Gay Bible Commentary Endorsed By Pope Francis

The Other Paul along with other Protestant apologists have been raising awareness of The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, even getting the attention of Catholic publications like Church Militant. For the Pope to write the forward of a Bible commentary is a significant ordeal. Although he is not endorsing it ex-cathedra, the forward nonetheless uses his Papal title, letterhead, and seal to boost the credibility of the volume of work.

The Other Paul characterizes the forward itself as innocuous. But the commentary itself with a multitude of authors and a supplemental essay section goes off the rails of Christian orthodoxy on key passages.

During the stream we take requests on passages to read. The so-called clobber passages are where the Papist commentary gets the most unhinged. Even using the term “Clobber Passage” the commentary goes into great detail that passages like Leviticus 18 and Romans 1 condemn male on male anal penetration, but follow this up with a disclaimer about how this in no way can be applied to modern day homosexuality.

Whatever contemporary moral arguments one wants to mount about same-sex relations, it is ethically irresponsible to use this passage in Romans 1 to close off contemporary explorations of the issues.

Paul explains that 1 Corinthians 6 does not address the issue. Additionally the commentary argues that Paul did not write 1 Timothy which was discussed as an explanation for why it was so anti-women. Surprisingly the commentary on James 2:17 (faith without works is dead)  was quite agreeable from a Protestant perspective, rising well above the Catholic Answers level of debate. Indeed, much of the commentary was innocuous, lest the liberal textual critical assumptions. But on the major passages you would look at to judge the orthodoxy of a commentary, there are major issues.

The Supplemental Essays are even worse, as they openly advocate for both abortion and Critical Race Theory, martyring George Floyd. The section on abortion combines an appeal to Malthusian ethics with an appeal to Social Justice under the banner of Reproductive Justice.

Pope Francis endorsing a gay commentary is a huge development as the Roman Catholic Church looks to embrace homosexuality even prior to its embrace of egalitarianism, but it remains a tight race. And how it will impact the Catholic world remains to be seen.