The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, minister of Memorial Church, has received an advance of more than $300,000 for a new book which is scheduled to be published in 1995, according to the New York Observer.

The book, tentatively called Fighting for the Bible, will be published by the William Morrow and Avon publishing companies. Gomes told the Observer that the topics will include the Bible and "women, race, anti-Semitism and the environment, and how these topics are interpreted and misinterpreted."

Gomes said to the Observer that he decided to undertake writing the book because he believes the Bible has become "a lost or a closed book to the majority of secular America."

In the book, Gomes will discuss the current struggle to define the Bible and what it means.

"I want to communicate straight away through the title the notion that there's a struggle involved and that this is not a historical or pious piece of work," said Gomes, who is Plummer professor of Christian morals. "The thesis is that the Bible is increasingly a lost or a closed book to the majority of secular America. As a result, a large part of our society loses the biblical tradition and what it has to say."

Gomes announced he was gay in November [99] in a speech in front of Memorial Church. In the speech, he was responding to an issue of the conservative campus magazine Peninsula, which criticized homosexuality. Gomes has since been attacked by Christians on and off campus who adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible.

Gomes told the Observer that his book will deal partially with homosexuality. The minister said he will also try to expand on strict interpretations of the Bible favored by what he calls "religious fundamentalists."

"The Bible would appear to become the private property of very conservative religious fundamentalists," Gomes said. "Because of the ignorance of the larger [audience], we depend on the Pat Robertsons and the Jerry Falwells to tell us what the Bible says. I want to take it back from them and put it in a much broader context.

Gomes has a high profile both in Boston and nationally. He presided at inaugurations for Presidents Bush and Reagan, and served as minister at the recent funeral of Boston Celtics basketball star Reggie Lewis.

The Observer quoted publishing sources as saying that Gomes and his agent met with 14 potential publishers and accepted bids from at least 10.

Gomes will take a sabbatical during the fall semester and work as a visiting professor at Duke University, where he plans to do a lot of work on the book.

Gomes and William Morrow and Avon officials did not return telephone calls seeking comment yesterday