Robert A. J. Gagnon

 

Material for my article in Christian Sexuality: Normative and   Pastoral Principles (ed. R. Saltzman; Minneapolis: Kirk House,  2003)  

"Does the Bible Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful?" (pp. 106-155)   

    

 

    

 

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"Does the Bible Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful? An Evaluation of Mark Powell's Essay in Faithful Conversation (Sections I-III)"

(July 2003)

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This online article contains the first three sections of an essay, under the same title, published in a collection of essays entitled Christian Sexuality: Normative and Pastoral Principles (ed. Russell Saltzman; Minneapolis: Kirk House, 2003), 106-155 (the online notes for which can be found below). Because the original essay was too long to be incorporated in its entirety in the Christian Sexuality volume, the first three sections of the seven-section essay were summarized briefly for the print edition. The unabridged original for sections I-III is found here online. It focuses on an important article for the current homosexuality  discussion in the Lutheran church (ELCA): Mark Allen Powell, "The Bible and Homosexuality" in  Faithful Conversation: Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality (ed. James M. Childs Jr.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003), 19-40.  Powell is a professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. The sections of this essay treat the following issues: I. Does Powell advocate exceptions to the Bible's prohibition of same-sex intercourse? II. A critique of Powell's apology for what the church would not be doing in granting exceptions. III. Interpretive issues: Core values, structural complementarity, burden of proof.

 

 

"Notes to My Essay 'Does the Bible Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful?' in Christian Sexuality: Normative and Pastoral Principles"

(July 2003)

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These notes are keyed to sections IV-VI in my published article “Does the Bible Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful?” in Christian Sexuality (cited above). For the unabridged version of the first three sections of the essay see the entry above. The published print essay uses critically an important essay by Mark Allen Powell (cited above) as a springboard for discussing: (IV.) the male-female prerequisite in the Genesis creation stories; (V.) the rest of the case for regarding same-sex intercourse as intrinsically sinful; and (VI.) why the sexual orientation argument does not diminish the biblical witness against same-sex intercourse. The published print essay provides my best discussion of the implications of the Genesis creation texts for the homosexuality debate today and orientation theory in antiquity in relation to Paul's views on homosexual practice.

 

For a review essay of Faithful Conversation: Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality (ed. James M. Childs; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003) go to:

http://www.robgagnon.net/articles/homoFaithConvReviewRBL.pdf (pdf version) or http://www.robgagnon.net/RevFaithfulConv.htm (html version).