“In Why Not Same-Sex Marriage: A Manual for Defending Marriage Against Radical Deconstruction, Daniel Heimbach attempts to break through the barriers to communication by carefully examining arguments for SSM and posing reasoned objections to them. His goal is to “convince the undecided of the social necessity of keeping the nature, meaning, and structure of civil marriage from being radically deconstructed” (xv). In other words, he is aiming both to instruct the “mushy middle” and to equip evangelical Christians facing a hostile culture.”

At this point in the debate over same-sex marriage, those who recognize the authority of Scripture are largely convinced that same-sex marriage (SSM) is immoral. On the other hand, proponents of SSM are convinced marriage is a social convention that can be redefined to match current theories of psychology and the nature of gender. In the middle a large number have likely tired of hearing arguments about the topic and do not believe either position will make much difference in the long run. In many cases, the emotional force behind arguments for the redefinition of marriage and attacks against those who publicly question the morality of SSM lead the otherwise unconvinced to take the path of least resistance and publicly affirm SSM despite any private concerns. Some on both sides of the debate have been convinced by arguments that are untrue, illogical, or both.

In Why Not Same-Sex Marriage: A Manual for Defending Marriage Against Radical Deconstruction, Daniel Heimbach attempts to break through the barriers to communication by carefully examining arguments for SSM and posing reasoned objections to them. His goal is to “convince the undecided of the social necessity of keeping the nature, meaning, and structure of civil marriage from being radically deconstructed” (xv). In other words, he is aiming both to instruct the “mushy middle” and to equip evangelical Christians facing a hostile culture.

Building on Previous Work

Heimbach’s True Sexual Morality: Recovering Biblical Standards for a Culture in Crisis (Crossway, 2004) was a comprehensive look at the philosophical underpinnings of the sexual revolution, explaining how culture developed opinions on sexual morality and comparing those opinions to a biblical model of sexual morality. Why Not Same-Sex Marriage builds on the foundation of his earlier work and focuses on the particular issue of SSM, which is a logical outworking of the sexual revolution.

The bulk of the book consists of two or three page chapters, each summarizing arguments for SSM, providing a gracious but firm rebuttal, and offering bibliography of sources on both sides of the debate. Instead of building straw men, Heimbach, professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, presents opposing arguments fairly and answers them with careful reasoning in terms accessible to lay people. Each of the arguments and responses is indexed according to both the argument and refutation, making this a helpful resource. At the end of the book, Heimbach includes testimonies of formerly active gay people, two reprinted academic articles on normalizing SSM, and a list of resources for those seeking more information on the topic.

Refreshing Approach

The 500-page book is a refreshing approach to the debate over normalizing SSM. Much (though certainly not all) of the debate thus far has focused on emotional appeals and personal attacks, often in the form of name-calling. It seems that significantly less energy has been directed toward careful evaluation of arguments from either side. Meaningful deliberation about such a significant change in cultural structures has often been thwarted by vitriol from both sides and retreat to largely unchallenged presuppositions.

For some Christians, the template for a healthy marriage that is evident in Scripture––one male husband wedded to one female wife for life––provides a sufficient foundation for rejecting SSM. However, arguing based on the content of Christian and Jewish Scriptures tends to have a limited appeal since most of the world’s population do not acknowledge the Bible as authoritative. Heimbach presents arguments that don’t depend on accepting the authority of Scripture in order to communicate beyond the ranks of those already convinced of the traditional definition of marriage. In other words, this book fulfills the important task of making the argument for marriage as necessary for the common good in terms acceptable beyond the Christian sphere.

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