Pauline conversations : rereading Romans 1 in Christ*

G. Loughlin

One of the most insidious forms of Christian idolatry is the fetishizing of biblical texts, as when the meaning of Romans 1 is (wrongly) stabilized as condemning homosexual love-making. With Karl Barth we can learn how to converse with Paul in Christ, so that we can benefit from what Paul has to teach us, and his teaching can benefit from what we have learned under the tutelage of the Spirit. In this context we learn that in Paul_s day there were no homosexuals, and Paul learns that there are homosexuals in our day, some of whom are included within the body of Christ, where they are learning to love God in their loving of one another. The article uses the work of Bernadette Brooten, David Halperin, Mark Jordan and Martti Nissinen; and discusses the work of Eugene Rogers and Douglas Farrow.