It was the week before finals during my senior season at Chattahoochee High School. During the next six days I would devote hours with my textbooks with notes sprawled all over the floor and walls of my room. Of course, I wasn’t doing this merely for the fact of getting perfect grades. My application to the Georgia State Archeology program had already been confirmed. Although my acceptance was contingent on passing high school, I was going to pass regardless of my scores on the 9 weeks exam.

The reason why I wanted to get a solid grade was because my parents expressed it was the only way I was going on the church trip to Jerusalem. It was their way of saying, “we know you’ve already been accepted into a university but we will not have our daughter ruining her high school GPA simply because she would pass her classes regardless of the grades she makes on the 9-week exams.”

As I was arranging books from my locker into my backpack, my best friend Jason and his friend Zach approached me.

“Hey Naomi, are we still studying this weekend at your parents’ place? I literally need help with my Algebra 2… factoring and quadratic equations are killing me!” He always referred to my house as “my parents’ house” because of how often we talked about moving into an apartment next to Georgia University together after graduation (he did not want to get the places confused). In my opinion, this could have been interpreted in a way alluding to the fact that he liked me, but he claimed this wasn’t the truth. Maybe he was just too embarrassed to be honest, anyway… I was still flattered by the idea.

“Hi Jason, thank you for reminding me that you were coming over. I mentioned to my Mom and Dad that you were coming over so they’re already expecting you for dinner. And of course, I haven’t forgotten your promise to bring Adderall. Were you ever able to find any?” I said as I looked in the mirror of my locker and gave my hair a few brushes.

“Are you kidding me? You’re not the only one who wants to go to Jerusalem!” Jason and Zach exchanged a high five.

I gave Jason an expression that told him that I was concerned.

“I think she wants them now” replied Zach with a grin on his face. “It’s not like there is a big shortage of Addys Jason, especially not for what she’s paying.”

Jason began to take a pill bottle out of his bag but I interrupted him and told him to take my purse into the bathroom, put the bottle in the bag and give it to me like I had forgotten it before we left the school parking lot.

Our plan worked out perfectly and by the time I was home, my attention was already focused on my school work. Jason finally arrived around 5PM just as the frozen foods I had prepared were coming out of the oven (my parents had trusted me enough to take themselves out for dinner without me).

The two tests that were going to give me the most trouble were anatomy and philosophy. The anatomy because of the number of memorizations and the philosophy because the professor wanted a well thought out argument about all sides of the issue regarding the standardization of public education in high schools.

Socializing with Jason also contributed to my understanding of the issues I was thinking about regarding philosophy, and it also helped me with anatomy… in ways that I can’t describe. Let’s just say that many times while studying the chapter on muscles of the body, I wanted to ask Jason to take off his clothes. Yet, because I was not a virgin and had slept with someone who had Human Papilloma…. I felt awkward with the idea of getting naked around Jason. But we did debate the topic of public education being controlled by the government. As I helped him with his math, I enjoyed being close to him. His scent and every detail of his perfect face mesmerized me. I wondered why he didn’t want to be anything besides best friends, but knew that pressuring him into doing something he didn’t want to do was unfair. Plus, I had humiliating anal and genital HPV that I had not had the courage to tell my parents or doctor about.

After nights of studying, we were finally prepared for the exams. Yet, because of COVID-19 all our tests had been rescheduled to be taken online while being proctored by the instructor. I prayed before taking the exams and asked Jesus to help me remember everything I had learned. At the end of the day, we had both began the process of packing our bags, we were going to Jerusalem.

II

My blond hair came down to my shoulders and had a fresh coat of hairspray in it. My light blue eye shadow was complimented by my pink shirt. I had chosen to wear a belt that glistened when light reflected off it. At the last minute, Zach had convinced his parents to allow him to go on the trip with us. So, by 2PM in late December, all three of us along with the rest of the church group were boarding the plane to Israel.

Our first destination was to Golgotha, which is also known as Calvary. It was fantastic for me to think that after a 15-hour plane ride across the Atlantic, we would shortly after be bused over to the place Jesus had been crucified. On the plane I had a discussion with Holly, the girl I would be rooming with, about how God had called us to make this trip and how we would share our life-changing experiences with people we ministered to back home. How little did we know how drastically our lives would be changed.

