This is where my “ Christian” Brothers & Sisters start calling me a Heretic…..strap in.
"If you claim to be someone's ally, but you aren't getting hit by the stones thrown at them, you aren't standing close enough." (Stan Mitchell)
I will be the first to say, “ I don’t get it,” but I don’t get a lot of things! And just as important, who am I to judge?
Let’s preface this highly debated topic with the famous scene from the “Bible Lesson” from The West Wing.
Key Context
The Argument: The President’s point was not to mock the Bible, but to dismantle the “cafeteria-style” religion where one picks and chooses which ancient laws to enforce (like those against homosexuality) while ignoring others that are inconvenient or absurd in a modern context (like not wearing mixed fabrics or eating shellfish).
In this scene, President Josiah Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen) confronts a conservative talk radio host named Dr. Jenna Jacobs (a character modeled after Dr. Laura Schlessinger) at a White House reception.
After Dr. Jacobs asserts that homosexuality is an “abomination” because the Bible says so (citing Leviticus 18:22), Bartlet uses a series of other Old Testament laws to point out the inconsistency of selective literalism.
While same-sex behavior was certainly visible in the ancient world, the modern understanding of sexual orientation was not. Regarding the Gospels, you are correct: Jesus is never recorded speaking about the topic. Most New Testament references to the subject come from Paul's letters, not from Jesus's words.
The Big Picture
Jesus never spoke about same-sex behavior. The New Testament mentions it only in Paul's letters. To understand what Paul meant, we have to look at the original Greek words and the culture of the first century, rather than modern English translations.
General Historical & Biblical Facts
Silence of Jesus: There is no recorded instance of Jesus speaking about same-sex behavior in the Gospels.
Pauline Focus: All New Testament references to this topic are found in the letters of Paul, not the teachings of Christ.
No Modern Concept of Orientation: The 1st-century world understood sexual acts, but had no concept of “sexual orientation” (a modern psychological understanding of innate attraction).
The “Vice List” Format: Paul utilized a common ancient literary device called a “vice list” to contrast a “lawless” life with a life in Christ.
Linguistic Facts (The Greek Terms)
Arsenokoitai (1 Cor 6:9; 1 Tim 1:10):
A compound word literally meaning “male-bedders.”
Extremely rare in ancient literature; likely coined by Paul or borrowed from Jewish slang.
Linked linguistically to the Greek translation of Leviticus (the Septuagint).
Malakoi (1 Cor 6:9):
Literally means “soft.”
Used broadly in antiquity for men who were lazy, cowardly, or lacked self-discipline.
Only modern translations equate this exclusively with sexual orientation.
“Against Nature” (Physis):
In Romans 1, Paul uses the Stoic term physis, which often referred to established social order and hierarchy rather than biological mechanics.
Cultural & Contextual Facts
Predominant Models: Same-sex activity in Paul’s Roman context almost exclusively involved power imbalances: master/slave, pederasty (man/boy), or prostitution.
Absence of Marriage Model: There was no cultural model for committed, equal-status, same-sex covenantal marriage in the 1st-century Mediterranean world.
[Moral Associations: Paul grouped these terms with “economic vices” like greed, swindling, and theft, leading some scholars to believe he was targeting exploitative behavior.
Interpretive Facts
The Universal View: Holds that Paul intended a blanket prohibition of same-sex acts for all people and all times, rooted in Old Testament law.
The Contextual View: Holds that Paul was condemning specific, abusive Roman practices (excessive lust and exploitation) rather than loving, mutual relationships.
Spirit vs. Letter: A “Relationship over Dogma” approach prioritizes the “Spirit of the Law” (loving God and neighbor) as the primary lens for interpreting difficult ancient texts.
The Bible can be seen as a guide rather than a rigid academic exercise. In this view, the “Spirit” of the law—loving God and neighbor—takes precedence over specific ancient Greek words that have been interpreted in many different ways over 2,000 years.
