What DOES the Bible say about Homosexuality????

Well,... you might be surprised!

The Bible may not say what you always thought it said... or what you were TOLD it said...

There are only six .... YES, ONLY 6!!!  passages in the whole Bible  (and none of them are from Jesus), that are traditionally used condemn Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans people:  Genesis 19:4-11, Leviticus 18:22/20:13, Deuteronomy 23:17-18, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9, & I Timothy 1:10

These passages have been used as "texts of terror" for L/G/B/T people, wrongly used as "proof texts" to condemn, to "bash," and to reject.  But we at Christos MCC are here to tell you that GOD LOVES US JUST THE WAY WE ARE!!!  And the Bible is not a weapon to be used against us, but contains words of hope, and grace, and acceptance!

Before looking at any Biblical texts, you need to know the term "homosexuality" is a modern word for which there are no Hebrew or ancient Greek equivalents.  It wasn’t  even used in English until the end of the 19^th Century, & wasn’t used in any Bible until 1946, with the publication of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.  Certainly, there was no understanding of the term in the modern sense, informed by careful scientific study, of a person whose inherent orientation is toward another of his or her own gender.

You can look these passages up in your own Bible,... and draw your own conclusions about them!

Genesis 19 -- The traditional "Sodom & Gomorrah" text, tells the story of the destruction of the Biblical city of Sodom. Some people say God decided to destroy the city because it was full of..... (GASP!) Homosexuals! BUT.... This is NOT what the text says!

First of all, this story isn’t about homosexuality at all! Much depends on the translation of the Hebrew word "yadha" which often gets translated in THIS passage as "to know," meaning to "know" sexually. And it’s funny.... it doesn’t usually get translated that way in OTHER passages.

Second, to the extent it’s about anything sexual in nature, it is about rape – hardly a story of loving relationships or a paradigm for sexual morality. Rape – whether homosexual or heterosexual – is inexcusable.

Third, God decided to destroy the city because it was "wicked" and this decision was made before any mention of supposed homosexuality. (Genesis 18:20) The specific nature of the "wickedness" of Sodom is stated in Ezekiel 16:49-50, and it’s pride and selfishness -not homo-sexuality. And the only time Jesus refers to Sodom, he does so in the context of lack of hospitality. (Matthew 10:5, 11:23-24, & Luke 10:10-12)

Leviticus 18:22 / 20:13 -- These verses are part of the portion of Leviticus which is known as the "Holiness Code," which is a catalogue of laws addressed to the Israelites when they were surrounded by other tribes who practiced pagan religions and served other gods. The Holiness Code was concerned with religious purity and separation. A careful reading of these texts and their contexts reveals that they have to do with idolatry, NOT homosexuality. And anyhow.... You’re not a Levite, are you?

Deuteronomy 23:17-18 -- These verses have been used as a "text of terror" for L/G/B/T people because it was translated incorrectly in the King James Version of the Bible, which refers to "Sodomites." The word "Sodomite" does NOT appear in the original Hebrew text. The correct translation of the word used in Hebrew is"male temple prostitute." And who knows.... they may even have "serviced" females, rather than males!

Romans 1:26-27 -- This is the major passage in Christian scriptures on homosexuality – all two verses of it. But we cannot read just these two verses. It’s important to look at context In context, this portion of Paul’s letter to the Romans is a theological treatise on full inclusion of all people in the early church, and not an ethical treatise on sexual morality.

Also, it suggests that the real problem is heterosexual people who deny their God-given sexual nature, and resort to same-sex activity solely to satisfy excessive lust. Paul simply had no concept that for some people, homosexuality IS the norm.

I Corinthians 6:9 and I Timothy 1:10 -- These verses are treated together, because the problem in both cases seems to be primarily one of translation of the same, or similar, Greek terms, arsenokoitai and malakoi. In different versions of the Bible, these get translated MANY different ways: "sodomites, perverts, homosexuals, male prostitutes, depraved persons of sordid morals, homosexual offenders," etc.

So which version is right? Which is closest to what was intended when the original words did not mean, and could not have meant, the same thing as we mean today when we use the term "homosexual?" It’s strange that some people condemn L/G/B/T people when scholars and different translations of the Bible don’t even agree on what the words actually mean!

"Malakoi" literally means "soft" and is used in Matthew 11:18, as an adjective to describe soft clothing. A subsidiary meaning came to be "effeminate." It’s been translated "effeminate" or "soft," and most likely refers to someone who lacks discipline or moral control. It’s used elsewhere in the Bible, but never with reference to sexuality. It did not imply a homosexual person in Greek.

The other term, "arsenokoitai," occurs once each in I Corinthians and I Timothy, but nowhere else in other literature of the period. As far as scholars can determine, its use in I Cor. 6 is the first use of the term anywhere -and I Cor. didn’t come with a glossary! So there are no other historical uses of the term that we can use to help translate it.

"Arsenokoitai," is derived from two Greek words, one meaning, "males" and the other "beds", which may be a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Other Greek words were commonly used to describe homosexual behavior but do not appear here. The larger context of I Corinthians 6 shows Paul was extremely concerned with prostitution, so it’s possible he was referring to male prostitutes. But many experts now attempting to translate these words have reached a simple conclusion: their precise meaning is uncertain. The bottom line is that these passages do not describe a faithful, committed same sex relationship between equals any more than prostitution describes marriage.

You can agree or disagree.  We don’t need to argue this issue with anyone.  At Christos MCC, we KNOW God loves us JUST THE WAY WE ARE!!!!  So if you truly want to know more about what the bible might have to say to L/G/B/T people... What a word of hope and love and acceptance there is for us... Then come see us sometime, or email for more info, booklists, resources, etc.!