What the Second Greatest New Testament Scholar Says About Same-Sex Marriage

The greatest New Testament scholar alive is Craig Keener.

Keener is the foremost expert in first-century history and NT studies.

He’s the author of the massive multi-volume commentary on Acts as well as The IVP Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament.

I know Keener, and he has no peer in the world of New Testament studies.

He is, to put it bluntly, the best.

Just after Keener is probably N.T. Wright (although some may elect Ben Witherington for that position. Witherington is certainly far more accessible and just as prolific.)

A quick word of commentary: For the Christian, the issue really comes down to two different, but related matters.

Matter 1. Is homosexuality (the practice) a sin in the mind of God?

If it’s not, then laws allowing same-same marriage are viewed the same way as laws allowing minorities to vote or interracial marriages or opposite-sex marriages. It’s a triumph of and for equal rights.

If it is a sin, however, then same-sex marriage is viewed as redefinining marriage extra-biblically and sanctioning an immoral lifestyle by the State as well as in popular culture (for in the eyes of many, what the Law permits is usually a visible indicator of what’s moral).

Matter 2. Should Christians expect the State to dictate laws that are in accordance with Scripture and should they get involved in this process?

That’s another discussion altogether wherein Christians disagree. (What’s new?)

For example, the USA government is not “Christian,” and thus many laws on the books do not reflect a Christian ethic.

Some Christians oppose this, feeling that the laws of the land should reflect Christian values. Others do not have such an expectation and hold to what C.S. Lewis believed on the matter.

“My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognize that the majority of the British people are not Christian and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives. There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, the other governed by the church with rules enforced by her on her own members. The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not.”

~ C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Keep in mind that lying, greed, abortion, premarital sex, adultery, pornography are legal across the USA, and in some cities, marijuana use, prostitution, and gambling are also legal.*

Anywho, N.T. Wright weighs in on the subject of same-sex marriage in this video.

Watch it and then answer this question, which is specifically for those who consider themselves to be Jesus-followers:

P.S. Click here to read the transcript of the video.

P.S.S. Craig Keener hasn’t weighed-in on the subject publicly as far as I know. Just in case anyone was wondering.

* I’m well aware that certain kinds of lying (libel), pornography (child), greed (extortion), etc. are illegal. But in context, I was speaking about the general practices.