Since its initial publication in 1994, this slim volume has become THE must-read book for anyone seeking to reconcile being gay and being a Christian.

Helminiak makes his case incredibly well...he goes through the Scriptures step by step to reveal and discuss the historical context and the meaning behind them.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, but if you are gay and Christian, RUN to your nearest bookstore or order a copy online immediately. It is a very easy book to read; Helminiak is not writing to scholars here but to ordinary citizens. And his conclusion that the Bible says NOTHING about homosexuality is breathtaking, and he backs it up with Scripture all the way.

This book points out what I have believed for decades; the Bible has been transalated and retranslated so many times over the millenia a lot of it is open to spin and interpretation. Whether the Bible condemns or condones homosexuality is largely irrevelent to me as the whole book is simply a bogus replica of a host of pre Judeo-Christian myths, cultures, and beliefs and in the 21st century serves as a means by which Christian bigots can base their hatreds.

From the synopsis: While cautioning against viewing biblical teaching as "the last word on sexual ethics," he stresses the need for accurate understanding of what the biblical "facts" are and concludes that "the Bible supplies no real basis for the condemnation of homosexuality."

A fundamental platform of what Christians believe is that the Bible IS the inerrant LAST word on ALL morality and ethics.

The description of the book attempts to claim that homosexuality "as we know it" was a concept lost on the ancient world. COME ON!!! Are you KIDDING me??? Where do you think we got it?? That same sex relationships just sprung up out of nowhere in the last 1000 years??

I'm sure this book makes a lot of people feel good about their struggle with reconciling what the Bible says with homosexuality. The only problem is you have to completely ignore what the Bible ACTUALLY says to swallow it.

Sad. Misleading. If you want to know what the Bible really says about homosexuality, just read it. It means what is says. It says what it means. Period.

For those who prefer an in depth researched and well written book on homosexuality in the church...DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! It is too generalized and shallow of a writing and not convincing at all. Though a few of his points may be somewhat accurate and his aims are honorable, look for another resource. It is poorly written, research is rarely cited, and terminology is very vague.

When I received this book, the first thing I noticed was glowing endorsements from Spong and Countryman, neither of whom are exactly conservative theologians. Then I noticed that this is a popular book and therefore there are no footnotes or references, so I cannot check his sources to see whether he is saying the truth or not, probably just as well, as he can lie with impunity.

On page 26 he trots out the party line by saying that one is "born gay, it cannot be changed and is benign", none of these statements are factually true, they are simply popular myths. He then compounds the error by comparing homosexuality with race and left-handedness. Once again he is incorrect. If homosexuality was like left-handedness (i.e. genetic) then we would expect the same percentage of homosexuals in rural and urban areas, yet this is precisely what we do not find, even for young people who have not migrated yet.

On Sodom, he gives the usual revisionist interpretation (based on Boswell and Bailey), it was about their inhospitality, this is a half truth, they were very inhospitable. The men of the city wanted to have sex with the male visitors, they wanted to rape them and unknowingly they would have raped angels. The purpose of the narrative was to show that God was just in destroying the cities.

On the meaning of arsenokoitai, he is unsure of the meaning, but if it does refer to male same-sex acts then it only "condemn wanton, lewd, irresponsible male homogenital acts but not homogenital acts in general" (p. 105). Of course the etymology of arsenokoitai is well know, it is derived from the Septuagint translation of the Levitical prohibitions of male-male intercourse (see Scroggs, p. 65), but this is rather inconvenient to Helminiak because it means that Paul thought that the Levitical prohibitions still applied in his day. Helminiak is aware of this (see p. 111), but he soft peddles here, lamely saying that 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 "may be repeating the prohibitions in Leviticus 18:22."

Then we come to Helminiak's best lie. His word study of toevah and bdelygma on p. 64-65. Toevah is the Hebrew word usually translated as abomination and bdelygma is the Septuagint Greek equivalent translation. Toevah is used in the Levitical prohibitions on male-male sex in Lev 18:22 and 20:13. He confidently asserts that toevah means "what is culturally or ritually forbidden" it is not a sin. He then compounds the error by saying that the Greek translation bdelygma, which he says, means a "ritual offense". When I looked up the meaning of the words toevah and bdelygma, the actual meanings of these two words is nowhere near as narrow as Helminiak implies. Toevah can be used in both a ritual and a moral sense, the same as bdelygma. In Lev 18:26-30 toevah is used four times and refers to adultery, child-sacrifice, male-male intercourse and bestiality (in Lev 18:20-23), bdelygma translates toevah in three of these verses. In the New Testament bdelygma is used of the "abomination of desolation" (Mat 24:15).