III

Once we were at the hotel in Jerusalem, we took showers, ate a late lunch and very excitedly rushed onto the bus that would take us to Golgotha. It was on that bus ride that I felt God urging me to express my feelings to Jason. I made the decision to tell Jason I loved him while we were standing at the site of Calvary. The thought also occurred to me that I would have to tell him about my HPV, which was causing me to have and strongly resist the urge to scratch my genital area right at that moment.

Filled with butterflies, I got off the bus and found Jason and Zach. It had taken me some time to find them because of the massive crowd, but just as I was reaching for Jason’s shoulder, I saw him take Zach’s hands and kiss him passionately. I covered my mouth in terror as tears began to stream down my face. Jason and Zach both turned their attention to me while I screamed and turned to run away broken hearted.

​IV

As I was turning to run away looking like an absolute idiot and having no idea how I was going to explain myself, I tripped over something and fell onto the hard ground. Jason and Zach immediately came to my aid.

“What’s wrong, Naomi? Are you okay?” asked Zach and Jason, who were both alarmed.

“Nothing, its just that, I thought I saw the Devil!” I lied to cover up my embarrassment. “What did I trip over?” inquired myself.

As Jason was helping me up to my feet, I noticed that my genital areas no longer itched. “I must have fallen pretty hard…” I thought that I might have had a concussion.

“It looks like you tripped over a piece of antique metal. I have no idea why it would be out in the open like this, it probably came off one of those old wagons they take out here sometimes” offered Jason.

“We better take it with us because it looks like you scratched your knee on it. Showing it to the doctors might help,” suggested Zach.

After I was reluctantly brought to a doctor, I was told that I would be totally fine. Before the doctor discharged me, she brought out the object I tripped over. She said I should keep it as a memento of my trip to Golgotha.

She said she would have to do something about objects like this being left out where someone could trip over them. Adding that it was a good thing that nobody had been hurt worse. I replied that this wasn’t the only weird thing that had happened that day. I nervously confided to her that by some miracle, my anal and genital warts I had contracted from having premarital sex (as a punishment from God) had disappeared. Not seeming a bit surprised, the doctor replied that “God’s presence is alive at Calvary. Apparently, your devotion to our Lord has pleased him and He has blessed you because of this.” After that she asked if she had my permission to pray with me so that we could offer praise and thanks to God for healing me. I did not refuse.

V

The remainder of the trip went by oddly quick and involved me having to come to terms with Jason being gay. I confided my secret to my roommate Holly, and it turns out that she was profoundly helpful. She reminded me that the Lord works in mysterious ways. In the end, I was able to continue my friendship with Jason. Before leaving Jerusalem, I had processed enough of my emotions to congratulate him for expressing his true feelings to Zach. I was honestly happy that Zach felt the same way about him.

Once we got back to the states, several weeks went by without anything especially interesting happening. Until one day Dad picked up the rusted piece of metal that had been being displayed on a shelf in my room.

Being an alumnus of Georgia State anthropology department himself, he remarked that it looked like a nail that the Romans used to crucify criminals that he had studied about. What happened next was astounding. The first thing you should know is that my dad had been in a car wreck shortly after I was born and had been paralyzed from the waist down. My dad hadn’t walked in over 15 years and there was no hope that he would ever walk again.

“This might be something you could share with our Sunday school class. What do you think about that?” he asked as he was taking it out of the plastic bag the doctor had put it in before I was discharged.

“Sure dad, I had no idea that it was a nail! I thought it was something that had come off an automobile or bicycle.”

Then as my dad was holding the nail, he stopped and said something I had never heard him say. “Naomi, you’re not going to believe this, but I think I have to pee!”

Being that he had been forced to wear diapers for the past 15 years, this wasn’t something I was ever expecting to hear come out of his mouth. “In fact, I have to pee right now!” He said as he wheeled himself to the bathroom. As he lifted himself off the wheelchair, I became terrified because he started screaming.

“I can stand up! I can walk!” proclaimed my father.

