Rating: 
Summary: Solid refutation against the 'idol' of sexual tolerant Jesus
Review: One reason that attracts me to buy this book is that I find a pro-gay scholar Martti Nissinen's recommendation in the preface, one among 15 praises from contemparory well-known biblical scholars. After reading it, I agree with Nissinen that "his book...cannot be ignored in future debate even by proponents of discordant views." The major reward to me is his clarification of the attitude of Jesus towards homosexuality. Usually. pro-gay theology protrays Jesus as taking a tolerant and affirming stand towards homosexual acts because of His emphasis of love and embrace of social outcasts, especially His merciful attitude towards adulterous women and the prostitutes. Gagnon has convincingly pointed out that Jesus' attitude on sexual ethics is even far more rigorious than the Jews of his time, in Jesus' comments on divorce and re-interpretation of adultery. This shows that Jesus' sexual ethics is even more rigorous than OT in regard to sexual sin. That's why Jesus' forgiveness is often accompanied with "sin no more" ending! Jesus demonstrates God's love, but he is also the prophet carrying out the temple action and procaliming the seriousness of sexual sin, which demonstrate God's judgment and righteousness . Jesus does not overturn the OT law on sexual sin, in particular homosexual intercourse. On the contrary, Jesus further the Torah on sexual sin and set a higher standard against sexual sin (hardcover, p.196-228) I hope that pro-gay Christians can be honest in facing the real attitude of Jesus against sexual sin instead of protraying a sexually tolerant Jesus, which actually turns out to be an idol, in justifying homosexual behavior that's hurting God's heart.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes, the truth is painful
Review: Professor Gagnon's work is truly a masterpiece of Biblical interpretation. He leaves no stone unturned in his no-nonsense approach to this controversial issue. His scholarship is unparallelled. His examples are many and well documented. His absolute command of the Biblical languages allows his foray into the contemporary Greek literature for comparative studies. This highly technical work is as fascinating as a novel, and yet should be undertaken only by the most serious of students. There is plenty to learn from the Holy Scriptures, and Gagnon pulls out all the stops to make clear what many seem to consider an ambiguity. After this text, there should be no question.
Rating: 
Summary: Something to keep in mind while reading this book
Review: Robert Gagnon has produced the clearest and most comprehensive rebuttal of pro-gay theology to date. Readers accustomed to less detailed treatments of this subject (including my own "A Strong Delusion") may find some of the chapters ponderous, but anyone wanting to discuss and debate homosexuality from a Biblical perspective needs this resource.
I finished this book with real admiration for the author's attitude, clarity and balance, and I've already made use of several of its points when speaking on the subject. If you're wanting to become better informed and equipped to articulate a solid response to the pro-gay interpetation of scripture, Gagnon's work is state of the art.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Resource to Date on the Subject
Review: Robert Gagnon has produced the clearest and most comprehensive rebuttal of pro-gay theology to date. Readers accustomed to less detailed treatments of this subject (including my own "A Strong Delusion") may find some of the chapters ponderous, but anyone wanting to discuss and debate homosexuality from a Biblical perspective needs this resource.
I finished this book with real admiration for the author's attitude, clarity and balance, and I've already made use of several of its points when speaking on the subject. If you're wanting to become better informed and equipped to articulate a solid response to the pro-gay interpetation of scripture, Gagnon's work is state of the art.
Rating: 
Summary: "a mathematically rationalistic style of demonstration"
Review: This book is certainly a challenge to any pro-gay theologian. Other reviewers have pointed out that many consider this book to be the final word. I think that is a pretty big stretch, but it does get across how well thought-out and powerful Gagnon's book is.
Edward F. Campbell, Jr. (Professor of Old Testament, McCormick Seminary) described Gagnon's book as "a mathematically rationalistic style of demonstration" (Campbell disagrees with Gagnon on many issues).
The book is divided into 5 chapters:
Chapter 1: The Witness of the Old Testament (114 pages). This chapter argues that Genesis 1-2 is a prescriptive text illustrating that romantic relationships were intended to be heterosexual. This chapter also interacts with pro-gay arguments pertaining to Leviticus 18:22/20:13, attempts to bring back the traditional interpretation of the Sodom story, and discusses other texts that most people (including the vast majority of anti-gay authors) wouldn't consider relevant. His attempts to bring Sodom back into the story and include other texts are interesting, even if they are flawed. I'm proud to see that Gagnon recognizes the absence of a female-female condemnation in Leviticus and attempts to explain why that is irrelevant. Most anti-gay authors don't touch that one.
