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Robert A. J. Gagnon Home
Articles Available Online
Response to Book Reviews
Material for "Two Views"
Material for "Christian Sexuality"
Answers to Emails
Last Updated: 8/16/08 |
Robert A. J. Gagnon
is Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary. He came to PTS in the Fall of 1994 after a one-year position as Visiting
Professor of Religion at Middlebury College in Vermont. He has a B.A. degree
from Dartmouth College, an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, and a
Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. His main fields of interest are
Pauline theology and sexual issues in the Bible. He is a member both of
the Society
of Biblical Literature and of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti
Societas [Society of New Testament Studies]. He is also an ordained elder
at a Presbyterian Church (USA) in Pittsburgh. He is the author of The
Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 2001; 520 pgs.); co-author (with Dan O. Via) of
Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views (Minneapolis: Fortress Press,
2003; 125 pgs.); and, as a service to the church, provides a large amount
of free material on the web dealing with Scripture and homosexuality. In addition, he has published
scholarly articles on biblical studies in Journal of Biblical
Literature, New Testament Studies, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Novum
Testamentum, Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Horizons in Biblical Theology, and The Christian
Century.
For a partial curriculum vitae of Dr. Gagnon
go here.
To contact Dr. Gagnon send an e-mail to:
gagnon@pts.edu
or call 412-441-3304 ext. 2205 or 412-362-5610 ext. 2205. If you would like to
be included on his mailing list and notified once a month or so regarding
new materials on his website, e-mail Dr. Gagnon with the request.
The views expressed on this website are Dr. Gagnon's
own and make no claim to representing the official views of Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary (which, incidentally, does not have an official
policy on homosexual practice).
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Upcoming Engagements
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Oct. 4, 9:30 AM - 4 PM. Dr. Gagnon will be the keynote speaker
at a conference entitled "Truth in Love: A Biblical Approach to
Sexuality and Homosexuality" at
First Presbyterian Church of
Olathe, near Kansas City. Also appearing will be Kristin
Johnson, head of
OneByOne, a transformation ministry within the
PCUSA.
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For online copies of articles on the Bible and
homosexuality go
here.
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"Love,
the Bible, and Homosexual Practice": A 4-Hour 3-DVD Presentation by Robert
Gagnon (2008)
... taped professionally
at Grace Chapel in Franklin, Tenn. on Apr. 12, 2008 for Mastering Life
Ministries (www.MasteringLife.org
and
www.purepassion.us/Home.asp; includes
much of Dr. Gagnon's PowerPoint presentation), along with
an hour-long CD. A good resource for every church and theological library
to have, as well as individuals interested in the issue of the church and
homosexuality.
$35 plus $7 shipping and
handling.
To order click
here or go to
http://www.purepassion.us/OnlineStore.asp
DVD 1: What's at Stake &
What Are the Closest Analogies (83 min.)
Treats why we disagree in the church
about homosexual practice; what's at stake in this debate; why the
oft-cited, alleged analogies to Gentile inclusion, slavery, women in
ministry, and divorce and remarriage are not in fact good analogies to the
Bible's prohibition of homosexual practice; what the main problem with
homosexual practice is; why adult-committed incest and polyamory are the
closest analogies; and responses to audience questions.
DVD 2: The Witness of
Paul on Homosexual Practice (72 min.)
Treats the witness of Paul, showing how
Paul opposed homosexual practice absolutely by looking at: echoes to the
creation texts in Romans 1:24-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9; the meaning of
Paul's argument from nature in its historical context; the case for
identifying Rom 1:26 with an indictment of lesbianism; the conception of
caring homosexual unions in the ancient world; the condemnation of even
such caring unions by some Greek and Roman moralists; and the case for
identifying the terms for homosexual practice in 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1;10
with homosexual practice per se.
DVD 3: The Witness of
Jesus & the Old Testament on Homosexual Practice (76 min.)
The first 11 minutes completes the
discussion of Paul by showing why the "orientation argument" (i.e. had NT
authors known about sexual orientation it would have changed their view on
homosexual practice) doesn't work. The next 19 min. are devoted to
discussing the witness of Jesus; 8 min. to the witness of Genesis; 7 min.
to Sodom and related texts (Ham & Noah, the sacred cult prostitute texts,
Levite at Gibeah, commentary on Sodom in Ezekiel, Jude, and 2 Pet); 5 min.
to the Levitical prohibitions and the problems with alleged analogies to
menstrual law and cloth mixtures; 2 min. to David and Jonathan; and 23
min. to responding to questions from the audience.
