Same-Sex Marriage: Richard Hays Changes Traditional Christian Teachings

Nearly three decades ago, Richard Hays, a Methodist pastor and dean of Duke Divinity School, wrote a text that became a leading argument for traditionalist Christians against same-sex marriage.

His 1996 book, “The Moral Vision of the New Testament“was a cornerstone in evangelical seminaries and conservative Christian circles.

Hays’s views on this subject underwent a profound change.

Broadening Views on Same-Sex Marriage

In his new book “The spread of God’s mercy,, Hays openly reflects on how his understanding of Scripture has changed dramatically. While repenting for his previous stance, he says he is “deeply saddened” by the harm his previous teachings have caused LGBTQ people who have been excluded from Christian churches.

Hays has undergone a scientific change of views, along with different interpretations of what the Bible says. And this change is from the head to the heart.

“I want to atone for what I wrote before,” Hays said in an interview with his son and co-author, Christopher Hays.