Chapter 2: Same-Sex Intercourse as "Contrary to Nature" in Early Judaism (25 pages). Gagnon quoted early Jewish writers who viewed gay relationships as unnatural because procreation could not result, because they (allegedly) involve changing gender roles, and because they (allegedly) are not found in nature. Although I am disappointed that Gagnon omitted other texts from the same time period and disagree with his implication that the opinion of some (but not all) early authors is irrefutable, I found the discussions to be food for thought.
Chapter 3: The Witness of Jesus (43 pages). This was not quite as impressive as the prior chapters. Gagnon attempts to include gay sex as a definition of Greek "porneia", which he contends means "(all) sexual immorality". I disagree with that definition (I think harlotry would be accurate). I am also disappointed that Gagnon neglected to mention a few things. For one, in Jesus' era, being identified as a "eunuch" was akin to being identified as a "hair stylist" in San Francisco in 2000. Secondly, in that era, the phrases "born eunuchs" and "natural eunuchs" referred to men who were sexually active with other men, NOT men born without genitals. (Miner and Connoley, 2002) Gagnon left out other details as well (more on that later).
4: The Witness of Paul and Deutero-Paul (111 pages). Here Gagnon offers evidence that Paul coined arsenokoitai from the LXX of Lev 20:13. The evidence he offers goes beyond the evidence offered by earlier authors (e.g. Wright). He also interacts with some of the pro-gay arguments surrounding arsenokoitai, such as Dale Martin's paper. Although I feel that Gagnon did not take Martin's arguments seriously, just as the pro-gay Levitical arguments, I am glad Gagnon is aware of them. When it came time to discuss Romans 1, he left out a lot of literature and did not interact with all of the arguments pertaining to the original Greek. Gagnon seems unaware of significant developments on this issue. Craig Williams has a book out (1999) that Gagnon should have looked through before commenting on Romans. There is also a lengthy, detailed paper out by Jeramy Townsley (originally written in 2000) that, IMHO, convincingly shows that Paul had cultic sex rituals in mind. Gagnon also does not mention the fact that several prominent church fathers disagreed with him on lesbianism being mentioned. Their opinions are not above everyone else's, but this is a significant fact since it proves that, contrary to certain authors, the church fathers were not unanimous on Romans 1.
5: The Hermeneutical Relevance of the Biblical Witness (153 pages). This chapter is very bizarre. Gagnon seems to question the historical validity (and thus authority) of the NT. If the NT is not authoritative, then why does it matter if it condemns gay relationships? Gagnon also does a terrible job in his scientific discussions. He relied heavily on Paul Cameron's methodologically flawed work. Some of Cameron's work has already proven to be fraudulent and his credibility is non-existent.
Gagnon misses the empirical literature and misses the studies proving that homosexuality per se is not pathological anymore than heterosexuality is. We're not talking just about majority opinion; we're talking about the vast majority of actual (and methodologically sound) studies. These cannot be ignored.
Gagnon's broad argument relies heavily on the concept of "complimentarity." But this concept ignores intersexed individuals.
Overall, this book is the best attempt to refute pro-gay theology. Although I disagree with Gagnon on many issues, I admire his dedication and highly recommend this book to interested readers.
(...)
Rating:
Summary: A needed book
Review: Those of you who are interested in the very controversial topic of same-sex marriages (especially within the church) should definitely read this book. Gagnon writes from a conservative point of view examining the various "anti-homosexuality" passages in the Bible (i.e., Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9, etc.) and argues that the Bible is actually against homosexual practice (not homosexual disposition). He gets right into the exegesis of the texts in question so biblical scholars will fit right at home with this book. In a time when the church is becoming more "tolerant" to certain beliefs and practices this work is a refreshing reminder that the Bible and not our human sentiments should control our exegesis and theology. It seems to be a fad these days to let human reasoning, experience, and tastes determine what true theology is. Unfortunately, these days, the Bible is relegated to second-class status and is even looked upon as an outdated document. However, Satan attacks the church in many subtle ways. It is not the outright pagan or atheist who are the greatest threats to the church, but false Christians in the church who promote teachings that are contrary to Scripture. These contemporary and "progressive" theologians should realize that they are destroying the church with their anti-Christian views. The Bible is not always a nice book--it does contain some very harsh truths. If you cannot accept that fact, then perhaps you should just drop the label "Christian" because you obviously have a problem with God and His word.