VI

This had not been a coincidence, obviously my trip to Jerusalem and falling down at Calvary had been fate. When my mother came home and saw my father, we all gave thanks to Jesus and shared a cathartic cry. I also put on my big girl pants and told them about how Jesus had healed my Human Papilloma while I was at Golgotha. Puzzled and somewhat distressed that their daughter wasn’t the virgin they thought she was, my dad was reminded of the old nail I had brought back from Jerusalem.

He walked to my room and picked up the nail he had dropped before he had the urge to urinate.

“This must have been one of the nails they crucified Jesus with. In fact, if his blood is still on this, I would say that is why I can walk and our daughter’s HPV has been cured! We all looked at each other dumbfounded for several minutes. After our initial shock had passed, we held each other’s hands and prayed to praise and thank god for his blessings. Before we let our hands go, we began dancing and rejoicing over the fact that the church would finally have proof that God had one day walked the Earth!

Before we had time to let each other go, we heard banging at the front door. Looking out the window, we observed dozens of reporters outside. Turning on the TV we saw our house. Apparently, whoever Dad had told about his miracle had spread across the nation. Still very delighted and being filled with spirituality, my dad went outside to confront the reporters and the curious people about what Jesus had done for him.

VII

The news had become a world-wide phenomenon. Soon, we had been taken into protective custody and the memento I had gotten on my trip to Israel had been “temporarily” confiscated. Scientists had discovered fragments of body tissue and blood on the nails and were running a DNA analysis on it. Once the DNA had been mapped, the United States Government was hacked online and copies of the DNA had spread all over the world.

It was being called, “the miracle genes” and scientists from all over the world were being given enormous sums of money to try to clone the DNA so that more blood of Jesus could be produced. This was having a bigger impact in the world than COVID-19 had over the course of 8 months. People were talking about using the clone’s sperm for artificial insemination purposes. While all over the world scientists had discovered relatives of people of this two-thousand-year old DNA.

“Is it possible?” was the phrase being used in memes and reporters from all over the world.

So, what do you think, is it possible?

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to our blog series on clobber passages. To reiterate, "clobber passages" are texts in the Bible notoriously used against the LGBT+ community. We have covered Genesis 19:1-9, Leviticus 18:22, Deuteronomy 23:17-18, Romans 1:26-27, and 1 Corinthians 6. In this post we will be discussing 1 Timothy 1:9-10.

"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine."

We have discussed in this series about the word "arsenokoitai" which the King James Version (KJV), stated above, has translated to "for them that defile themselves with mankind" and other Bibles take it a step further and outright translate the statement to "homosexual". As we discussed in the blog post about 1 Corinthians, Paul made "arsenokoitai" up! It never existed in written or spoken literature until around 55 CE. Modern translations are not accurately depicting Paul's intentions for this word as many theologians surmise. It is proposed that "arsenokoitai" could mean many different things such as those who masturbate, those who use sex as power, prostitution, and/or pedophilia. 

Post Barthian gives the best summary of 1 Timothy 1:10 which says, " Timothy 1:10 contains a vice list that is very similar to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 that begins with the phrase 'pornois arsenokoitais andrapodistais' that is translated as 'fornicators, sodomites, slave traders' (NRSV) and in other significantly different ways in other Bible translations...the rare term arsenokoitais most likely referred to a pederast, and this is confirmed by 1 Timothy 1:10 by its place between pornois, and andrapodistais, because lexicons define pornois as male prostitutes and most Bible translations define andrapodistais as slave traders. If 1 Corinthians 6:9 prohibits both catamite and pederast activity, then 1 Timothy 1:10 expands this prohibition to condemn the entire sex slave trade industry, by condemning those who enslave catamites to sell them to pederasts too.  Potentially this verse may be generalized to condemn sex trafficking today, but any general condemnation of all homosexual activity (especially consensual, monogamous same-sex relationships) are not discussed in this vice list. The author of 1 Timothy is repeating to the Gentile Christians in Ephesus in more specific terms, which was already written to Corinth (perhaps because the sale of catamites to pederasts was more prevalent in Ephesus than Corinth.)."

In conclusion, 1 Timothy 1:9-10 is not valid to use against those in the LGBTQ+ community. With proper context, we can see that this text is more likely attacking the sex slave industry rather than sexual orientation or identity. 