Lastly, we come to another quirky interpretation of Helminiak. The Greek word akatharsia which is translated "impurity" and Paul uses it in Rom 1:24 just before he talks about those who indulge in female-female sex and male-male sex in Rom 1:26-27. In all nine cases when Paul uses this word akatharsia it refers to moral sin. And yet Helminiak rather weakly says that "It must be admitted that Paul's use of the word impurity (akatharsia) here is out of line with his usage elsewhere" (p94). In other words making a scriptural case for homosexuality always involves special pleading, even lying.

This is the second edition of this book, so he had plenty of time to rectify any mistakes in his first edition, I suggest that he includes footnotes in his third edition.

This book lifted a heavy burden off my heart. For many years I have been searching my heart for an answer to the question in my mind - if homosexuals are really born that way, then why is it such a dreadful sin in the Bible. Was it because He knew it was going to become a "generational sin" or were we missing something? It just didn't feel right to me. Now I'm the parent of a homosexual daughter, and it became even more important to me to find answers. This book answered the questions I had, and my mind and my heart are at peace. God Bless this man, and this book should be read by every Christian and every homosexual person who has ever worried about what the Bible says about it!

This book's title should be:

"Yet Another Catholic Demonstrates Flip Flopping, Scripture Twisting and Pandering to 'Protestants'"

Or

"An Example of How to Pander to the World For Worldly Gain and to Extinguish the Enemies of the Catholic Church"

Or

"Catholic Techniques In Jusitifying Bestiality, Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Rape, Adultery, Fornication, and Any Sin Into Something Good"

This book is dumb. Even some of the worst of homosexuals know these verses:

"'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'" - Leviticus 18:22

"'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.'" - Leviticus 20:13

"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." - Romans 1:27

And the people who voted up this book are even dumber: CHILD MOLESTING PRIESTS ANYONE? HELLO? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? LIVING IN A HOLE WITH NO TV, NEW PAPERS, BOOKS OR INTERNET YOUR WHOLE LIFE?

How is it you listen to and support the same denomimation that sponsors child abusers and hides them from justice?

Talk about super stupid, gullible and simpleminded.

A thoughtful work by a good scholar, but what seemed lacking to me was proper attentiveness to what the Bible really teaches about human sexuality. On the whole, it seems pretty clear that God created man and woman for one another and to bring forth children into the world. The covenantal commitment of marriage is also affirmed as the proper context for sexual relations and childbearing -- anything else being fornication or adultery. Considered in this over-arching context, it is difficult to concede that the biblical writers' primary objection to homosexuality pertained to issues of cleanliness. Heterosexual marriage was what God intended and blessed, so much so that Paul considered marriage to be a paradigm for Christ's fruitful relationship with the Church. Helminiak's careful scholarship notwithstanding, I'm not convinced that the Bible takes a more liberal view of homosexuality than has traditionally been maintained. Biblical teachings on charity and justice offer more hope for acceptance of homosexuals than do attempts to show that the Bible doesn't really regard it as ethically objectionable.

A thoughtful work by a good scholar, but what seemed lacking to me was proper attentiveness to what the Bible really teaches about human sexuality. On the whole, it seems pretty clear that God created man and woman for one another and to bring forth children into the world. The covenantal commitment of marriage is also affirmed as the proper context for sexual relations and childbearing -- anything else being fornication or adultery. Considered in this over-arching context, it is difficult to concede that the biblical writers' primary objection to homosexuality pertained to issues of cleanliness. Heterosexual marriage was what God intended and blessed, so much so that Paul considered marriage to be a paradigm for Christ's fruitful relationship with the Church. Helminiak's careful scholarship notwithstanding, I'm not convinced that the Bible takes a more liberal view of homosexuality than has traditionally been maintained. Biblical teachings on charity and justice offer more hope for acceptance of homosexuals than do attempts to show that the Bible doesn't really regard it as ethically objectionable.

Good book, packaging ect.. good. Shipping a pain had to be there to sign for a $10.00 book. Would have been easier to order through Barnes and Noble.