Epiphany: A Christian's Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage

by Michael Coren

From the posterboy of Catholic conservatism, a major change of heart and soul on one of the Church's most controversial and intractable stances.
"This past February, a conservative Roman Catholic blog, Contra|Diction, gave me perhaps my best headline 'Michael Coren Complicit in Destruction of Souls Who Practice Homosexuality, Pt 1' (I'm still waiting for part two). It was one of countless posts, tweets, and articles that have condemned me for coming out in favour of same-sex marriage. I've also been fired from columns that I wrote for years, been banned from various Catholic TV and radio stations, had speeches cancelled, and been accused of cheating on my wife. My children have been called gay, and I have been compared to a child molester and a murderer. These are new experiences for me. Until last year, I was considered something of a champion of social conservatism in Canada and was well known among politically active Christians. I hosted a nightly show on Crossroads Television for twelve years, was a syndicated Sun columnist, and wrote briskly selling books with such titles as Why Catholics Are Right . Today, I am working away at a new book, Changing Heart and Mind on Same-Sex Marriage . How and why did it go so terribly wrong?" --Michael Coren

What went "terribly wrong" is that Michael Coren had a profound spiritual and personal change of heart. Epiphany is about how and why that happened; the reaction from both sides of the fence; and how the Christian doctrine, when studied closely and without bias, heartily supports Michael's findings. As a middle-aged, very white, very straight, very Christian man, he was obliged, first reluctantly and then eagerly, to explore the complex dynamic between faith and homosexuality and to work out a new narrative. The crux of that God is love.
     Honest, brave, and rigorous in its scholarship, Epiphany is a groundbreaking book on one of society's most pressing issues.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Christian, Spirituality, Current Affairs, Christianity

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Michael Coren is an English-Canadian columnist, author, public speaker, radio host and television talk show host. He has been the host of the television series The Michael Coren Show for six years. He has also been a long-time radio personality, particularly on CFRB radio.

He has writen more than ten books, including biographies of H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, and C. S. Lewis. His latest book, Why Catholics are Right, will be published in 2011.

Reviews

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Coren has had a huge reputation of being opposed to anything gay. I know my husband questioned why I would ever want to read a book written by him, but he has shown a huge moment of growth and Epiphany is his story of that change. As I read this I remember seeing or reading about some of his encounters with the religious right after he came out in favour of same-sex marriage, so I know the truth of which he speaks. I know that there is still a significant level of opposition out there and it would be my hope that after reading Epiphany that others could come to the same awakening. I still love this quote: "A made-up mind is often like a made-up bed. Very neat and tidy but there's nothing actually in it." p48. It's time to fill up the bed.

[Leila Chandler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected this book to be more hard-hitting than it was. As someone who spent decades involved in apologetics, I thought maybe he'd use some logic or reason in his arguments, but his entire argument was simply an appeal to emotions and passions. Sure, there were some good parts of the book that really made me reflect and his intentions were honourable. If the book had simply been his personal journey, then that would be fine. Such a thing is subjective and personal and you can't say much about it, but instead he tries to make arguments from the Bible, philosophy, theology and anthropology about why Christians should convert to his view-point. I found his arguments to be weak, and he had to go through much unconvincing exegetical gymnastics to try and read into the Bible what he wanted it to say, forgetting that Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism, is based on a lot more than a literal reading of the Bible, aka 2000 years of teaching, preaching, philosophy, writing, living and theology.
I could also write an entire novel about his hypocrisy. He complains that Conservatives and Christians make too much out of the same-sex marriage issue to the exclusion of all else (not true, btw), but then here he is, switching his denomination, his career and writing an entire book about this one issue, in which he even says that this is the single biggest issue the Church is facing today. Go figure. And for all his complaining that Conservatives are "mean", he spends a great deal of time and effort bullying them into believing what he believes, ridiculing them, insulting them, and making many false accusations and blanket statements about them.
I could go on, but I won't. I'd say it's worth a read just to see where's he coming from, because there are a lot of Conservatives out there imputing false or made-up motives to his actions and change of belief.