In our next post in this series we will discuss our final clobber verse, Jude 1:7. If you have any other verses you'd like us to contextualize please leave a comment and/or send us an email at queerchristianfamilyvalues@gmail.com.

Until next time,
Alexander M. Burchnell

Edited by Christopher J. Burchnell

Dear Reader,

This is a continuation of our Clobber Passages blog series. If you haven't read the other posts you should do so now. Today we will be discussing 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. 

"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Without context and understanding of language, one could assume this passage is a condemnation of those who have sexual relations with the same gender. However, using basic research we can find out the true meaning for ourselves. First, let's get some context.

We must remember that this letter was written by Paul to a Christian community in Corinth, which was located off the Grecian coast, a Roman resort in prior generations. This area was a melting pot of ethnic groups, ideologies, and practices which led to quite a bit of fighting and tension. The inhabitants were also known for their parties of food and drink as well as sexual proclivities. You can imagine the culture shock that Paul went through by being exposed to this new society that was a stark contrast to his strict Jewish background. He wrote this letter as a way to address his community and his concerns, specifically the toleration of sexual immorality as he sees it or porneia. In 5:1, Paul discusses an incident where a man is in a sexual relationship with his father's wife. It makes sense that Paul would have issues due to his relationship/understanding of the Law of Moses.

WhoSoEver.Org explained Paul's grievance quite well, "Going back to the time of David succeeding Saul, it was especially insulting for a man to use the wife of his father, but in the patriarchal society of the time, vestiges of which linger to this day, the insult was not to the woman but to the husband. Honor being a male concept, it was in fact impossible to dishonor a woman, who had no status outside her relationship to a man. There are indications that some of this traditional understanding was changing by the time of Paul: under Roman law, women could own property in their own names and were able to divorce their husbands. This may, in part, account for some of the prominence of women in the early church...Paul’s task in much of his correspondence is to negotiate his way among the sometimes conflicting moralities of the various cultures he desired to reach. Issues of diverse practice were 'hot button' items in the newly forming Christian groups, and questions of daily living such as who to eat with and how to order the communal life were hotly debated from Jerusalem to Antioch to Rome. Indeed, such controversies have left their marks throughout the Gospels and the book of Acts."

For a long time now the Epistles of Paul have been seen as attacks on the LGBTQ+ community  and supporting oppression to women; however, with better understanding we can find a better take. If we go back to the Greek translation, the term malakoi is used in verse 6:9 as those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. StopBibleAbuse.org explains the meaning quite well.

"In 1 Corinthians, before the word arsenokoites, is the word malakoi. Unlike arsenokoites, malakos is a very common word, with lots of uses. Generally speaking it means ‘soft,’ ‘flexible,’ or ‘delicate,’ as in fine (expensive) fabric, gourmet delicacies, gentle breezes. Matthew (11:18) and Luke (7:25) use it. It also refers to morals, where ‘flexible’ is not so good a thing, including dissolute, cowardly, lazy, weak, unstable, easily influenced – all qualities that were seen as feminine. In the culture of the time, women were culturally seen to be pretty, delicate … and worthless, far below the level of men, barely above the level of children and slaves. Paul was speaking to a culture and world phenomenally different from ours. That culture, with apologies to modern sensibilities, made an absolute virtue of misogyny; male domination of women was a part of the natural order. Except as child bearers, women were chattel, not even remotely on the same level as men. And to share any womanly characteristics was utterly unmanly. In this context, womanizers, who were interested in things that were worthless by definition, were considered effeminate. By contrast, male-male sex – associated with athletics and learning – was far more manly than what resulted from the love of a woman. And male-male sex between a master and his slave was not a matter of being homosexual at all; it was a matter of domination, of power. Greeks (and the Romans who absorbed their culture) took it for granted that everyone both could and might want to take part in either kind of sexual activity. The Greek idea of effeminate had very little in common with the modern notion – it reflected pervasive cultural misogyny. When paired with arsenokoitai, malakos seems to refer to a person that is a victim of sex with men – a slave, a prostitute, a catamite, a victim of rape – someone perhaps drawn into temple sexual rituals, and not necessarily male. With this word Paul is referring to the victim of sexual (and financial?) coercion, whether pederasty, pedophilia, rape, or forced prostitution. And if malakos indicated an underage male prostitute, the following arsenokoites would mean the one who forced himself on the youth. This would apply to heterosexual gay-for-pay prostitutes as well, as it would in any case where a male was subjected to forced sexual activity."