CD: The Importance of
Sexual Ethics in the New Testament (72 min.)
Also available: The
three DVD presentations above on CD, along with the extra CD above, for
$20 plus $5 shipping and handling. To order click
here or go to
http://www.purepassion.us/OnlineStore.asp
If you live outside the
U.S. you must order by phone. Call 1-615-507-4166.
The DVD
set is in NTSC form, which works in North America and a few other
regions. I believe that Europe uses PAL format and this DVD set won't
work on that format. However, Europeans who have DVD machines that will
play both formats can play these DVDs.
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Robert Gagnon on
The Mars Hill Audio (2004):
"MARS
HILL AUDIO exists to assist Christians who desire to move from
thoughtless consumption of modern culture to a vantage point of
thoughtful engagement. . . .
We endeavor to encourage the
sensibilities and habits of thoughtful cultural engagement through
creative audio resources." To visit their website go
to
www.marshillaudio.org.
A New
MARS HILL AUDIO Conversation
"Texts, Sex, and Sanctity: Robert Gagnon on
Homosexuality and the Bible. This
is a 50-minute audio conversation with Dr. Robert Gagnon
about the Bible and homosexual practice.
Gagnon’s discussion is
augmented with a reading of an article by theologian Philip Turner
called “The Episcopalian Preference,” in which he examines the
role of individual preferences in the Episcopal Church’s stance on
homosexual practices. "Texts, Sex, and Sanctity" (Conversation
20) is available on cassette ($7) or CD ($9). It may be ordered
online
(scroll down), by telephone at 1-800-331-6407, or in
writing to: Mars Hill Audio, P.O. Box 7826, Charlottesville, VA
22906-7826 (or fax to: 1-434-990-9090). Go
here
to print an order form. Add a
$3 shipping and handling for orders totaling up to $9; $4 for
totals of $10-19, and $5 for totals of $20-29. Sales tax is for
Virginia residents only (4.5%). Canada add $3; Foreign add $10.
(Note: Dr. Gagnon
receives no royalties from the sales of these Mars Hill Audio
tapes.)
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To order a copy of The Bible and
Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Nashville: Abingdon,
2001; 520 pp., paperback, list $41), at 27% off
(down to $29.93) plus free shipping, click on the image below,
which will take you to Amazon.com.
If you prefer to order by phone or mail, and/or to do
business with a Christian retail outfit, you can order the book from
Christianbook.com, 1-800-247-4784, for a
25% discount plus shipping charge. Click
here if you prefer a mail order form.
For a list of endorsements go
here for pdf and
here for html. For responses to critiques go
here.
A comprehensive treatment of the subject.
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To order a copy of Homosexuality and the
Bible: Two Views (co-authored with Dan O. Via;
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003; 127 pp., paperback, list
$13), at 20% off, for only $10.40 (and free shipping, if combined with
other orders totaling over $25), click on the image below.
If you prefer to order by phone or mail, and/or to do
business with a Christian retail outfit, you can order the book from
Christianbook.com, 1-800-247-4784, for a
15% discount plus shipping charge. Click
here if you prefer a mail order form.
For endorsements go
here for pdf and
here for
html.
In this book I provide a 52-page, updated synthesis of
some of the key arguments of The Bible and Homosexual
Practice. I tackle such issues as: what constitutes a core
value of Scripture, the proper use of analogies, love and grace
from the perspective of Jesus and Paul, the pervasive Old
Testament witness, the Levitical proscriptions and the issue of
purity, the witness of Jesus, the witness of Paul against three
hermeneutical counterarguments (the exploitation, orientation,
and misogyny arguments), and concluding thoughts about the
structural incongruity of homosexual unions. Dan O. Via,
professor emeritus of New Testament at Duke University,
contributes a 39-page essay that attempts to make a "biblical"
case for supporting homosexual unions. Via and I each contribute
a 6-page response to the other's essay.
Both my essay and response have note numbers that
key in to online notes,
here for pdf and
here for
html. Also online is
a substantial rejoinder to Via's response,
here
for pdf and here
for html;
as well as
an expanded bibliography of important works on both sides of the
issue (pdf
and html).
