God Have Mercy:
A Look at Hays & Hay's
Perspective on LGBT Inclusion
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CITE This post:
Sutton, G. W. (2025). God have mercy: a look at hays & hay’s perspective on LGBT inclusion Interdisciplinary Book Reviews.
REVIEWER: Geoffrey W. Sutton
Book Summary
The Widening of God’s Mercy by Christopher B. Hays and Richard B. Hays is a deeply reflective and scholarly work that traces the biblical narrative of divine mercy as an ever-expanding force—one that consistently reaches beyond traditional boundaries to embrace those once excluded. Written by a father-son duo, the book is both a theological exploration and a personal journey, particularly for Richard Hays, who revisits and revises his earlier positions on sexuality and LGBT inclusion in light of a broader biblical vision.
Central Thesis
At its core, the book argues that the Bible presents a dynamic and evolving picture of God’s mercy—one that is not static or confined by rigid legalism, but responsive, compassionate, and inclusive. The authors contend that divine mercy is not merely a theological abstraction but a lived reality that unfolds across the biblical canon. This mercy, they argue, is not limited to the righteous or the insiders but is extended to foreigners, eunuchs, Gentiles, and ultimately, to LGBTQ individuals in today’s context.
What Is Mercy?
In the Hayses’ framework, mercy is defined as God’s compassionate willingness to forgive, restore, and include those who have been marginalized or deemed unworthy. It is closely tied to grace, but with a particular emphasis on God’s emotional responsiveness to human suffering and exclusion. Mercy is not simply leniency; it is a divine movement toward relationship and restoration, often in surprising and unsettling ways.
Widening in the Old Testament
Christopher B. Hays, an Old Testament scholar, handles the first half of the book, focusing on how the Hebrew Scriptures reveal a God whose mercy grows in scope:
Eunuchs and Foreigners: Deuteronomy 23:1 excludes eunuchs from the assembly of the Lord, yet Isaiah 56:4–5 reverses this exclusion, declaring that eunuchs who keep God’s covenant will receive “a name better than sons and daughters.” This shift is pivotal to the book’s argument: eunuchs, as sexual minorities in the ancient world, become a biblical prototype for inclusion.
The Ninevites: In the book of Jonah, God’s mercy toward the wicked city of Nineveh—despite Jonah’s resistance—demonstrates a divine willingness to forgive even those outside the covenant community.
The Covenant with Israel: While the covenant initially appears exclusive, the prophets increasingly envision a future in which all nations will come to worship the God of Israel (e.g., Isaiah 2:2–4, Micah 4:1–5).
These examples illustrate a trajectory in which God’s mercy is not confined to Israel or to those who meet ritual purity standards, but is extended to outsiders, the ritually impure, and the socially marginalized.
Widening in the New Testament
Richard B. Hays, a renowned New Testament scholar, takes up the second half of the book, showing how Jesus and the early church continue and intensify this trajectory:
Jesus and the Outcasts: Jesus consistently reaches out to those on the margins—tax collectors, sinners, Samaritans, women, and Gentiles. His healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8), his conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4), and his parables about the lost (Luke 15) all underscore a radical inclusivity.
The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8): Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch is a direct echo of Isaiah 56 and a powerful symbol of the church’s openness to sexual and ethnic minorities. The eunuch, doubly marginalized, is welcomed without hesitation.
Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10–11): Peter’s vision and subsequent encounter with the Gentile Cornelius mark a turning point in the early church’s understanding of who belongs. “God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean,” Peter declares—a statement that encapsulates the book’s thesis.
The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15): The early church’s decision not to impose the full weight of the Mosaic Law on Gentile converts is another example of mercy widening to accommodate new realities.
Paul’s Theology: Paul’s letters, especially Romans and Galatians, articulate a vision of justification by faith that transcends ethnic and legal boundaries. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) becomes a theological cornerstone for inclusion.
Contemporary Implications
The authors argue that this biblical pattern of widening mercy should inform how the church engages with LGBTQ individuals today. Rather than focusing narrowly on a handful of prohibitive texts as has several authors (e.g., Dwyer, 2025; Gushee, 2017; Martin, 2022), they urge readers to consider the broader narrative arc of Scripture—a story in which God repeatedly surprises the faithful by embracing those once excluded.
They acknowledge that this approach challenges traditional readings, but they insist that it is faithful to the character of God as revealed in Scripture. The book does not attempt to offer a comprehensive sexual ethic; rather, it calls for humility, generosity, and openness to the Spirit’s ongoing work.
Comments on The Widening of God’s Mercy
The Widening of God’s Mercy is a work of both scholarly insight and pastoral sensitivity, inviting readers to reexamine longstanding assumptions through the lens of Scripture’s unfolding narrative of divine compassion. Through rigorous exegesis and heartfelt reflection, the Hayses articulate a vision of God whose mercy is not fixed but continually expanding—surprising, challenging, and welcoming anew.
What sets this book apart is the authors’ distinctive engagement with LGBTQ inclusion. Rather than revisiting alternative interpretations of the well-known biblical texts often cited to oppose same-sex relationships, the Hayses encourage 21st-century Christians to reconsider how the church might fully embrace those who love and worship God but remain on the margins of ecclesial life as individuals or couples.
From a psychological perspective, I find The Widening of God’s Mercy to be a vital bridge—one that spans the divide between non-affirming Christian frameworks and the psychology profession’s affirmed stance on LGBTQIA inclusion. Although the church is likely to remain a house divided (Sutton, 2016) for decades to come, the book has the potential to open a few more doors to LGBT Christians.
REFERENCES
Gushee, D. P. (2017). Changing our mind: A call from America’s leading evangelical ethics scholar for full acceptance of LGBT Christians in the church. Read the Spirit Books.
Hays, C. B., & Hays, R. B. (2024). The widening of God's mercy: Sexuality within the biblical story. Yale University Press.
Martin, C. (2022). UnClobber: Rethinking our misuse of the Bible on homosexuality | Expanded edition with study guide. Westminster John Knox Press.
Sutton, G. W. (2016). A house divided: Sexuality, morality, and Christian cultures. Pickwick
Book Authors
Christopher B. Hays is the D. Wilson Moore Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. A respected scholar in biblical studies, he brings deep expertise in the Hebrew Scriptures and ancient contexts to his writing. In The Widening of God’s Mercy, he explores how the Old Testament reflects a dynamic vision of divine grace that expands to include those once marginalized.
Richard B. Hays (1948–2025) was the George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Duke Divinity School and one of the most influential New Testament scholars of his generation. Known for his seminal work The Moral Vision of the New Testament, Hays’s later writings reflect a significant shift in his theological perspective. In this co-authored volume with his son, he revisits the New Testament with fresh eyes, advocating for a broader, more inclusive understanding of God’s mercy.
Review Author
Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals. His website is https://suttong.com
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