apply to all sides, that the same standards and requirements are to be consistent whichever position one might adopt.
4. "Relevance and Insufficiency of Experience" meaning that personal experience no matter how passionate cannot supplant matters of doctrine.

My Thoughts

Another book on sex and sexuality? What makes this book different from the rest? Is this book another attempt to dumb down views that are innovationists? Not so fast. One needs to read the book in order to see the meticulous research and strained desire to honour the institution of marriage, as advocated by the Scriptures and Jesus Himself. Belousek compares and contrasts Scripture with the positions of the innovationists, arguing that their interpretations are essentially alteration of the Scriptures. He does not stop at same-sex matters. He extends the coverage to include "open marriage," "altered fidelity," "no-fault divorce," and others, saying that those who try to use the Scriptures to justify these are basically doing the work of alteration. Both have ethical and theological complications which the author lists rationally. The work is robust and respectful, which makes this book a good avenue for any critical assessment of any position. For he also challenges traditionalists to justify their stance each time they interpret a position different from the historical tradition, for example, choosing childlessness in marriage. In his evaluation, Belousek attempts to give us an eschatological perspective that the end goal is neither heterosexual nor homosexual, but union with God. 

I like the author's consistent emphasis on Scripture and the frequent borrowing of wisdom from the patristics. He deals with the tricky topic of Jesus being used as a champion for inclusivism by arguing that we need to be careful not to make Jesus parrot our views or perspectives of inclusivity. In other words, don't put words into Jesus' mouth just to make our interpretations more appealing. Hospitality arguments tend to be emboldened by modern culture rather than by the Bible. Like what Wesley Hill had attested, this book is one of the most "careful, judicious, and cogent defenses" of the traditional Christian view of marriage and sexuality. Hill himself is gay and celibate! 

Following Christ is not easy. Let us not make it any harder for anybody to follow Jesus. Perhaps, even if we don't agree with the conclusions of this author, we could still learn the graciousness and scholarship he has done in arriving at his findings. 

Darrin W. Snyder Belousek (PhD, University of Notre Dame) teaches philosophy and religion at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, and has taught at various church-related colleges. He has served the church through the Mennonite Mission Network and is the author of several books, including Atonement, Justice, and Peace and Good News: The Advent of Salvation in the Gospel of Luke. 

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.