In conclusion, this passage is not referring to same gender relationships. It is referring to those who are too flexible in their moral stances. Early translations use "weakness of character or degeneracy", yet the King James Version (KJV), which was the dominant translation, shifted the meaning to effeminate where it stayed until the mid-20th century. Afterwards, it shifted again to mean sexual practices, specifically same-sex. What ever happened to not changing the meaning of the Bible?

We would love to read your feedback on this post. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Written by Alexander M. Burchnell
Edited by Christopher J. Burchnell

J’ander led them through the trees, and as they came to two large trees that stretched higher than Aira could see even when craning her neck, the path officially changed from a stone riddled forest path to a completely paved one. A few paces further, soft light emanated from glass orbs that hung in the upper branches of the overhanging trees and bathed the path in a warm yellow glow. Further on, wood and brick houses began to line the path, getting higher and higher as their small party walked. Some had wooden signs with store or tavern names swinging on iron-wrought hangers on ground level and flower boxes in the upper windows. Those must have homes on the second stories, Aira figured. Apartments that shopkeepers lived in or rented out, she supposed. The road soon split into a large circle with grass lining its center along with a large tree, it’s trunk so wide that Aira would not be able to reach around it. 

It was all Aira could do not to stare. She had never seen such a gigantic tree. Her city was all stone and brick and metal. That was supposed be a testament to all the technological advances Nefti* had made. But ultimately, the enormity of the tree dwarfed anything that the Architects had built. 

“Pretty cool, huh?” Tal whispered to her as he saw her staring.

She nodded and smiled up at Tal, “I never knew trees got that big.”

“It’s an old tree. Probably older than the oldest building made in this town. It houses many animal families. It is quite impressive.”

J’ander looked back and scowled, “It’s just a tree. Now come on, we are almost there.”
​
He waved to them and pointed to a large wooden building. Its roof came to a point directly above the large double doors, and the walls were painting with various depictions of vines and flowers. Aira had to force her mouth to close because, though she came from a big city, she had never seen such an integration between nature and construction. She glanced over at Tal, but his face had taken a serious light. There was business to be done behind those doors.

J’ander held open the door to a long hallway. A crimson rug ran the length leading the way to a second set of doors. There, two werewolves stood at attention. Both wore tight leggings and loose tunics that were fastened with wide woven belts. Both held tall spears that topped them by nearly a foot of steel even though they rested on the floor. Aira stared as she realized that they both appeared to be women. She glanced at J’ander again and noticed his long flowing robes tied with a fine fabric belt, no weapons to be seen and recalled that he had called her a warrior simply because she was not in long robes.

“May I present Tal and Aira from Lartnek to see the council?” J’ander announced to the guards.

The warriors looked Tal and Aira up and down before nodding and opening the double doors to let the party into an octagonal room, a large oval table in its center. At its head sat a short haired woman, her yellow eyes narrowed as she watched Tal and Aira enter.

“I sent for you days ago. I was under the impression that Lartnek sent its ambassador via dragon wing. You should have arrived no later than two days ago. Your tardiness is costly.”

“My apologies, Alpha.” Tal bowed and motioned Aira to do the same.

She shot him a disgruntled glare but did as bid. She could catch on. He didn’t need to spell everything out. She wasn’t that backwards.

The Alpha pursed her lips and then nodded, gesturing to two empty chairs at the table. She then turned her attention to the other members of the council.

“As we all know, we have recently had a problem with our water and food supplies. It has been noted that many of the stores we have underground for our reserve water have been spoiled by dust and a chemical that is found in the deep caves nearby. Food storage in similar; underground storage containers have also been found to either be missing completely or similarly damaged. It is my opinion that there is a misunderstanding with our neighbors, or we have a problem with our storage sealant. It might be time to revisit how we store the resources most vital to our survival, especially given the technology created by the Schools in Naidow and Lartnek.”

