New Book Explores an Evangelical’s Acceptance of Same-Sex Marriage

Louisville, KY— Mark Achtemeier, formerly a conservative church activist and opponent of gay and lesbian inclusion, underwent a change of heart not in spite of the Bible’s message but because of it. In The Bible’s Yes to Same- Sex Marriage (Westminster John Knox Press), Achtemeier reveals what led to his change of heart: the problems […]

Louisville, KY— Mark Achtemeier, formerly a conservative church activist and opponent of gay and lesbian inclusion, underwent a change of heart not in spite of the Bible’s message but because of it. In The Bible’s Yes to Same- Sex Marriage (Westminster John Knox Press), Achtemeier reveals what led to his change of heart: the problems with excluding groups of people and the insights into the Bible’s message that led him to recognize the fullness of God’s love and support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. By illustrating how reading snippets of Scripture out of context has led to misleading interpretations of the Bible’s message, Achtemeier shows how a careful reading of the whole Scripture reveals God’s good news about love, marriage, and sexuality for gay and straight people alike.

In what Publishers Weekly called “a calm, compassionate, and reasoned argument…”, Achtemeier writes: “This book is the story of a change of heart. In the middle 1990s I was a conservative church activist working hard to defend the ‘traditional’ teaching of my own Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) condemning homosexual practice…The following pages chronicle the journey with the Bible that took me from a personal stance of judgment and exclusion to a changed heart that longs for the day when the church will fully celebrate and participate in God’s blessing of same-gender relationships.”

Media interested in a review copy or author interview should contact [email protected].


MARK ACHTEMEIER has served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) since 1984 as a pastor, writer, and theologian. He taught theology and ethics for fifteen years on the faculty of Dubuque Theological Seminary.

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