The Revd Dr Jonathan Tallon has written a series of articles on aspects of the Bible and homosexuality, with associated videos. Nothing unusual there, you might think – there must be hundreds if not thousands of such articles – but Jonathan Tallon’s are remarkably good, helpful, clear, and academically reliable; the Equal Campaign is delighted that he has kindly given us permission to list them here and to link to the original articles and videos.
Jonathan Tallon is a priest in the Church of England and is also a mentor for curates in the Diocese of Manchester. He is a New Testament lecturer and early Church researcher, and is currently tutor in Biblical Studies at Northern Baptist College. There’s a full biography at https://www.bibleandhomosexuality.org/about/.
The articles below, and the accompanying videos, are all on Jonathan’s website at https://www.bibleandhomosexuality.org/. Here’s some of what they cover:
- What does the Bible say about homosexuality, sexuality and gender?
- What have different scholars said about homosexuality in the Bible?
- Is homosexuality a sin?
- What does the Bible say about people who are transgender?
- Clear presentations of these and other complex issues, with pointers to key academic resources for those who want to go further.
Each article (but not the corresponding video) finishes with a useful section of Resources if you want to look into the topic in more depth. There is also a helpful annotated bibliography at https://www.bibleandhomosexuality.org/bibliography/.
What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Nothing directly. When it comes to sexuality, the ‘plain meaning’ of scripture can seriously mislead us.
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What does the Bible say about transgender people?
What does the Bible say about transgender people? What are the three building blocks that those opposed base their arguments upon? And why are these really poor arguments?
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St Paul, 1 Corinthians and homosexuality
What does Paul say about homosexuality in 1 Corinthians? Is he saying that those who are gay or lesbian won’t enter God’s kingdom? How do these verses apply today to committed, loving, faithful same-sex relationships?
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Condemned or not? St Paul, Romans and homosexuality
Does St Paul condemn homosexuality in Romans? I don’t think so. This article and video explains why. Below you can find the article (the transcript of the video), and then scholarly resources on Roman sexuality, on what ‘against nature’ might mean, on what the females were doing, on pagan temple worship and Romans, and other interpretations not covered in the video. I have also included a short extract from Wisdom 14 as a parallel Jewish rhetorical attack on pagan idolatry.
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What do the gospels say directly about being gay?
What do the gospels say about being gay? My answer might surprise you …
Sorry – that’s it. The gospels say nothing directly about being gay.
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Does Leviticus mean homosexuality is an abomination?
What does Leviticus have to say about homosexuality? Should we really treat it as an abomination? A guide to applying Leviticus for Christians today.
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What has Sodom got to do with homosexuality?
This article and video explain why Sodom has nothing to do with the debate about the Bible and homosexuality. Sodom is an account of attempted gang rape – and, like the similar account of a gang rape of a woman in Judges 19, it has nothing to do with committed, faithful, loving relationships of any kind.
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Does Genesis rule out Adam and Steve?
This article and video explain why the creation accounts in Genesis do not rule out same-sex marriages. God blesses the union of men and women, but that doesn’t mean that God can’t or won’t bless other patterns of life, whether that’s gay or lesbian couples, being married without children, or singleness.
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Does the Bible condemn homosexuality?
What does the Bible say about homosexuality? This video explains why the Bible doesn’t condemn homosexuality. There are a few verses that are relevant to homosexuality in the Bible, but how should we understand them, and how should we apply them today?