 Book Reviews The Bible and Homosexual
Practice: Robert A.J. Gagnon Reviewed by Robert P. Mills October 2001 |
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Indeed. In recent years, no other matter has received as much attention from the institutional church, with most ecclesiastical conversations discussing same-sex sex. Countless conferences have been convened, debates held, and books written. None has said anything new. Truth be told, in The Bible and Homosexual Practice Gagnon doesn’t say anything new either, an assessment he would likely view a compliment. What he has done in this comprehensive work is to synthesize, summarize and analyze a prodigious amount of material dealing with what the Bible says about homosexual behavior. And, as Gagnon demonstrates with pastoral compassion and scholarly precision, what the Bible says – repeatedly, forcefully and unambiguously – is that homosexual behavior is contrary to God’s revealed will for his human creation. In his introduction Gagnon frankly discusses “The personal risks inherent in writing such a book,” risks that include being labeled homophobic, intolerant, exclusive, uncritical and primitive. One need not be a professor (Gagnon teaches New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) to have felt the wrath he describes. The opening chapter examines the Old Testament witness, including the creation account, the story of Sodom and the explicit injunctions of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. “The commands of God, and not the consensus of the surrounding culture, must shape the the behavior of God’s people,” Gagnon writes. Later chapters consider the witness of Jesus and Paul. Of Jesus’ alleged silence about homosexual behavior Gagnon says, “If Jesus had wanted to communicate affirmation of same-sex unions he would have had to state such a view clearly since first-century Judaism, so far as we know, had no dissenting voices on the matter.” And he notes that Jesus did not loosen but intensified the Old Testament laws concerning sexual behavior. Paul, he observes, contended that “even gentiles without access to the direct revelation of Scripture have enough evidence in the natural realm to discern God’s aversion to homosexual behavior.” Gagnon concludes with a discussion of the Bible’s contemporary relevance, again refuting the arguments of those who deny that Biblical injunctions are applicable today. The breadth and depth of Gagnon’s research is impressive. The first chapter alone contains 251 footnotes, many of which are extensive interactions with authors who suggest untenable interpretations of Scripture. Such work invites comparison with Jack Rogers’ comment to PCUSA evangelicals, “I agreed with you on homosexuality, but that was before I was forced to study the issue.” Gagnon cites and refutes not only the commonly used distortions of Scripture but also some that I had never even imagined, yet alone read. His language is as explicit as required for a detailed discussion of the topic. Despite Gagnon’s obvious commitment to the authority of Scripture, evangelical readers might be disappointed by the book’s lack of a concise affirmation of the Bible as the Word of God. They might also find Gagnon unduly deferential to the canons of redaction criticism (read: writing to cover his scholarly hide). These minor reservations aside, The Bible and Homosexual Practice well deserves the favorable national attention it has received. |
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