In this book, Marion Soards looks at what the Bible actually says--and does not say--about homosexuality as he attempts to discover how the church should deal with this diverse issue. Soards reflects on the meaning of the biblical text and subsequent Christian history as he struggles with the issue of how Christians should respond to and comprehend God's will in dealing with homosexuality. Ultimately, he advocates a heightened sense of biblical authority and Christian compassion.

The goal of this redaction-critical investigation is to determine what in Luke 22 is special to Luke, to assess its origin, and to uncover Luke's purpose in using this material. Unlike earlier studies, Soards concentrates on lines of thought that link the chapter with the Gospel as a whole. The author's conclusion is that though Luke did not use a single coherent source other than Mark for this chapter, his diverse material was chosen in order to advance Luke's distinctive interests in Christology, eschatology and ecclesiology. Christologically, Jesus is shown as in charge of the Passion...