By Robin Scroggs, professor of New Testament, Union Theological Seminary, a happily married heterosexual who has been acclaimed in many Christian publications for his serious research about what the New Testament really says about homosexuality.
Scroggs reason for his research was a discussion of homosexuality by
ministers. "I sat amazed as I heard the Bible being invoked in ways that were
wholly inappropriate to any canons of biblical scholarship. Perhaps something
snapped in me...for better or worse I decided somebody needed to provide
resources that would give both clarity and honesty." He says he has no personal
interest but sees the tragic results of false biblical scholarship and the
tragic rejections of homosexuals in the name of Christian righteousness or even
love. It is about time someone spoke honestly about the issue, not just from
emotional homophobic assumptions of what the New Testament really says.
Scroggs concludes: "The basic model of today's Christian homosexual community
is so different from the model attacked by the New Testament that the criterion
of reasonable similarity of context is not met. The conclusion I have to draw
seems inevitable: Biblical judgements against homosexuality are not relevant to
today's debate.. should in no way be a weapon to justify refusal of ordination,
not because the Bible is not authoritative, but simply because it does not
address the issues involved". He concludes with more discussion that pederasty
was the issue of the biblical texts, not today's homosexual relationships.Conclusions:
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