[Veronica Schleihauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who says "but the Bible says..." about homsexuality should read this book.

Anyone who has trouble answering "but the Bible says.." about homosexuality should read this book.

Anyone who is gay, straight, queer, or any other identity but whose life is in any way shape or form affected by Christianity should without a doubt read this book.

[Christopher Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sympathetic to Coren's position and admire his willingness to chronicle his journey from one end of the spectrum to another, but the book is not a good polemic for an affirming position on this issue. His arguments from scripture are circumstantial and speculative, his dismissal of his opponents grows as the book wears on and by the end he's treating his conservative dialogue partners with the same genre of disdain that he was repenting of holding towards liberals before his conversion. The book would have been better conceived as a short series of articles on his personal journey rather than a manifesto on what the church needs to do.

[Soudabeh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book and had to push myself to read the first 100 pages, literary taking deep breaths and telling myself it will get somewhere some time. The first 50 pages includes finger pointing, wining, passive aggressive attacks to people who didn't agree with authors opinion or were upset with him changing his point of view and complaining about how they have cancelled his TV shows and speeches!!! (daaa ...!!! it is like complaining about competitor not letting you having your ad in their program!)

Then starts the imaginary religious tales! Things that if someone tells you in the street you will consider them crazy! And there are interpretations from old religious texts based on one word and guessing what that word meant at that time!

They say religion is a drug but I don't believe so. What drugs do is to numb you, deactivate you, to stop you from doing anything. I say religion is a black potion, a potion that they give you to make you think the way they want, believe on whatever they want and do whatever they want. Religion is not a drug that numbs you, it actually activates you to do things without thinking, to act on other people's will.

I am happy that this author have had one step forward (for whatever reason he had) to change his belief about gay couple and it is for sure a start to walk on spirituality, but I don't really recommend this book to any one, at least for me, it was a total waste of time. But again, who knows may be after page 100 it gets better.

[H Wesselius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a big fan of Coren and this book did nothing to help this view. I read this book only as a curiosity on why someone would change his mind. Its a tough slog to get past the pedestrian writing, the repetitiveness, the whining, etc to see why he changed his mind and even then his biblical analysis is rather shoddy and seem more like an attempt to justify his change of mind rather than his change of mind.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honour of seeing Michael Cohen speak in person. He is as eloquent a writer as he is a speaker. He is kind, funny, compassionate, and deeply literate in Biblical scholarship. Whether you're wondering how to convince someone that LGBTQ rights and Christianity are indeed deeply compatible, or whether you're looking to find out why someone would change his or her mind, this is an excellent book.

[Paula Kirman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire Coren's willingness to speak out as a Christian who used to be the darling of Conservative talk shows, totally changing his viewpoint on the issue of same-sex marriage. I would have liked to see more Biblical arguments supporting his position, as he used when I saw him speak recently. The book is more about how he has been attacked by the right wing since his change of heart, as well as the stories of people who faced rejection by their religious communities over their sexuality.

[Paul Danyluk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up detesting Michael Coren. His smug face and divisive Christianity was a cue to keep clicking through the TV channels so I was curious to learn about his change of mind on same sex marriage. The journey is an encouraging one to read about and did get me interested in learning more about the work of Biblical interpretation. It is also a good reminder to focus on basic principles, like love and caring.

[Christina Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was published in 2016, and even so, it is *really* dated. As others have noted, I expected more apologetics. There was one acknowledgement that there are only religious objections to marriage equality. Not one secular argument. Go ahead; name one.

Coren is still a Catholic, and I wonder whether that will be the next shelf to break, or whether he's too far sunk to embrace the dark side of Atheism. Come join us! We have cookies!

