Why are so many churches vehemently opposed to blessing same-sex unions? In this incisive work, Mark D. Jordan shows how carefully selected ideals of Christian marriage have come to dominate recent debates over same-sex unions. Opponents of gay marriage, he reveals, too often confuse simplified ideals of matrimony with historical facts, purporting that there has been a stable Christian tradition of marriage across millennia, when the reality has been anything but. Raising trenchant questions about social obligations, impulses, intentions, and determination, Blessing Same-Sex Unions is a must-read for both sides of the ongoing American debate over gay marriage.