The author explores what the Bible and other early religious texts have to say about homosexuality.

Did past societies condone homosexuality? This thorough study answers those who revise the message of Scripture, by using the Bible, Jewish literature, and information from ancient cultures. It provides the knowledge necessary to respond with confidence, compassion, and honesty to demands that Christians accept active homosexuality. - Publisher.

"The Rev. Dr. Bailey provides in this book a detached and scholarly examination of homosexuality in its historical and religious contexts. The author begins with a consideration of Sodom -- showing, incidentally, that that city was not specially remarkable for the cult to which it has given its name -- and then goes on to discuss what else there is in the Bible concerning homosexuality. He brings under his cool, searching scrutiny Roman law, medieval canon law, and the actual practice of the medieveal church. He shows the influence of this background in the present attitude of society and in the law as it stands today. Finally he give his own conclusions and recommendations." -- book jacket.

John Ankerberg and John Weldonâs popular Facts On books (more than 800,000 copies sold) havenew covers and updated material! Known for their extensive research and Bibleknowledge, the authors offer readers the essentialfacts they need to evaluate and discuss todayâs issues. The concise,easyâtoâfollow information helps readers: understand the basic tenets of each subject evaluate the teachings in light of Godâs Word share the gospel more effectively The userâfriendly,questionâandâanswer format of this series gives readers the flexibility toexplore the subject fully or look up specific teachings. Ankerberg and Weldon discuss aspects of homosexuality, including innate vs. learnedbehavior, biological support, the homosexual communityâs influence, theChristian churchâs view on homosexuality, and what Godâs Word teaches.

Historians of sexuality have often assumed that medieval people were less interested in sex than we are. But people in the Middle Ages wrote a great deal about sex: in confessors' manuals, in virginity treatises, and in literary texts. This volume looks afresh at the cultural meanings that sex had throughout the period, presenting new evidence and offering new interpretations of known material. Acknowledging that many of the categories that we use today to talk about sexuality are inadequate for understanding sex in premodern times, the volume draws on important recent work in the historiography of medieval sexuality to address the conceptual and methodological challenges the period presents. A Cultural History of Sexuality in the Middle Ages presents an overview of the period with essays on heterosexuality, homosexuality, sexual variations, religious and legal issues, health concerns, popular beliefs about sexuality, prostitution and erotica.

The aim of this book is to promote more serious theological discussion in the Church, especially in the mainline Protestant churches and the Episcopal Church, on the issue of homosexuality. George Hobson provides a theological perspective informed by biblical insights, on the one hand, and by analysis of the development and significance of the all-encompassing reality of science-technology, on the other. The question of technology is the determinant issue in the lives of modern men and women, for whom virtually every aspect of daily existence is controlled and oriented by technological imperatives. The central argument of the book is that reflection on the sexual revolution of our day, including the issue of homosexuality, cannot be carried forward effectively without consideration of this context of technology. A constructivist ideology, rooted in our technological power, underlies the fashionable notion that sexual behavior, even gender identity, is entirely culturally determined. Hobson opposes this notion on theological grounds and argues that the liberal disposition in the Protestant churches prevents them from seeing how the authentic Christian gospel is being subverted by this constructivism and the technologically driven quest for total control over every feature of reality that it represents.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christians details the processes through which LGBT Christians resolve the fraught tensions between their religious, sexual and gendered identities, and examines the associated changes to their religious practice in the pursuit of “authenticity.” The book moves between richly described first-person accounts and clear theoretical analysis, contextualising the disucssion within contemporary theories of religion and same-sex attraction. Through careful qualitative research with LGBT Christians in the Australian Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), and the Uniting Church, Bronwyn Fielder and Douglas Ezzy show that although painful self-questioning and struggle is experienced by some LGBT Christians, many people ultimately find a resolution and a sense of peace with their sexual identity as LGBT Christians. The pursuit of authenticity is shown to be driven by participants' essentialist understanding of sexuality and gender, and the centrality of religiosity to their sense of self. Offering insight into how participants transform their relationships, emotions, beliefs, and ritual practices in order to make this authentic life possible, this study is an important contribution to the field of religion and sexuality.

A comprehensive analysis of Christian influences on Western family law from the first century to the present day.

Queering the Medieval Mediterranean analyzes the forgotten exchange of sexualities that was brought forth through the Mediterranean and its bordering landmasses. It highlights the importance of queerness and sexuality developed on the Mediterranean trade routes.

In this "brave and good book which shatters bad myths" (Commonweal), McNeill shows that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality, and argues that the Church must not continue its homophobic practices.