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A Cautionary Queer Review Of “The Widening Of God’s Mercy”
To say that the announcement and release of “The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story” by father and son scholars, Richard B. Hays and Christopher B. Hays, sent shockwaves through Christian communities of all persuasions would be an understatement. Richard, a New Testament scholar widely respected for his work, set himself apart with his 1996 book “The Moral Vision of the New Testament”. In it, he tackled various moral and theological issues, including homosexuality, where he maintained a non-affirming position. Although less harsh than many Christian views at the time, Hays’ stance still rejected same-sex relationships. His work has since been the standard theological argument against affirmation by most Evangelical Christians.
So when he and his son, Christopher (a respected Old Testament scholar in his own right) released this new book, in which they acknowledge their full inclusion and affirmation of 2SLGBTQIA+ people- most notably, with Richard showing his willingness to take responsibility for the harm his beliefs and writing caused- many were stunned, myself included. While many affirming Christians celebrated this important shift, many also mourned and even denounced what they saw as a betrayal of fidelity to Scripture. I have found myself in a different place than both of those groups.