Clobber Passages - Sodom and Gomorrah

Written by ettie.v

from Centurion, South Africa

1 January 2024

<p class="MsoNormal">A passage that is often used to attack gay Christians regarding same-sex relationships is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. When we take various other scripture passages that speak about Sodom and Gomorrah and the parallel story in Judges 20 into account, then it quickly becomes clear that this passage has nothing to do with condemning loving same-sex relationships.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I will again refer to others’ writings who have studied this topic much further and deeper that I have.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">David P. Gushee writes in his book, “Changing our minds”:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“…few serious biblical interpreters think this story is about “homosexuality.” It has certainly receded in the traditionalist argument. </i><i>The parallel story in Judges 20:5 makes absolutely clear that it was violence the men wanted, including sexual violence, and violence they inflicted.”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“When cited within the rest of Scripture, even the names of these towns became a byword for total human evil and devastating divine judgment. But never once in these intra-biblical references to Sodom is their evil described as&nbsp;same-sex interest or behavior.”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“Genesis 19 and Judges 19 are narratives with huge implications for the ethics of war, prison, gender, violence and rape. But they have nothing to do with the morality of loving, covenantal, same-sex relationships, just as they have nothing to do with the morality of loving, covenantal, opposite-sex relationships.”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">Matthew Vines echoes this same idea in his book, “God and the gay Christian”:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“</i><i>Sexuality goes unmentioned, both in the Ezekiel passage and in every other Old Testament reference to Sodom following Genesis 19. If Sodom’s sin had indeed been same-sex behavior, it’s highly unlikely that every written discussion of the city for centuries following its destruction would fail to mention that.”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p> <span style="line-height: 107%;">The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is clearly not usable in building a case against loving same-sex relationships. I wholeheartedly believe that homosexuality is not what the passage addresses and attacking gay Christians with this passage is misusing scripture.</span><br></p>

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