Mark Thiessen Nation

The authors, both faculty at Eastern Mennonite, take differing views on the full inclusion of gay & lesbian persons in the [Christian, Mennonite] church. They do this is a series of alternating chapters, followed by chapters in which each can ask direct questions of the other (along with responses). The tone is civil, but sometimes they seem to be speaking 'past' each other. Grimsrud, who argues for the inclusive position, maintains that the starting position must be full inclusion with the onus being on conservatives or traditionalists to make the case that certain people should be excluded. He also argues that any argument that maintains the inherent sinfulness of same-sex relationships must be able to sustain it's logic to apply to all such relationships, including faithful, committed, monogamous, mutual (marriage) relationships. Thiessen-Nation, on the other hand, argues that centuries of church tradition and traditional methods of biblical interpretation retain the 'reasonable doubt', and the other side must convincingly argue why what traditionalists see as direct, Biblical teaching that homosexuality is sin should be modified.… (mere)