The Flint Hills Observer
February 1997

Churches Often Misinterpret Homosexuality in Scriptures
Eldon Epp, Pastor, Manhattan Mennonite Church

Thanks to Deb Taylor for a chance to share in this newsletter.

The message from the Church to gays and lesbians has often been condemning of gay and lesbian persons. Many of us in the Church, however, believe that the Church at large is only beginning to look at the matter of alternate sexual orientations, and has tended to speak from unexamined biblical or theological premises.

A few suggestions follow on where a fresh look at Scripture may lead us.

Genesis 1:27 declares that God created humanity in God's own image, and that this Creation included our sexuality- "male and female he created them." Therefore, our being as sexual persons is part of the "imago dei," the very image of God. The orientations we have are therefore sacred, and never to be demeaned.

The Bible refers only a few times to homosexuality--far, far less than it does to matters of the heart and spirit and to economic justice. Jesus himself speaks much of the latter things; he is silent on homosexuality.

Many scholars believe that the Scriptural references are generally not dealing with the concept of sexual orientation, but with sexual abuse. The concept of committed homosexual relationships may not have been in the writers' minds. The texts which do speak are much less clearly negative toward homosexuality than is popularly assumed. Take Genesis 19. This is the famous account of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Its popular use typifies the abuse of Scripture so commonly practiced around the issue of sexual orientation.

Rather than the great sin of Sodom being homosexuality, the sin for which Sodom was destroyed was inhospitality. That is how later Scriptures refer to Genesis 19; it is never cited as a condemnation of gay or lesbian persons. Ezekiel 16:48-49 identifies Sodom's sin as pride and injustice. Jesus refers to the destruction of Sodom in a discussion with his followers on the matter of inhospitable cities in Matthew 10:14-15.

If inhospitality and denial of justice are the wrongs being condemned here--which is consistent with the thrust of both Old and New Testaments--then the sin of `sodomy' needs a much broader application. The message of Christmas is Good News for those who are oppressed economically, socially, or spiritually. THAT'S what the Scriptures are about, and that is the Calling to which the Church is being led.

A useful resource (used above) is an article entitled "Untangling the Web: A look at what Scripture does and does not say about homosexual behavior," in a Christian magazine called The Other Side. I'd be glad to share copies with any newsletter readers, as well as to visit personally with any who might so wish. Call me at 539-4079 (office) or 587-8256 (home) and leave a message. E-mail is eepp@ksu.edu. Happy New Year!