Pastor and assistant Boston University religion professor Jennifer Wright Knust spoke with NPR’s Terry Gross today about her new book, Unprotected Texts. In the book, Knust argues that the Bible should not be used as a guidebook for moral standards of marriage and sexuality due to the literal contradictions and subjective readings involved in the interpretation of biblical text.
According to Knust’s research, homosexuality, polygamy, celibacy, monogamy, gender roles and the nature of desire are described differently in different books of the Bible – and the passages are more complex than popular culture may lead us to believe.
“The Bible offers no viable solution to our marriage dilemmas,” Knust states in the interview. “There is no such thing as a single, biblically based view of legitimate marriage.”
Knust goes on to explain that, in her view, “what’s in the Bible regarding homoerotic encounters is way more fascinating than a sound bite about gay marriage could possibly suggest.”
Unprotected Texts is Knust’s second book and is available from HarperOne publishers.
