Customer Reviews

Homosexuality, Science, and the "Plain Sense" of Scripture

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This book squares up and faces the issue of homosexuality and the Bible in a frank and even handed way. Some of the top scholars in the country contributed to it. As in most collections, the articles are uneven in quality. However, the work of Phyllis Bird, Christine Gudorf, Thomas Shoedel, and Nancy Duff are first rate. Topping them all is the provocative work of the Lutheran, David Frederickson, on Romans and I Corinthians. I suspect that Frederickson's excellent interpretational proposal will change the way Romans 1:26-27 is read. It's that powerful. Balch's conclusion is well worth reading, too, drawing insights from the way Jewish exegetes are addressing the matter of homosexuality. On the other hand, Chris Seitz of Yale has made little or no contribution to the field. His work is the most disappointing in the collection. While I do not believe that this book will change a prejudiced mind, it is important for a seeker to have scholarship this good at one's finger tips.

This book is an excellent resource for those who are interested in what the Bible might have to say about same-sex relationships. The authors of the essays vary -- some support same-sex relationships, others don't. Some use historical-critical analysis, others reflect more generally about how we might understand what scripture is saying. The editor does a great job of introducing the essays and concluding the collection with reflections on where we might go from here and what we can draw from the varying perspectives. I found Bird's essay "The Bible in Christian Ethical Deliberation concerning Homosexuality: Old Testament Contributions," to be particularly helpful in dealing with the issues that the Hebrew Bible can raise about sexuality. Although I think that the essays have something for everyone, some can be quite academic and presume at least a basic knowledge of biblical studies. If you are looking for an "answer" to issues of sexuality that are currently facing Christians and the church, you won't find it here. You can however find some very helpful ideas about how we might think about the issue. This book is a model of reasonable and thoughtful dialogue around a divisive issue.