Dr. Gagnon

Guest Speaker Coming to Geneva College

“A Critique of Recent Revisionist Interpretations of Romans 1:26-27” 

Wednesday, October 3 at 7 p.m. in Northwood Hall

Dr. Robert A.J. Gagnon

Open to the public 

We live in confusing times—particularly with regard to issues of sexual ethics.  In this environment, college students today who struggle with same sex attraction are much more open to share their struggles with others and are asking questions like: “What does the Bible really say about same sex attraction?” 

Part of the challenge of answering students’ questions is that passages of Scripture that at one time were assumed to speak against the normalizing of homosexual behavior have, in recent years, been taken in a different direction by revisionist interpreters.  One such passage is Romans 1:26-27 “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.  Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relationships with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.  Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” 

In order to bring some clarity to the issue, and in order to encourage some who may struggle with same sex attraction, we are pleased to bring Dr. Robert A.J. Gagnon to campus. 

Dr. Gagnon’s academic credentials are:  B.A. Dartmouth College; M.Div. Harvard Divinity School; Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary.  His book The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (published by Abingdon Press) is considered to be the most important technical study of the Scriptures on the issue.  Until August of 2017, Dr. Gagnon served as tenured professor of New Testament studies at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  Currently, Dr. Gagnon is working on publications on homosexuality, New Testament spirituality, and Paul’s letter to the Romans.  He is also a much-sought after conference speaker in North America and around the world.