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Summary
Summary
Many Christians accept that 'homosexual acts are wrong' on the authority of the Church. For many others such teaching contradicts what they know to be the obvious truth. In this book Gareth Moore closely and dispassionately examines the bases of Christian 'anti-gay' arguments. Moore critically explores the language that we use to describe and define human sexuality and what this means for what we think we know about sex, identity and morality.At the centre of this work is a thorough and revolutionary analysis of the Bible on homosexuality posing such questions as: Is there a unified biblical teaching on sex or homosexuality? Are we misreading the Bible by applying modern thinking and terms? Must Christians accept Paul's supposed rejection of homosexuality when they do not follow all of his teaching (for example his low estimation of marriage - 1, Cor, 7)?For Moore the criticism that gay practice is remote from Christian values is just as true of straight life. Gay Christians are often responsible and thoughtful moral agents and to propose otherwise is both unreasonable and deeply disrespectful. It is a precondition of being heard that we listen and in the end the gospel can only be preached effectively by those who listen.
Author Notes
Gareth Moore was a Dominican priest of the English Province. He lectured in theology and philosophy in Oxford. His previous book was The Body in Context (Continuum 2001). He died in December 2002.
Reviews (1)
Choice Review
This last book of Moore's--he died of kidney cancer in December 2002--is a fitting conclusion to his career. Moore (formerly, Oxford Univ.) has dealt with issues of the body before (The Body in Context, CH, Nov'01), and he is known for his commitment to truth. This book seeks to speak the truth, as Moore understands it, on the issue of homosexuality and Christian faith. The argument of the book is actually more restricted than it first sounds. Moore's focus is solely on male homosexuality, and his concern is with the teachings of the Catholic Church, not Protestant Christianity. Within those limits, however, this work is exhaustive, examining both the biblical and natural law foundations of Catholic doctrine. His conclusion is straightforward: Moore says that virtually every one of the Catholic Church's arguments against homosexuality is flawed. If homosexuality is a sin, the church has not yet effectively made that case. Therefore, he says, "the only rational course" for Catholic homosexuals is "to believe in the possible goodness of their homosexual relationships" and to dissent from the public teaching of their church. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above. D. Jacobsen Messiah College