As rhetoric continues to heat up on both sides of the debate over same-gender unions, clear, reasoned statements are in short supply.
Watching this debate unfold, William Stacy Johnson found that he could be silent no longer. In A Time to Embrace he presents his contribution a comprehensive case for acknowledging the legitimacy of same-gender unions in law, politics, and especially religion. Johnson begins by laying out the Church's seven different responses, from outright prohibition to full ecclesial consecration, testing the arguments of each along the way. He then focuses on gay rights in recent court battles, detailing the arguments made from both liberty and equality. Finally, Johnson weighs different types of gay marriage and civil union arrangements and suggests a way forward politically through the hopeful process of deliberative democracy.
A Time to Embrace is a thought-provoking and well-argued treatment of one of the most controversial issues in the west today and is sure to lead readers to deeper reflection on religious truth and the meaning of marriage.