Changing Our Mind

Short Review: This is a brief argument for full inclusion of LGBT Christians within the church. I think it is well written and better as a whole than Vine's God and the Gay Christians (although there were a few things in that book that Gushee doesn't attempt).

The problem is that I think the argument is unlikely to change anyone's mind. Gushee acknowledges that he is asking for a change in the historic teaching of the church. And while his biblical case is strong in some areas, in some areas you just have to dismiss the verses as cultural construction and that is a hard case to make for people that disagree. (This is a different argument, but similar in idea to suggesting that ‘Women shall not speak in church' is culturally constructed and not enterally bound for people that accept women as pastors.)

The second edition has an appendix that is the text of a speech that Gushee gave. Gushee did his dissertation on the change on Christian attitudes toward Jews as a response to the Holocaust. And he uses that idea as a illustration of how and why Christian can change theologically in response to cultural or historical factors. I think that short section is probably the best short argument in the book, but again, it is unlikely to change many minds.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/changing-our-mind/