Engaging the Odd Couple: Same-Sex Marriage and Evangelicalism in the Public Square
Judith E. Koons, 30 Women’s Rts. L. Rep. 255 (2009)
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The judicial acknowledgment of the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry represents an historic moment in American law and civil society. Also significant are the realignments taking place within the evangelical movement. This article proposes that the two phenomena are not unrelated. There continues to be a marked “softening of opposition” to and trend toward accepting same-sex marriage. Moreover, a “kinder, gentler” strand of evangelicals seems to be making peace with American culture and with the momentous shifts that are reconfiguring marriage and family life. At the same time, however, proponents of same-sex marriage and conservative evangelical supporters of traditional marriage are separated by a chasm of ineradicable beliefs. This article explores principles of engagement to negotiate the paradox of conflictual consensus in a pluralist democracy.
