Same-Sex Relationships in the Bible
You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestable.Leviticus 18:22 · World English Bible
Original Language & Text
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 use a Hebrew phrase that literally means 'lying down with a male, as with a woman.' Scholars debate exactly how wide this phrase's scope is: whether it covers all sexual acts between men, or specifically acts tied to pagan worship, force, or other culturally specific practices. There isn't much other ancient Hebrew writing using the same phrase to compare it to, which makes the question harder to settle. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10, Paul pairs the Greek word 'malakoi' (literally 'soft ones,' likely meaning men who take a passive role in same-sex acts, though it might describe effeminate behavior more broadly) with 'arsenokoitai.' Paul appears to have invented this second word by combining two Greek words, 'male' and 'bed,' taken from the Greek Old Testament's wording of the Leviticus verses. This makes Paul's letters the earliest known place this word appears anywhere in Greek writing. Because the word is rare, and later uses of it are themselves ambiguous, scholars disagree about exactly what it refers to: same-sex intercourse in general, exploitative or abusive relationships (such as between an adult and a much younger male), or male prostitution. Romans 1:26-27 describes both female and male same-sex acts as being 'against nature,' using a Greek phrase that also appears elsewhere in Greek and Roman writing with different shades of moral meaning.
History & Authorship
In the ancient Mediterranean world, same-sex acts were mostly understood within relationships involving unequal social status, such as an adult free man and an enslaved person, or an older man and a much younger male, rather than as a relationship between two consenting adult equals sharing a lasting orientation, which is how the idea is usually understood today. Because the modern concept of sexual orientation as a lasting personal identity did not exist in the ancient world, scholars debate how directly ancient texts speak to today's committed same-sex relationships. Historically, nearly every branch of Judaism and Christianity condemned same-sex acts until the middle to late 1900s. At that point, new historical scholarship, the gay rights movement, and changing theological arguments led some church groups to reconsider their position. Starting in the 1960s and 1970s, some mainline Protestant groups (parts of the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church USA) and Reform and Conservative Judaism moved toward accepting same-sex relationships and allowing gay clergy, often pointing to a growing understanding of love, covenant, and justice. Meanwhile, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Orthodox Jewish communities have mostly kept the traditional prohibition. This disagreement has caused major splits within denominations, including the United Methodist Church's split in 2022-2024.
The Popular / Mainstream View
Around the world, and across most historic Christian traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, and most evangelical Protestant churches) and Orthodox Judaism, the traditional and still majority position holds that scripture consistently prohibits sexual activity between people of the same sex, while also affirming the full dignity of people who experience same-sex attraction. This view calls for either celibacy (not being sexually active) or marriage between a man and a woman as the framework for sexual expression. Those who hold this view see Leviticus, Romans 1, and Paul's lists of wrongdoing as together forming one consistent teaching that applies across all times and cultures, rooted in the idea that marriage was designed at creation to be between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24, repeated in Matthew 19:4-6).
Minority & Alternative Views
Affirming reading of the same-sex passages
Held by a significant and growing minority of mainline Protestant denominations, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, and some evangelicals, this view argues that the biblical passages are addressing exploitative, idol-worship-related, or age-unequal practices specific to their ancient setting, not modern loving, committed same-sex relationships. Supporters of this view say the Bible's wider themes of love, welcome, and covenant faithfulness support affirming such relationships and same-sex marriage.
Celibate-orientation view (sometimes called 'Side B')
A minority position within conservative Christianity holds that having a same-sex attraction is not itself sinful, but that acting on it sexually remains prohibited. This view calls gay and lesbian Christians to celibacy or close, non-sexual friendship rather than either marriage to someone of the same sex or a fully affirming position. It is associated with writers like Wesley Hill and groups like Revoice.
Traditionalist view treating orientation itself as needing change
A more restrictive minority view, found in some conservative circles, treats same-sex attraction itself, not just acting on it, as something disordered that a person should try to change or repent of. This view has sometimes been linked historically to so-called 'conversion therapy' approaches, which are now widely rejected, even by many traditional denominations and by mental health professional organizations.
What Scholars Say
Language experts agree that 'arsenokoitai' is a rare word that Paul likely coined himself, building on the wording of the Leviticus prohibitions. But its exact scope, whether it covers all male same-sex intercourse or specifically exploitative kinds, cannot be settled by word study alone, since so few other examples of the word survive from that time. Later church Greek writings suggest it was used more broadly. Historians who study ancient sexuality, building on work by scholars like Michel Foucault and Kenneth Dover, broadly agree that the ancient world did not have a concept of sexual orientation as a fixed, lasting identity the way people think of it today. This is a well-established historical point. But scholars disagree sharply on how much this historical fact should change how the biblical texts are applied to today's questions. Whether the biblical authors meant to prohibit all same-sex acts across the board, or were addressing only specific abusive or idol-worship-related practices of their time, remains a genuinely contested question. Modern scholarship has not settled it definitively either way.
Sources & Further Reading
- Robert Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice
- James Brownson, Bible, Gender, Sexuality
- Kenneth Dover, Greek Homosexuality
- William Loader's multi-volume studies on sexuality in early Judaism and Christianity
- Wesley Hill, Washed and Waiting
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