Biblical scholar resigns from Pittsburgh seminary

president of the seminary, declined to elaborate on Mr. Gagnon’s departure but said the school remained committed to diverse viewpoints.

“My vision is of a seminary as broad as the church of Jesus Christ,” he said, including people of “very different understandings of Christian theology.”

He said he’s committed to a setting where “individuals would hear each other, understandeach other and really listen to each other,” even being willing to change their minds. He said he’s committed to “a learning environment that is safe, maybe not always comfortable, but ... a safe environment.”

Mr. Gagnon earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, a master’s from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary.

His writings include the book, “The Bible and Homosexual Practice” — published in 2001 at a time when several mainline denominations were deadlocked in debates over the role of gay members. In it, he reviews passages throughout the Bible, parsing Hebrew and Greek terms, to argue that “there is clear, strong and credible evidence that the Bible unequivocally defines same-sex intercourse as sin.”

Other scholars have disputed his views, saying such passages do not address samesex relationships as understood today. Mr. Gagnon has never wavered, however, and was quoted in debates over sexuality both within Presbyterian circles and in other Protestant denominations. He also has regularly published in the conservative Catholic journalFirst Things.