[Scott Constantine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I relate a lot to Michael Coren. I, too, am a Canadian ex-Catholic turned affirming Anglican. But the way Coren tap-dances around other conservative Catholic beliefs, which he may or may not still hold, doesn’t sit right with me because I think a more expansive and inclusive worldview should necessarily mean taking a hard look at *other* social issues too.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, thoughtfully and compellingly written, fast and easy to read. But overall I thought he made too many logical leaps and conflated too many issues in order to get to his conclusion, though I can appreciate many of the individual points he makes. Good book for in-person discussion to get into the details, for sure.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for both Christians and non-Christians.

[Kenneth Neil]

An excellent source for Christians seeking understanding of their fellow LGBT members.

[Tracy Winchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected to learn a new perspective. Seemed more like a personal diatribe than providing tools for empathy and understanding.

[Dennis Maione · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book because it is about the facts and Coren’s feelings.

[Lilli]

Every person who if older than 50 needs to read this

[Christopher Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly Christian man bares his soul. I have heard Michael Coren speak any number of times on TV and the radio as I live close to his home base of Toronto, Canada. So in reading these dense pages, I can actually hear him voice his arguments, stories and comments because he writes just as he speaks: with passion, with vaunted intellect, with a certitude based on considered musings, with love, from a heart grounded in the message of Jesus. His is not a moralist sermon preached to recalcitrant parishioners/friends/public but a thoroughly honest exposure of his journey as a committed heterosexual Christian man in considering the question of same-sex marriage in particular and homosexuality in general. He tells his own story and considers the arguments pro and con from all view points and assesses each with concern for their application to the human journey.

I found the book to be very emotional, partly because he is emotional in his diction (he is a writer of beautifully succinct, pithy English) and partly because of the emotion inherent in others' journeys as he recounts them. I suspect that he's "preaching to the choir" and that many people who read this book are gay. If they need affirmation in their life, they'll find it here. Others may be closeted; they will find hope. Others not convinced will hear all the arguments laid out; Michael is enough of a realist, as he outlines here, to know that change of hearts will occur very slowly if at all but he voices his optimism in his conviction that his Jesus will ultimately triumph.

"God can bless a battleship...but He can't bless two people who love each other"??????

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of Michael Coren, in fact his brand of right wing religiousity was a complete turn off for me and many other people I know. When I saw this book title I knew it was something I had to read. I am very glad I did.

Michael starts off talking about his change of heart and the backlash he received for it. It really is fascinating that people who proclaim to love and follow Christ's words are sometimes the most hateful when you don't agree with them.

He points out that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. I know that Christians always argue he said "I come not to abolish the laws but to fulfill them" and yet how many times did he reject things and alter the teachings? As for Paul, Michael Coren rightly points out that his rejections of homosexuality are mainly a condemnation of the Romans and their lifestyle.

Michael also talks to gay people about the discrimination they have experienced from their Christian families or communities and how it has affected their lives. Some of the stories are heart rending.

All in all I think this is an excellent book by a man who has clearly done much thinking and research on the subject and I highly recommend it.

FYI, did you know that only male homosexuality is condemned in the bible? Lesbianism isn't mentioned anywhere.

[Martha]

If you've heard Michael Coren speak recently or read his columns, you can probably skip the first chapter on his background, growth and epiphany if you want to. Chances are you've heard it all before in bits and pieces.

The section where we hear directly from gay individuals is strong, but Coren interjects too much. His attempts to be lyrical don't work for me. "His cheeks become swamped with crying, bisected with a sorrow that looks like it was disguised and held back for so long. ... He suddenly looks his age, and it's as though he speaks for that entire older generation of gay men who suffered so deeply at the hands of the Christian church." I'd rather he let one man's story stand for itself.

[Roger Leonhardt · Rating 1 out of 5]

argumentum ad passiones

[Wes Pue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memorable, clearly written. Interesting and compelling exegesis.

[Melanie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book challenging yet engaging. I found it thought-provoking and appreciated the tour through the few biblical passages which deal with this controversial issue today.