Rating:
Summary: Taking the blinders off
Review: What is so refreshing about Gagnon's book is his willingness to engage all scholars who present a rational view of the issue at hand, whether in agreement or disagreement with the author's views. Some other reviewers have failed to recognize Gagnon's fairness to dissenting viewpoints; the truth of the matter is that Gagnon's treatment is fair and unbiased. Also true is the reality of his overpowering reasoning and logical persuasion. Gagnon has developed a mature and academically rigorous point of view and I would love to see any dissenting reviewers or scholars try to take him on in debate format. Gagnon's thinking and presentation are so thorough and so compelling that any reasonable person must either be swayed to a consenting position or stick their head in the sand of popular culture and Politically Correct mumbo-jumbo. This book is a must read for anyone who does not have their head in the sand; this book rips the blinders off and strips away the rhetoric. Fortunately, the book is also an enjoyable read, particularly the chapter on hermeneutics.
Rating:
Summary: Taking the blinders off
Review: What is so refreshing about Gagnon's book is his willingness to engage all scholars who present a rational view of the issue at hand, whether in agreement or disagreement with the author's views. Some other reviewers have failed to recognize Gagnon's fairness to dissenting viewpoints; the truth of the matter is that Gagnon's treatment is fair and unbiased. Also true is the reality of his overpowering reasoning and logical persuasion. Gagnon has developed a mature and academically rigorous point of view and I would love to see any dissenting reviewers or scholars try to take him on in debate format. Gagnon's thinking and presentation are so thorough and so compelling that any reasonable person must either be swayed to a consenting position or stick their head in the sand of popular culture and Politically Correct mumbo-jumbo. This book is a must read for anyone who does not have their head in the sand; this book rips the blinders off and strips away the rhetoric. Fortunately, the book is also an enjoyable read, particularly the chapter on hermeneutics.
Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: While Gagnon's caliber as a researcher is unimpeachable, his skill as a theologian is considerably more questionable. Conservative Christians who take a close look at his underlying arguments will no doubt be concerned by his views on the authorship of the Bible, his overextended argument from design, his apparent rejection of the doctrine of eternal security, and his downplaying of Jesus' condemnation of divorce.
Readers of all persuasion will be concerned by the circular logic Gagnon employs when fitting a number of passages (Judges 19, Ezek. 16:48-50 and Gen. 1:26, among others) into his condemnation of homosexual activity. Discerning readers will be even more concerned by his extensive reliance on Paul Cameron's thoroughly discredited sociological research.
Although I agree that the Bible reserves sexual activity exclusively for heterosexual marriage, Gagnon's book will be, at best, a secondary resource in my library.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately, Gagnon's work is far from complete
Review: While Robert Gagnon's work covers much ground, he, like other conservative religious authors, still fails to address the question of intersexed persons, persons whose genital and/or chromosomal structures do not fit our culture's "neat" definition of female and male. He argues that nature provides the proof that male/female pairings were God's intention, but does not address how sexuality works for persons whose "God-given" body does not provide a complementary match. Should these persons also be banned from sexual activity because their bodies do not "fit?" Gagnon also insists that same-sex "relationships" are unknown in the animal world, an idea that Bruce Bagemihl destroys in his exhaustive work, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. The Bible is far from being univocal in support of monogamous, heterosexual marriage as the only proper outlet for sexuality. Polygyny is clearly the "norm" presented in Hebrew scripture with monogamy only coming into focus near the approach of the common era. If Adam and Eve were the exemplars, why is that other authors of scripture did not see fit to mention them as such? I have other problems with some of his assertions about biblical passages, but there is not enough space in this review to adequately address the issues. Gagnon has certainly provided a major work on conservative thought about same-sex issues, but many of his arguments are severely weakened by his failure to engage the subject of intersexed persons. He further weakens his work by utilizing so-called research from groups who have no credibility within the scientific community. The real issue behind conservative religious arguments against same-sex orientation seems to be the desire to protect rigid gender boundaries. There is a desire for the sexes to be polar opposites, but instead, sex/gender exists along a continuum, thereby introducing an ambiguity that conservative religious writers hope to ignore. Anne Fausto-Sterling's work offers compelling evidence of our society's need for these rigid boundaries in articles like "The Five Sexes." Intersexed persons may make up 2 to 4% of the population.
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