Somewhere Under The Rainbow: A Christian Look at Same–Sex “Marriage”

by Norman L. Geisler, Doug Van Gordon

This book looks at the events and forces that over the course of decades have undermined the traditional view of marriage to such an extent, as to allow the idea of same–sex “marriage” to become the law of the land. It examines the biblical view of marriage since that view has been the assumption of most of western civilization for the last 2,000 years. It also considers the early Church Father’s view on marriage as well as ancient Greece and Rome. It then examines the arguments used by same–sex marriage advocates to see if in fact Christians need to rethink the issue of homosexuality and marriage and adopt a more “inclusive” interpretation of Scripture. Finally, it looks at how the church can help those struggling with homosexuals who desire to lead godly lives in accordance with His Word.
The authors are conservative evangelicals who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture that it is sufficient for faith and practice. They believe that the issue of same–sex “marriage” goes to the heart of who we are as human beings and challenges the biblical teaching that the church has held for over 2,000 years. The goal is not to win arguments but to win souls, to give clarity to those confused by the claims of same–sex “marriage” advocates, and to help the church reach out anew to those dealing with homosexuality in their lives.

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2017

About the author

Norman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) taught at top evangelical colleges and seminaries for over fifty years and was a distinguished professor of apologetics and theology at Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He was the author of nearly eighty books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics and Christian Ethics. He and his wife lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Reviews

[JohnK CO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book had great potential but didn't quite live up to expectations. I went into this book with the hopes of hearing about how we as Christians can, with compassion and grace, engage with the gay community. To share the good news of the Gospels while speaking the truth with tenderness and compassion. Most of the book focused on what I'd call the "history of homosexuality", that being everything from what the Bible says about it, to our western culture and how we've embraced it, to scientific examples that deny its naturalness. What should have been the meat of the book, "Help, Hope and Healing", represented only a fraction of the book. But the unfortunate takeaway for me was the under tone of resentment, condescension and patronizing comments that were laced throughout the book. Also, the authors overuse of the classic passive aggressive tactic of putting words in quotation to show derision became tiresome. One can speak truth with compassion without being disparaging. The author may have been speaking the truth but he loses credibility when he stoops to such behavior. A thick skinned person can smell an insult just as easily a "snowflake". Yes, I was being condescending there.

[Ronnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been an admirer of Dr. Norman Geisler and his erudite scholarship, so I was quite eager to read this book when it was published. I should note that I likewise enjoyed the contributions of Doug Van Gordon.

Somewhere Under the Rainbow offers an intimate look at same-sex marriage from the perspective of conservative Christians. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for a number of reasons. Dr. Geisler and Mr. Gordon explain the historical events and the people who led them, which contributed to the sharp cultural shift over same-sex marriage. The history of the LGBT movement is rather interesting and useful for understanding how things transpired so quickly, and where the church went wrong. By taking a closer look at the history, Christians can learn from past mistakes.

Another portion of the book is dedicated to dispelling the preconceived notions of scientific justification for same-sex attraction. This chapter exposes studies aimed at vindicating same sex attraction as being largely unscientific and biased. Further, to the contrary of popular opinion, studies with large sampling sizes have much to reveal about same-sex attraction and relationships. For example, children with same-sex parents have increased behavior risks, same-sex attraction has not been found to derive from a genetic predisposition, and same-sex relationships contribute to higher percentages of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and divorce.

The book then proceeds to expose the logical fallacies of certain arguments which support same-sex marriage through biblical justification. The authors also support heterosexual marriage as ideal by explicating biblical passages that reveal God's purpose for marriage.

There is also a helpful section towards the end of the book that answers common objections to the biblical position that marriage is always between a man and a woman.

I was pleasantly surprised by the pastoral approach that is conveyed at the end of the book. It can be easy to find ourselves so desperate to teach biblical truth that we often forget that we are dealing with real people with real problems. The last section of Somewhere Under the Rainbow reminds us of our moral responsibility as Christians to love and nurture people in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Somewhere Under the Rainbow: A Christian Look at Same-Sex "Marriage" is the best book that I have read on the subject of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. It comes a time when we need this kind of teaching the most. As a United Methodist pastor about to enter seminary, I am grateful for the wisdom and work of Dr. Geisler and Mr. Gordon. I would recommend this book to anyone from ether side of the aisle. I believe it covers both a bird's-eye view and specific details that can bring much needed insight to the conversation.