The Old Testament and Homosexuality - Conclusions

1. There is no doubt that the Old Testament condemns homosexual rape as well as temple prostitution of any kind (heterosexual or homosexual).

2. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was later used in Israel, not as a lesson against homosexuality, but as a lesson of God's judgment that can and will be used against his own people for sins of their own time; which were mostly idolatry, economic injustice, and breaking God's covenant. Those sins affected the nation to the point of total Sodom and Gomrrah like destruction. This rule continued into the New Testament.

3. The word sodomite is not found in the original Hebrew, but rather was a KJV translation of an elusive practice (possibly a temple prostitute).

4. The only clear statemtent against homosexuality is found in Leviticus 18 and 20. Although these seem to be clear, there is still some debate as to whether or not Leviticus was speaking about temple prostitution. There is also a debate about how much we should allow a moral Law from the Old Testament to hold authority over us today.

MY THOUGHTS

When I teach I may have students from other countries. Some are convinced there is no hint of homosexuality in their homeland. I disagree with them telling them that it is there, but it is hidden, kept in the closet because of cultural rejection.

I believe that this was the same for Israel. There were eras when homosexuality was had gone to extremes (such as during the time of the judges when "everybody did what was right in their own sights"), but there were eras when it was unpopular and hidden, and therefore ignored by the prophets who focused on the blatent sins of their own day.

As I looked to how the New Testament dealt with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter and Jude), I came to the conclusion that those writers, like the prophets, focused on the types of sins that were practiced in the groups that were recruiting from the Christians. And even though some of those sins were sexual in nature, it is not certain they were homosexual.

As Christianity burst out of its Jewish roots, it faced a Roman style of homosexuality and responded (as we will see more in the New Testament studies).