“We’ve been storing food and water underground for over five centuries. Why should we stop now?” A robed werewolf interrupted the Alpha, his eyes green matched the shimmery thread that embroidered his fine robes.

“Trec has a point,” another robed werewolf said. They laid a hand down on the wooden table forcibly, “We shouldn’t be forced to change our traditions because Naidow says it is the best way!”

“I do not mean that we change our traditions to suit another kingdom’s, merely that we should look to new technology as a way to benefit our people if we have need of it.”

“Our neighbors, as you so glibly call those Nai-blinded dwarves, have been looking exceedingly fat and well-fed lately. Perhaps they want our land and are trying to starve us out of it!” Trec barked angrily.

“I wish them well if they are prospering, but if they are doing so from our stores, there shall be words, Alpha,” said the robed werewolf who had slapped the table earlier.
​
The Alpha sighed and rubbed her temples with her forefingers then rose. She was not in robes. Instead, she wore clothes that were similar to the guards: tight fitting leggings and a loose tunic belted at the waist with a thick woven belt. A long dagger hung at her waist.

Dear Reader,

Next in our Clobber Passage series we have Romans 1:26-27. If you haven't already, check out our previous blog posts on Genesis, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy by clicking here!

"For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.” (NRSV)

Who is "them" in the verse shown above? Is he talking to Jews or Gentiles? Patheos gives some insight via an article written by a Don M Burrows. In this article they reference an understanding that this "clobber passage" is referring to Gentiles of which the Jews thought to be untouchables. 

"...They’re rotten, horrible individuals. Did you hear the sorts of things they do? In fact, as pointed out by scholar Calvin Porter, 'they' recurs in this section with striking concentration, with repetition of the third-person pronoun αὐτός thirteen times, the reflexive (“themselves”) once, and third-person plural verbs over and over: 'No other section of Romans contains such a concentration,' he observes."

The article continues, "...What’s even more striking, notes Porter, is what comes next: an abrupt change to the second person in Romans 2:1: 'Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.'
Here, then, is the vocative in the Greek, 'Oh man,' a grammatical case used for direct address: ὦ ἄνθρωπε. And this takes us to the question I have posed to those who repeat 1:26-27 in condemnation. Who’s the ἄνθρωπος that Paul’s addressing here?"

Many scholars have spent their lives studying WHO Paul is speaking to and the mass majority hold that he is referring to Gentiles. But what were they doing and why? What on earth was the reasoning for the sexual descriptions in the passage? Let's find out! Evangelical Concerned Inc. gives a much better understanding of Romans 1:26-27 in regards to contest:

"Paul is ridiculing pagan religious rebellion, saying that the pagans knew God but worshiped idols instead of God. To build his case — which he’ll turn against judgmental Jews in chapter 2 — he refers to typical practices of the fertility cults involving sex among priestesses and between men and eunuch prostitutes such as served Aphrodite at Corinth, from where he was writing this letter to the Romans. Their self-castration rites resulted in a bodily 'penalty'...these religious prostitutes would engage in same-sex orgies in the pagan temples all along the coasts of Paul’s missionary journeys."

Based on the above, I'd say another way the verse could be written might be one given by the QJV Bible:
"Their women did change their natural use into that which is against nature; and likewise also the men, left of the natural use of the woman, burned in ritual lust, one toward another; Men with men working that which is pagan and unseemly. For this cause God gave the idolaters up to vile affections, receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet."

In conclusion, Romans 1: 26-27 is in reference to pagan Gentiles who are practicing idolatry by participating in temple orgies. Why use this to attack loving, Christian, same-gendered relationships?

What are your thoughts on all this? Let us know in the comments below!

​Written by Alexander M. Burchnell

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Previous post in series: Click here!

Dear Reader,


This blog post is part three in our on going series where we explore verses that have been used against the LGBTQ+ community. Also known as, The Clobber Passages!


In this piece we will be discussing Deuteronomy 23:17-18 which says in KJV, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God."


