Four (and a half) Dialogues on Homosexuality and the Bible

Download or read book Four (and a half) Dialogues on Homosexuality and the Bible written by Donald J. Zeyl and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2022-02-07 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four (and a half) Dialogues on Homosexuality and the Bible explores four different interpretive approaches to biblical texts regarding homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Differences of interpretation are discussed openly, honestly, and charitably. The dialogues’ four characters maintain friendship with each other despite their disagreements, and so the book serves as a model of how difficult, potentially divisive conversations on a controversial topic might be conducted. Three of the four perspectives presented for examination are well represented in the existing literature; the fourth is not as familiar and is offered and developed as a proposal for bridging the divide that persists among theologically conservative Christians who honor the authority of Scripture over their thinking and their living. Ongoing conflict over this issue is destructive of the unity toward which the Bible summons all believers to strive, and so the book includes also a call to create space for one another—both individually and institutionally—for differences in theological conclusions and in community practices. Each of the dialogues begins with one of the characters telling their personal story regarding their sexuality, continues with that character’s case for their view, and concludes with a series of suggested discussion questions.