New Testament and Homosexuality (Paperback)

by Robin Scroggs (Author)
Key Phrases: pederastic practices, sexual ethics, word arsenokoités, New Testament, Hellenistic Judaism, Harvard Univ (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (June 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800618548
• ISBN-13: 978-0800618544
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #533,669 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place to Start, June 10, 2000

By	Joshua Villines (Atlanta) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you think that the reason Christians should oppose homosexuality is "because the Bible says it's wrong" then, you should buy this book. One of my seminary professors recommended this book to me while I was an M.Div. student, and I have recommended it to many others since. Scroggs does an excellent job of introducing the reader to basic prinicples of biblical interpretation and then applying those principles to the (very few) verses that seem to address homosexuality.

If you have any biblical questions on this issue, this is the book to start with. It's starting to get a bit dated now, but it is still a great way to grasp the basic concept that the biblical writers were not addressing the issue of loving, consensual, monogamous, healthy relationships between adults of the same sex.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone struggling with this issue, July 17, 2002

By A Customer

The author did a very good job of examining in a logical and scholarly fashion exactly what the Bible does and does not say about homosexuality. I appreciated the lack of political rhetoric in the book. The cultural background information was very helpful in understanding how to interpret the Biblical passages often quoted on both sides of the debate.

I found the list of Biblical passages referenced in the back of the book very helpful. I used the index to read all of the referenced passages in the NIV translation of the Bible.

To get the maximum out of this book, you have to be willing to put some intellectual effort into exploring the Bible as a Bible scholar does. This doesn't mean that the book is hard to read - on the contrary, it is written very clearly. This book is most useful if you have an honest desire to understand how the Bible addresses the issue. It will not be as useful if you are simply trying to find ammunition to support your already stated viewpoint.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Academically sound and intellectually honest, January 9, 2006

By	Martha Knox (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book for anyone curious about the Scriptural basis (used by both sides) in Christian debates over the morality of homosexual acts. It is short (150 pages) and very readable.

The book starts out with a brief overview of various positions on homosexuality taken by different Christian sects, and how those different positions are claimed to be supported by Scripture. Then he takes a historical approach, going into detail about the cultural background of the time and place where the New Testament was written, which means particular focus on Greek pederasty (sex between men and boys). Scroggs explains both the debate in mainstream Greek society, as well as the views of and Scriptural interpretations (and misinterpretations) of both Palestinian and Hellenistic Jews. He makes clear what is known, as well as what is missing from the historical records.

My favorite aspect of this book is that Scroggs does not let the reader know his opinion at first. He starts being incredibly objective, and then slowly becomes more and more opinionated and colorful in his statements. Finally, in the last chapter, Scroggs gives his own conclusions. I won't spoil the end, but I will tell you that he bases his conclusions on two conditions:
(1) The biblical statements must be consonant with the larger, major theological and ethical judgments which lie at the heart not only of Scripture, but of the historical church throughout the ages. (2) The context today must bear a reasonable similarity to the context of the statements at the time of writing.

Scroggs, a Biblical scholar and Christian, is intellectually honest and rigorous about both his research and analysis. He jumps to no rash conclusions about anything, and when he states his own conclusions, he always presents opposing views in a way that is non-judgmental.