The Widening of God’s Mercy, by Christopher and Richard Hays, falls woefully short

The Widening of God’s Mercy, by Christopher and Richard Hays , has been hyped by the media for promoting a “biblical” case for homosexual unions.

Peter Bergen says the authors fail to provide a credible defense of their thesis.

He says they ignore virtually all the weight of scholarship since 1996 .

Bergen: They intentionally ignore discussion of the most important biblical texts that counter their claims.

They wrongly assume that biblical writers, including Paul , had no awareness of sexual orientation.

Ancient world was acquainted with the idea and practice of committed same-sex relationships.

They dishonestly apply analogies to the Bible ’s indictment of homosexual practice.

They cite the inclusion of eunuchs over time as an important analogue for including homosexually active persons.

They confuse welcoming people with accepting their immoral sexual behavior.

They wrongly state that Paul ’s position in Romans 14 on unity is “a helpful model” for showing “forbearance toward those with whom we disagree” about homosexual practice.