When I first saw these verses listed as clobber Passages I thought I wrote them down as a mistake. I don't see how anyone could take this as being anti-LGBTQ+. But many are stuck on the word "sodomite" but I think a better explanation is to be had. Evangelicals Concerned Inc. I believe says it best, "These terms, KEDESHA and KADESH, literally mean 'holy' or 'sacred'. There is no Hebrew derivative of the word 'Sodom' in this passage; the King James Bible supplied it erroneously. The Hebrew words here are references to the 'holy' female and eunuch priest-prostitutes of the Canaanite fertility cults, of which Israel was to have no part. Moreover, Louisville Presbyterian Seminary Bible scholar George R. Edwards notes that ‘No prophet uses the noun for male cult prostitute or discusses the activity such a person pursued. The prophets, in fact, are as silent on the subject of homosexual acts as is the whole tradition of the New Testament teaching of Jesus. This is,' he says, 'a significant silence.'"


Evangelicals Concerned Inc also give an alternative translation for verse 17, “There shall be no female cult prostitute of the daughters of Israel nor a male cult prostitute of the sons of Israel.”


This Clobber Passage may have been the easiest one to research and discredit out of all the ones we've looked at this far. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Written by Alexander M. Burchnell,
President of QCFV
​

Sources

Evangelicals Concerned Inc. https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/deuteronomy-2317-18/

Dear Reader,


This blog is a continuation of our series on the Clobber Passages. If you haven't read the post on Genesis yet I'd recommend you do so to catch up on some of the terminology/context used. Click here to read now!

Leviticus 18:22

The King James Version of Leviticus 18:22 reads, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." This verse is one of the primary texts used to condemn the LGBTQ+ community but specifically same-gender relationships. As we stated in our last blog post, the term "homosexual or homosexuality" wasn't used in the bible until the 1900's. The main issue that the ancient Hebrews had to contend with were those who practiced pederasty which was intercourse between an older man and a boy (prepubescent). As we move forward in our research we must remember that no matter how we read the scriptures it is NOT in the original Hebrew language, it is simply translated from them which causes the texts/meanings to fluctuate and vary.


K Renato Ling is a scholar whose research is documented in The Expositor's Bible Commentary and indicated that Leviticus 18:22 is more complicated than the English versions make it seem. Ling surmises that the text should be translated based on Hebrew linguistics, of which he believes to be "male on male incest." Blog.smu.edu states, "First, Lings notes that the word used for 'man' is not the typical noun used for 'man.' Instead, a word which translates to male occurs here. This noun for 'male' includes both young and adult males. Therefore, Lings translates the text of Lev. 18:22 as 'And with a male you shall not lie.'" The article goes on to say, "Furthermore, Lings considers the context in which Lev. 18:22 is written. He explains that the passage 'deals with various illicit relationships in the sexual realm: one marrying two sisters (18:18), intercourse with a menstruating woman (18:19), infidelity (18:20), and bestiality (18:23).' Most of Leviticus 18 deals directly with incest. Notably, the list of laws from Leviticus 18 is reordered in Leviticus 20.  In Leviticus 18 the order of the topics is ambiguous, but in chapter 20 the so-called homosexual law appears within a list referring to incest. Lings’ linguistic study leads him to conclude that Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 continue the theme of incestuous relationships. Thus, the passage should be paraphrased: 'Sexual intercourse with a close male relative should be just as abominable to you as incestuous relationships with female relatives.' Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 forbids male incestuous relations."


I'll be honest, this was the first time I read this verse to mean incest. I had to dive deeper into this. Evangelicals Concerned Inc. states that "abomination" or "to'ebah" in Hebrew is, "a technical cultist term for what is ritually unclean, such as mixed cloth, pork, and intercourse with menstruating women. It’s not about a moral or ethical issues. This Holiness Code (chapters 17-26) proscribes men 'lying the lyings of women.' Such mixing of sex roles was thought to be polluting. But both Jesus and Paul rejected all such ritual distinctions (cf. Mark 7:17-23; Romans 14:14,20). The Fundamentalist Journal admits that this Code condemns 'idolatrous practices' and 'ceremonial uncleanness' and concludes: 'We are not bound by these commands today.'"


Bible Thumping Liberal follows the above by pointing to Galatians 3:10 and 3:13 which state that we are no longer under the law but if we choose to follow it (the Torah or first five books of the Bible) then we are under a curse, Deuteronomy 27:26. I've heard non-affirming pastors say that there is a difference between ceremonial law and moral law but Bible Thumping Liberal has a counter to that argument as well, "Paul never makes a distinction between a so-called ceremonial law and a so-called moral law. The Bible makes no such distinction. The Law is the Law, according to James the brother of Jesus. 'For whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.' (James 2:10)"


What are your thoughts on this verse? Have you ever had it used against you? How did you respond? Have you encountered a different interpretation of this passage? Let us know all about it in the blog comments below!

Written by Alexander M. Burchnell, QCFV President

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Sources

Blog.smu.edu https://blog.smu.edu/ot8317/2016/05/11/leviticus-1822/


Evangelical Concerned Inc. https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/leviticus-1822-2013/


Bible Thumping Liberal https://biblethumpingliberal.com/2011/05/19/you-can%E2%80%99t-quote-leviticus-to-prove-god-hates-homosexuality/




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Dear Reader,


For those who are still searching for answers on the debate of whether or not homosexuality is sinful, I would like to direct you to some findings that can help guide you. I had many of the same questions when I set out on my personal faith journey. If it isn't a sin then why is the term "homosexual" used over and over in the Bible? Why was it a sin in the first place? The holy book speaks about love being a priority, yet it would call the love for my husband an abomination? How can this be?


Let's first address the terms that are used against the lgbtq+ community. The most commonly used is Homosexual, yet the word is from the Greek "homo" meaning "the same", and the Latin "sexualis", meaning "sex". This invented term wasn't added to the Bible until around 100 years ago, first used in the 1946 RSV Bible. There is not a Greek or Hebrew Biblical word that is equivalent. Another term is Sodomite or sodomy of which  has been misused tremendously. Sodomite actually refers to the inhabitants of Sodom.


Next, I would like to take a closer look at the "Clobber Passages", which are texts in the Bible notoriously used against our community. They are Genesis 19:1-9, Leviticus 18:22, Deuteronomy 23:17-18, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Timothy 1:9-10, and Jude 1:7. We will discuss each of these in turn, which will develop into a multipart blog series as we move forward. Stick with us as we dive deep into a battle going back centuries.


Genesis 1-2

If we go by order of the Bible in regards to Clobber Passages, we first come across Genesis 19:1-9 which tells the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. 


"Genesis chapter 19 is about the wicked city of Sodom. There was a lot going on in there and not just what people talk about on TV. It began with the two men with God from the previous chapter. However, now the men properly are called angels. They go to Sodom and are asked to come into the home of Abraham’s nephew, Lot. The wicked men of the city saw the angels that they thought were men earlier. At night they came to Lot’s residence demanding they 'know' the men. Lot offers his daughters, 'Get to know them.' But the wicked men of the city turn his offer down vehemently. The angels, seeing enough, blind the wicked men of Sodom, and prepare Lot to leave the coast. They confirm they will destroy the city with fire. Lot, his wife and two daughters are commanded to leave at once." (Source 1)


In order to fully grasp this story we must first understand its context. God had every intention of the destruction of Sodom long before he sent his angels to the city. Why did the Lord wish wipe this town off the map? Many who are anti-lgbtq+ want to shout that homosexuality is the root cause of the city's downfall, but when you read this passage, the only thing that screams out to me is rape; THAT is what the gang of men are trying to do to the angels of God. But what about Lot offering up his daughters you might ask? Well, Lot gave an answer for this, "Don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." This is crazy from our societal understanding. How could a loving father sacrifice his daughters to a mob? No matter how we try to understand this there isn't a good answer. This was a horrible incident that cannot be explained away. It does, however, show the societal views. In Lot's time period, hospitality was more sacred that just about anything else, even his own child. And with that belief, he was willing to sacrifice for his guest's well-being.


In conclusion, the "synn of Sodom" as the Wycliffe Bible coined, Genesis 19:1-9 is in no way about same-sex relations but everything to do with the horrors of rape and in-hospitality. Ezekiel actually explained what this sins of Sodom, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good." Ezekiel 16:49-50. Nowhere did he say it was because of the GAYS! No, he spelled it out! And so, we can let this clobber passage rest and move onto the next.


To Be Continued…