I was recently readg the book Rcug The Bible From Fundamentalism by Bishop Spong and one chapter, Spong suggts the possibily that Pl uld have been a closeted gay man. He c the vers where Pl talks about his unntrollable members Romans, which Spong believ is referr...
Contents:
WAS THE APOSTLE PL GAY?
What do Pl say about homosexualy 1 Corthians? Will those who are gay or lbian not enter God's kgdom? What do arsenoko and malakoi mean? I unpick what we n learn about homosexualy the New Ttament. * why is paul gay *
Once unlocked, the msag not only cease to be hidn but they bee obv, glarg at the rear, who wonrs why such obv meangs had not been seen have suggted that that Pl was plagued by homosexual fears.
This is not a new ia, and yet until recent years, when homosexualy began to shed some of s negative nnotatns, was an ia so repulsive to Christian people that uld not be breathed official circl. This is not to say that our cultural homophobia has disappeared. Wh the softeng of that homophobic stance we might nsir the hypothis that Pl may have been a gay male.
When I did this for the first time, I was startled to see how much of Pl was unlocked and how eply I uld unrstand the power of the gospel that lerally saved Pl's I suggt the possibily that Pl was a homosexual person, I do not mean to be salac or tillatg or even to suggt somethg that many would nsir sndalo. The prence of homosexualy would have created this rponse among Jewish people that perd of history.
SOME FACTS SUGGT PL WAS GAY
The war that went on between what he sired wh his md and what he sired wh his body, his drivenns to a legalistic relign of ntrol, his fear when that system was threatened, his attu toward women, his refal to seek marriage an outlet for his passn-nothg else acunts for this data as well as the possibily that Pl was a gay 's relig tradn would clearly regard gay mal as aberrant, distorted, evil, and praved. Later the Torah ath is lled for as the penalty for homosexualy. If homosexualy was his ndn, he knew well that by that Law he stood nmned.
Recent scholarship, though, reads the same text and fds jt the oppose--that homosexualy is nate and therefore normal, moral, and biblil.