Every Canadian knows the name Michael Coren but watching his career over the last couple of years has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. In 2011 he published Why Catholics Are Right and followed up with The Future Of Catholicism in 2013. Things changed not long after that. In 2014 he changed his mind on homosexuality and started secretly frequenting the Anglican Church while masquerading as a Catholic in the public square. In 2015 it became public that Canada’s once greatest Catholic apologist had officially joined the Anglican Church and at the centre of his conversion was his new views on homosexuality.
A few months ago I found out that Coren was writing on how his views on this subject had changed. Having read the works of other homosexual apologists, I thought that I’d give Michael’s book a read. On April 26, 2016 Epiphany: A Christians Change Of Heart & Mind Over Same-Sex Marriage was published; I picked it up the next day. I just want to say that it’s the worst book in defense of homosexuality I’ve ever read. I haven’t read any good ones but I have read better ones. Even Matthew Vine’s book is better than this one.
Coren speaks about how horribly he’s been treated by the Christian community. He talks about what people have had to go through when they change their position on this issue. He never brings up the fact that homosexual activists have done the same thing and worse. He doesn’t talk about how they’ve bankrupted people, got them fired from jobs and ruined their lives.
He then tries to tackle the scriptures. He starts with several arguments that are so bad, most homosexual apologists don’t use them. Coren actually brings up the argument that David and Jonathan were lovers. He also brings up the ridiculous argument that when the Roman Centurion brought his servant to Jesus for healing, it was actually his homosexual lover. One can only have pity on those who use such pathetic arguments.
He then tries to dismantle the six traditional “clobber” passages which are Genesis 19, Leviticus 18 & 20, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1. On page 93 he says:
The writing of Leviticus probably dates back to the Jewish exile in Babylon and was written to encourage childbirth and an increased Jewish population during a time of enormous pressure on the Jews to convert, intermarry, and assimilate.
Mark 10:5 tells us that Moses wrote the Torah. He later refers to the author of Leviticus as “The Priestly Writer” and is the same one who wrote the portion in Genesis which says to “go forth and multiply”. Since Coren holds these liberal views of scripture it’s a no wonder that he collapsed on this issue.
He then tackles the other verses using the classic thoroughly refuted arguments of Boswell, Brownson, and Helminiak. In fact, he ends this section with a long quote by Daniel Helminiak. After this quote he states: “Oh and one more thing, Professor Helminiak is also an ordained Roman Catholic Priest.” Does he expect people to be impressed by this? Yes, Helminiak is an ordained Catholic priest, but so was Arius, Dioscorus, Eutyches, Honorius, and Luther. All this proves is that ordained priests can turn their back on Christ and forsake their vows to Him.
After the Biblical section he proceeds to personal testimonies. Obviously this is an attempt to persuade people through emotion. Nothing too impressive in this section. Testimonies could easily be given about traditional Christians who have stood by scripture and had their lives ruined by homosexual activists.
Toward the end of the book Coren goes after people who have refused services such as cake or photography for homosexual “wedding” ceremonies. He brings up the old canard about not refusing service to divorced people. He writes: “while Jesus never even mentions homosexuality, He stresses that divorce is unacceptable”. I found this rich coming from a man who has just joined the Church of King Henry VIII.
It is true that Jesus never mentions homosexuality, but he tells us exactly what marriage is in Matthew 19 and Coren is correct, He never mentions homosexuality. It is one man and one woman and He appeals to the Torah for support. In fact, no homosexual apologist I’ve ever read has done a thorough exegesis of Matthew 19. They avoid it like the plague because they know it is unambiguous on what it teaches and they hope that the reader doesn’t know that it exists.
Much more could be said about this book but we can easily conclude that Coren has sunk to a new low. The once glorious Catholic apologist has given in to the world. It just goes to prove that anyone can fall. We all need to keep our eyes on Christ, keep praying the rosary, and keep attending mass. It’s not about us but about Him, and the second that we fail to recognize that is the second we side with Coren in compromising the true faith to be loved by the world.
BEAUTIFUL! EXCELLENT REVIEW!
I was sorry to read about Michael Coren. I had only just “discovered” him when his faith was still Catholic and it gladdened me to learn that an intellectual with a Jewish background would choose to join the Roman Catholic Church. Given his public declarations and writings he has now put himself in an embarrassing position and is a reminder that even clever and (apparently) learned people can fool themselves.