The Bible and Homosexuality: 1 Corinthians 6:9 & 1 Timothy 1:9-10

This is the final post in the ‘Homosexuality and The Bible’ series that deals with passages often directly quoted by various Christian conservatives to be used as ammunition against homosexuality. Such denominations and movements, especially Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, take biblical scripture at face-value believing it to be inerrant. However such interpretations are often erroneous and liable to errors in translation, and ignore the influence of historical context and author bias.

The passages of 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10 in particular are the subject of debate because the words used to condemn homosexuality are wholly based on modern interpretation and could well be misinterpreted. Whilst not as influential as Romans 1: 26-27 and Leviticus 18:22 and 20:18, they are no less significant. Indeed, similarly to Romans, these letters are claimed to have been written by the apostle Paul; a highly influential figure in Christendom renowned for his pre-conversion background of a zealous, antichristian Jew. Due to the similar themes addressed within the two passages both will be discussed together. All quotes below are from the English Standard Version (ESV).

The Bible and Homosexuality: Romans 1: 26-27

This epistle to the Church of Rome is probably the most influential passage in the entire Bible in regards to the Christian view of homosexuality, being the most oft quoted piece of scripture in the condemnation of homosexuals, even before Leviticus 18:22 and 20:18. Its power lays most prominently in the fact that it exists in the New Testament; the second section of the Bible which contains Christian teachings. Similarly influential for the passage’s prominence is its authorship; it was written by Paul upon whose words a large amount of modern church doctrine is based upon. Paul wrote other epistles referencing homosexuality, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10, however this passage is by far the most explicit in its condemnation.

Its literal interpretation is probably responsible for a large proportion of the negative opinion of homosexuality that pervades a considerable section of Christianity, especially evangelical and fundamentalist sects, and is seen by many as one of the most important references in the bible-gay debate. All quotes below are from the English Standard Version.

France's Burqa Ban: Fighting Oppression With Oppression?

On Monday France’s lower parliament approved a bill banning the wearing of clothing that intends to hide the face in public areas. The ban itself appears to target the conservative dress worn by Muslim women; specifically Burqas, large garments that cover the entire body save for a mesh over the eyes, and Naqibs, all-covering garments which have a rectangular slit over the eyes.  President Nicolas Sarkozy justified the move by stating that it would help fight the subjugation of Muslim women who are forced to cover themselves up, however in the process the ban itself appears to remove the human right of religious expression and defies French ideals of tolerance and liberalism.

The Bible and Homosexuality: The Books of Kings

In the context of discussion about the depiction of homosexuality in scripture Kings takes somewhat of a backseat, with debate more often focused on Old Testament passages from the books of Genesis and Leviticus, or on Romans from the New Testament. Despite being marginalised to some extent, Kings is used to support arguments that, at the very least, uphold homosexual acts as perverse.

Such arguments are often based on the literal interpretation of the Bible, a view which advocates the idea that the whole of scripture is true and without error. I grew up with such an opinion being from an Evangelical background; however through in-depth research I discovered that such interpretations are too narrow, are often blinded to the wider historical context and significance of the text, and can lead to very dangerous and radical beliefs.

As the passages from the books of Kings supposedly concerning homosexuality are short and reference the same issues they are all contended in this one post. All quotes below are from the English Standard Version.

The Bible and Homosexuality: Genesis 19: 4-14

The place homosexuality has in Christianity has been a controversial topic for generations, a debate amplified by the many different Christian denominations and various interpretations of the Bible. I come from an evangelical background; a movement which believes in the literal interpretation of scripture and relates closely to, although not exactly the same as, fundamentalism. I believe this take on such an old and influential book is ignorant to the significant finer details; disregarding the importance of historical context, author’s bias etc. Such a literal focus on the words of ancient men undoubtedly has had, and will continue to have, a considerable impact on the unanimity of modern humanity.

These posts attempt to summarise my research into a 'bite-size' pieces and show how important it is to look beyond words written over a millennia ago. Previously I looked at one of the most popular passages used to illustrate Biblical damnation of homosexuality; this post will look at one of the most popular passages exemplified as why homosexuality is detested by God and thus should be considered a sin.

The passage dwells on the punishment of the ancient Canaanite cities of Sodom and Gomorrah from verses 1-19, however due to the size of the passage the quote below focuses on verses that suggest homosexuality is condemned by God. In the previous verses (1-3) God sent two angels to Sodom who met Lot at the city gates, Lot then pressed them to stay at his house. All quotes below are from the English Standard Version.

The Bible and Homosexuality: Leviticus 18:22 & 20:18

For the majority of my life I've believed that if you were gay you were condemned to hell. This toxic thought was nurtured in my mind by the evangelical church I attended in my small hometown. They weren't bad people but I believe their literal take and belief of an inerrant scripture lent them a restricted perspective on life. Due to the small size of my town I was never exposed to the bigger, multicultural world that lay outside and, being a churchgoer since I can remember, I let myself be spoon-fed these ideas. Sure, I read the Bible but I never properly studied it.

When I was older I started to properly read the bible by reading a wider range of interpretations, placing each passage in its historical context and weighing the author’s bias. It started as an honest attempt to be better follower but it ended up completely revolutionising my view of Christianity. What scares me the most is that it took so long to have this epiphany.

The Christian/Gay debate has been raging for years, and by no means have I finished developing my understanding. Here I attempt to address the issue passage by passage, summarising my understanding in a bitesize post. Of course these debates are not limited to Christianity, but the majority of my research has been focused on the Bible. All quotes below are from the English Standard Version.

This post will look at one of the passages most used against homosexuality: