The destruction of Sodom

The destruction of Sodom is the central theme of Genesis 19. In this horrific narrative, the men of the village seek to humiliate and disgrace unknown visitors in the village out of fear, anger, and rage. Fundamentally, they seek to gang rape the sojourners in a crime of sexual assault and exploitation that violates every aspect of scripture. Ultimately, God seeks to destroy the entire city of Sodom and its sister, the city of Gamora in an act of Divine judgment.

It is easy, and religiously popular, to focus on the atrocious sin of men raping other men which is an egregious sin against God and humanity. Truly the intent of those vicious barbarians in Sodom is worth of eternal condemnation. However, when the church focuses on the assumption of homosexuality as opposed to the overriding hatred and inhumanity of rape, the real message of Genesis 19 is not only missed, but perversely misinterpreted.

When interpreting the sin of Sodom, the first—and most authoritative—source to which a Christian must turn is the Bible. Ezekiel 16 is a prophetic indictment on the sins of God’s people with a vivid historical reflection on the sins of Israel’s past. Amid this harsh condemnation on against a sacred religious tradition that had turned its back against God in the pursuit of power, control, and greed, the prophet Ezekiel remembers the sins of Sodom. “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.”

Sodom was destroyed because of excessive pride, their unwillingness to aid those in need, and out of their arrogance, the exploitation of people out of presumed religious purity. The planned gang rape of what would later be understood as angelic messengers from God was never an expression of homosexuality, but rather a crass attempt to degrade and disgrace sojourners out of the vulgar manifestation of fear based in the perception of loss of control, status, or authority. This is important for Christians to understand. Without a doubt, the ongoing debate over the role of same gendered relationship and marriage is a very divisive and controversial one within Christian circles. The simple fact that the English word “sodomy” is rooted in the ancient misinterpretation of Sodom’s destruction serves only to complicate the conversation. Yet, to pronounce the destruction by God of this ancient city on the sole basis of same-gendered intimacy is a biblical fallacy.

The danger of associating Sodom’s destruction to the modern politics of gender and sexuality is that it blinds Christians to the reality of God’s judgement. When Christians pridefully boast of our power, our authority, and our preferred status in the eyes of God, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. When Christians refuse to welcome the stranger, the alien, and the ones in need out of a sense of prestige, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. When Christians allow for the exploitation of people in the name of profit, a presumed sense of so-called “national security,” out of nationalistic fervor, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. When Christians take pride in easy wealth while placing roadblocks before those who are struggling to make ends meet, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. When Christians indulge in gluttony while others in the community starve, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. And, when Christians seek to humiliate, disgrace, and dehumanize those with whom we disagree or who have life experiences which we do not understand, we are guilty of the sins of Sodom. It is time the church rise above the sins of Sodom and be the Church God has called and created us to be.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: The destruction of Sodom