End of Story?
Same-Sex Relationships and the Narratives of Evangelical Mission
Imprint: Cascade Books
This book is an exercise in a thoroughgoing narrative theology. The social and legal validation of same-sex relationships in the West over the last two decades has presented an immense challenge to the church insofar as it seeks to remain faithful to Scripture. But it is not an isolated ethical problem. It is just one element--albeit a very important one--in the much broader, long-term overhaul and reorientation of Western culture after the collapse of the Christian consensus. The forces of history that are driving this transformation, however, have also alerted us to the historical perspectives that constrained biblical thought.
Andrew Perriman suggests that Paul's argument about same-sex behavior, perhaps more clearly than any other issue, highlights the narrative shape of the mission of the early church in the Greek world. By the same token, we must ask how that storyline has been refracted across the boundary of modernity, and how it now shapes the mission of the church as it adapts to its marginalized position in an aggressively secular world.
Andrew Perriman lives in London, England. He has a handful of books to his name, including Speaking of Women: Interpreting Paul and The Future of the People of God: Reading Romans Before and After Western Christendom. He blogs regularly on the exegetical and missional benefits of a narrative-historical reading of Scripture at www.postost.net. He is an Associate Research Fellow of the London School of Theology.
“In a wide-ranging discussion which takes in biblical, missional, and contemporary theological perspectives, evangelical and otherwise, and up-to-date medical and psychological findings, Andrew Perriman offers a rich resource for contemporary readers and much wisdom for facing the issue of same-sex relations. The approach is marked by openness to diverse opinions and sensitive, well-argued suggestions.”
—Bill Loader, Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
“In End of Story? Andrew Perriman makes four significant contributions to the conversation among evangelical Christians on same-sex relationships. First, he engages with relevant biblical texts along with contextual resources from Greek and Roman literature. Second, he offers a concise review of relevant contemporary theological literature on the subject. Third, he provides his own critical assessment of the conversation at this point in its unfolding. Finally, he sketches out a way forward that many who work within a rigorous evangelical and missional hermeneutical tradition will find helpful. As always, Perriman’s writing is clear, concise, readable, respectful, practical, thorough, and engaging.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration
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