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Christian Sexuality: Normative and Pastoral Principles (ed.
Russell E. Saltzman; Minneapolis: Kirk House, 2003; 165 pp., paperback,
list $15). To order a copy at no discount but free shipping (if combined with
other orders totaling over $25), click on the image below.
I have a 50-page
article in this collection of essays: "Does the Bible
Regard Same-Sex Intercourse as Intrinsically Sinful?" (pp.
106-155). It can serve as a companion
piece to my essay in Homosexuality
and the Bible: Two Views (above). It treats two main
concerns: (1) the significance of Genesis 1-2 for establishing an
other-sex prerequisite in human sexual relations; and (2) a rebuttal of
the so-called "new knowledge" argument which contends that the church can
disregard Scripture's clear prohibition of homosexual practice because,
allegedly, homosexual orientation was unknown in antiquity. The
article also treats a third concern: the claim made by New Testament
scholar Mark Allan Powell (Trinity Lutheran Seminary) in an important
essay ("The Bible and Homosexuality" in Faithful Conversation:
Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality [ed. James M. Childs Jr.;
Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003], 19-40); namely, that the Bible allegedly
regards same-sex as only "normally contrary to God's will," not
intrinsically so.
For the unabridged version of sections I-III of my
article, as well as online notes to the most important sections of the
article, IV-VI, go
here.
Other
essays in the book include: Robert Benne, "The Limits of Tolerance:
Homosexuality and the ELCA's LPD (Liberal Protestant Drift)" (pp. 7-17);
James A. Nestingen, "Is There a Law? The Lutheran Reformation and
Homosexual Practice" (pp. 18-37); Russell E. Saltzman, "Clergy and
Divorce" (pp. 47-58); Amy C. Schifrin, "Ritualizing Life or Ritualizing
Death?" (pp. 59-72); and Merton P. Strommen, "Homosexuality: A Youth
Issue" (pp. 89-105).
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How to make a valid secular case against cultural
endorsement of homosexual behavior. Emphasize the following six
reasons:
1) The nature argument. Marriage is not just
about more intimacy. It is about
merging with one's sexual other half or counterpart, a complementary
sexual other. Erotic desire for what one is as a sexual being is sexual
narcissism or sexual self-deception: an attempt at completing oneself
sexually through merger with a sexual same. Most people intuit something
developmentally deficient about being erotically attracted to the body
parts and essential gender that one shares in common with another. . . .
Click
here for the continuation of this
essay.
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Why use the word "homosex"?
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Live Two-Way Broadcasting over
Internet
If your church or organization
would like to have Dr. Gagnon as a speaker but would also like to
cut travel and room/board costs, it may be possible to have Dr.
Gagnon address your group from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
through an internet broadcast hookup. The broadcast is live and
two-way: your group can see and interact with Dr. Gagnon and Dr.
Gagnon can see and interact with your group. Possible topics for
presentation include:
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Homosexuality and/or
sexuality (issues pertaining to Scripture, the ancient
context, contemporary philosophic reason, and science)
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The Gospel of Mark:
Spiritual Formation Amidst Crisis
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The Gospel of John:
Jesus Christ as the Goal of the Human Quest
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Paul's Letter to the
Romans: Bragging in God as a Basis for Unity
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1 Corinthians:
Countercultural Wisdom
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2 Corinthians: A
Ministry of Power Perfected in Weakness
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The Theology of the
Apostle Paul
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An Introduction to the New
Testament
Requirements for receiving a
receiving a 2-way internet broadcast are:
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Highspeed internet
(Cable/DSL/etc.). Needs to be at least 384kb up/down dedicated.
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Teleconferencing unit. The
teleconferencing unit needs to be fully exposed to the internet
via DMZ, internet host, or network firewall settings. Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary is able to mail such a unit for a fee.
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A TV or projector: The
TV/Projector must accept either S-video or RCA (S-video
preferred). The highspeed internet must be close to the
TV/Projector.
If this is something that you
might be interested in exploring, contact Dr. Gagnon
(gagnon@pts.edu, 412-441-3304
ext. 2205). For equipment requirements contact David Middleton,
PTS Network Administrator, at dmiddleton@pts.edu, 412-441-3304 ext. 2279).
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