Straight & Narrow?: Compassion & Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate

Schmidt's great strength is a very simple one: he treats homosexuals as human beings. Not as enemies, monsters, aliens, or vermin, but as human beings - and that, given the fraught atmosphere in which these issues are so often discussed, is sheer gain. Far too often, Christians wave verses at gays as if they thought that they could make "those people" vanish. It is not going to happen. Schmidt does not forget that he is talking about real people, even while he disagrees with what Boswell and others have written. Those who wish to track his arguments to their sources, have plenty of references to wade through. All too often, straight Christians are the very last people on this planet to have any understanding of what it is like to realise one is gay - I hope this book will help to dispel that sort of attitude. Schmidt dismisses the attitude which is summed up so often in the much-abused and threadbare words, "Hate the sin, love the sinner" - it really amounts to loving people not at all, because it does not treat them as persons loved unconditionally by God. It is one of Schmidt's virtues that he sees this. As a Catholic, I did not notice any kind of bias - it complements the slightly more clinical books of Father John Harvey well.

Professor Schmidt clearly lays out the debate between revisionists and traditionalists on the Biblical issues surrounding homosexuality. He explains what the various arguments are in terms lay Christians can understand. While doing this he remains true to his focus of remembering that the issue is really about an individual, not about lifestyle, orientation or ideology. If you are looking for a book that "justifies" homosexuality through misinterpretation of Scripture this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a book that "justifies" your anger or resentment of homosexuals this is not the book for you. If you are a person who wants to better understand the issues surronding the Christian faith and homosexuality this is an excellent book for you. Unfortunately, the critics of Schmidt's conclusion don't tackle his agruments, they merely resort to lumping him into a category (homophobe)they immediately dismiss. Those critics should read his book again because they missed his love and compassion for them as individuals regardless of whether they are homosexual or hetrosexual.

Thank you, Dr. Thomas Schmidt, for providing a book with intellectual integrity that avoids the sensationalism of the ideologues on both sides of the homosexuality issue. The author is extremely well qualified for the task he has undertaken with caution and candor. This is no "bashing" or "trashing" treatment of those who promote "gay theology." It is a respectful, intelligent analysis of the evidence, honed by the author's unquestioned competence in the biblical languages and historical context. Boswell et.al, notwithstanding, this is the book that accurately exegetes sacred scripture on this issue. No "agenda" is read into the text. The plain teaching of the text on the issue of homosexuality is captured and presented. One may not like the author's conclusions, but one cannot contest the author's argument and evidence without doing violence to the biblical text and its historical context. This amazingly balanced volume should be on the table every time this issue is discussed. Schmidt has done us all a very great service, and I highly recommend his work to everyone interested in the topic.

Much debate on homosexuality is highly charged with accusations of self-delusion, fear or bigotry being levelled freely. Thomas Schmidt enters this debate presenting a position against homosexual practice not based on homophobia or blind religious conviction but on sound medical, sociological and historical data. As an agnostic who lived the gay life for many years, and found it wanting, I find Schmidt's presentation compassionate and scholarly. His data and analysis confirm the position I came to after 20 years of living the gay life. No-one told me that my statistical chances of living in a monogamous same sex relationship was almost zero. No one told me of the physical damage I would end up doing to my own body and to the bodies of those I claimed to "love". Schmidt presents the unpleasant but honest reality. I wish this book had been around 20 years ago.

Thomas Schmidt, a professor of New Testament Greek at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, has done the world a favor by throwing his hat into the contemporary homosexuality and the Bible debate that began with Scroggs and Boswell. Schmidt explodes the many myths and distortions promoted by these writers and other gay apologists, historians and theologians. He begins with an overview of the current debate, then deals with the biblical language. Does the Sodom story refer to homosexuality or hospitality? He shows, according to context and language, that it is clearly the former. He covers all of the texts and answers all of the questions, showing that the Bible provides for no other option but the belief that homosexual behavior is not only sinful, but unnatural. He does not finish there, however, but also deals with the recent nature-nuture controversy. Schmidt points out the many faults of Simon Le Vay's biased research, and comes to the conclusion that while biology may be an influence on homosexual orientation, it is not the cause. While some who favor homosexuality may not care for the material and the point of view found in this work, it should be pointed out that Schmidt is always professional and always compassionate. He realizes that people struggle with this controversial moral and sociological issue. Yet, as he shows, the Bible takes only one view. Those who seek to defend homosexuality need to honestly revise their arguments and acknowledge that their is no biblical support for neither homosexual behavior nor orientation. If people wis to argue a case for it, it must be done recognizing this fact, because insofar as this aspect of the debate is concerned, Schmidt has ended it. Perhaps he could have entitled his book Case Closed if that title were not already taken.