A Time to Embrace: Same-Gender Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics

by William Stacy Johnson

As rhetoric continues to heat up on both sides of the debate over same-gender unions, clearly reasoned statements are in short supply. Watching this debate unfold, William Stacy Johnson found that he could be silent no longer. The result is this finely honed book.

In A Time to Embrace Johnson presents a brilliant analysis of the religious, legal, and political stakes in the debates over gay marriage, civil unions, and the place of committed gay couples in a democratic society. Carefully weighing the pros and cons from across th emoral and religious spectrum, Johnson here offers a fresh, thought-provoking examination of one of the most controversial issues in the West today.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, LGBT, Sexuality, Religion, Politics, Christianity

340 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2006

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Stacey Johnson is a gay-affirming theology professor at Princeton Theological Seminary (PCUSA) and also happens to be a lawyer. This is his look at the gay marriage issue from both the theological and legal perspective. It's an interesting read but I'd say definitely more on the academic end of things. The text is sometimes dry, in that academic sort of way. The book does contain a lot of interesting information, though.

The first part deals with the continuum of theological perspectives on gay marriage, ranging from completely unaccepting to affirming. The second part deals with the legal, and particularly judicial, aspects of gay marriage. I'm not particularly knowledgable about legal stuff so I learned a lot about the levels of scrutiny that are applied by judges. I think the legal chapters definitely were the strong part for me.

[Al Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the second edition (2012) as part of a study group at my local United Methodist Church. The writing style is straight forward and easy to follow without a deep knowledge of law. It does help if you are fairly familiar with the Bible (preferably RSV). The author breaks down the topic from a religious, legal and political POV.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in thinking through the gay marriage in America issue and how it plays out in a Christian context. Although written before the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage in the USA (Obergefell v. Hodges) , it is still well worth reading.

[Esperanza · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written for a theologian, not a lay person. As a lay person, I could not get through the first section. Had to give it up.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has been a plethora of great books written of late on the question of same-gender relationships -- both in society and the church. Some like those of Jeff Chu and Justin Lee are wonderfully written conversations that speak from experience. William Stacy Johnson's book, now in its second edition, is perhaps the most helpful book of all. He writes of theology, scripture, and the law. He shares with us the spectrum of views and offers an alternative -- consecration -- that I believe holds the key to the future of the church's understanding of marriage, sexuality, and covenant relationship. To top all of this off, he adds in his legal interpretation based on his own legal training.

It's a deep book -- not a fast read. It covers a lot of ground. But how I wish I'd read the 1st edition when it came to me years ago and the second edition when it arrived about a year ago. In any case -- this is a powerful book and a must read for all who desire to live out the gospel in this age!

[Andrew Mendez-McLeish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still in the middle of this book, but I want to recommend it because it tries to take all perspectives into account. I know the author, he was a professor at Princeton while I was there. I was privilidged to sit down and have dinner with him one night and talk a little about his approach. He wanted this book to be something that all christians could read and gain perspective from whether they agreed with him or not. He also doesn't just look at one area, such as what it means for the church, but wanted this to come at the issue from several angles. He used his knowledge as a lawyer, theologian and pastor to come from three angles: religion, law, and politics. It is a very timely book if you ask me. You can get it on amazon.

[Tom Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book definitely comes from a bias of full acceptance by the church of gay lifestyles, its most significant contribution is in laying out the a progression of seven different Christian responses toward gays, from outright prohibition all the way to full ecclesial consecration, testing the arguments of each along the way. Before reading this book, I thought that it was more of a black-and-white, for-or-against issue. But the looking at the seven different positions, I realized that I was somewhere in the middle, and in the midst of a shift myself. This is very helpful in leading to conversation on the issue rather than divisive battles.

Johnson then focuses on gay rights in recent court battles, detailing the arguments made from both liberty and equality.

[Katina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written and covers the same-sex marriage debate from several useful perspectives that aren't often addressed in conversation with one another. As a lawyer and theologian (I believe...), Johnson does a great job with scriptural exegesis and boils the law down into distilled and easily understandable points. From a religious perspective, I found this book very refreshing. I'm not entirely on board with Johnson's recommendations for political change but this is a thoughtful and well-crafted tome. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to do some theological/legal geeking out on a hot-button issue.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the ever-shifting, constantly changing world of LGBT politics, this book, only 6 years old, already shows its age. If I had read it when it was first published in 2006, then I would have been blown away by incredibly new knowledge and insight. In 2012, however, I found myself saying, "well, duh" too many times.

Well written and well researched. I suppose my 3-stars are my personal reaction to the book. I value the ultimate call of this book: a call to higher dialogue and the embracing of LGBT people as our fully human friends, neighbors, and families.

[Pablo Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books looks at same-sex relationships and different ways that churches deal with those relationships. Also explores the legal implications of those relationships. An interesting and informative read from cover to cover.

[David A-S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnson's approach is thorough, pastoral, and deeply engaged with texts (scriptures, legal cases, and legislative work). Not only is context readably presented but engaged in a measured and thoughtful tone.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little heady and boring but good arguments

[Roland Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Changed my opinion on gay marriage. See my full review here: http://andthewordsbecamebooks.wordpre...

[Steve Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant biblical and historical research