Date of Award

Spring 2013

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Religion

First Advisor

Seth L. Sanders

Second Advisor

Frank Kirkpatrick

Abstract

For centuries, the Bible has been used as a source of authority on a range of controversial issues, informing Christian perspectives on everything from the legality of slavery to abortion. In recent years, the issue of homosexuality has been extremely contentious in the Christian community, with many arguing a definitively negative position towards the rights of homosexuals from a basis of a few biblical passages. One comes to realize that the references to homosexual behavior are ambiguous at best, and most often are used as part of a greater rhetorical argument rather than focusing on the morality of homosexual behavior directly. The question becomes what exactly biblical authors are saying in the few passages that do reference same-sex practices, and how contemporary Christians are to view these statements in light of a changing cultural context and with the influence of a Christian values system.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Religion.

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