LGBTQ in Scripture Part 3: New Testament Clobber Verses

Elton Sherwin
The Bible and Homosexuality
Part 3
The New Testament “Clobber Verses”
Used to Condemn Homosexuality
Saint Paul Writing His Epistles

How this Presentation Came to Be
You may have seen the headlines:
Harvard Study:
“Religious upbringing linked to
better health and well-being”*
Young Adults Happier and
Less Likely to Use Drugs
Numerous studies have documented the positive effects of
church attendance on wellbeing.**
Sadly, there is one group of children for whom church
attendance is dangerous…
* https://opentheword.org/2018/09/24/harvard-study-church-attendance-as-a-child-has-positive-influence-on-a-person-in-their-20s/ and
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/religious-upbringing-adult-health/
** https://open.bu.edu/bitstream/handle/2144/6/litreview.pdf?

…LGBTQ children and young adults who attend
churches believing that all homosexual acts are sinful
are more likely to contemplate self-harm and to
commit suicide.*
Recent Research Indicates…
* https://www.huffpost.com/entry/queer-youth-religion-suicide-study_n_5ad4f7b3e4b077c89ceb9774 and
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(18)30050-3/fulltext

This has motivated some parents and
churches to revisit their church’s, and
the Bible’s, teaching on homosexuality
and sexual minorities.
This 3-part presentation takes a fresh look what the
Bible actually says about homosexuality
Does the Bible claim that all homosexual acts
are inherently evil or immoral?
Are all gays called to a life of celibacy?
Benj/Wikipedia

This presentation discusses homosexuality, rape, gang
rape, temple prostitution, child prostitutes, intercourse, oral
sex, anal sex, condoms, and sexually transmitted infections
and cancers.
Parents of pre-teens should assess suitability for their
children.
PG13

Part 1
The 4 Old Testament “Clobber” Verses
1. Sodom and Gomorra
 Hospitality to foreigners and gang
rape (Genesis 19: 1-29)
2. The Murder of the Levite’s
Concubine
 Hospitality to visitors, gang rape
and murder (Judges 19: 1-30)
No gays, no queers, no lesbians in
these scriptures
The Levite of Ephraim
A. F. Caminafe (1837)
Wikipedia
Sodom and Gomorrah Afire

3. Leviticus 18:22
4. Leviticus 20:13
Holiness codes
designed to keep Israel
separate from her
neighbors.
Today, Churches ignore
most of these “rules”
Leviticus bans promiscuous sex and
temple prostitution during religious
ceremonies and religious feasts
All things done by Israel's Enemies

Old Testament “Rules” About Homosexuality Are
Not About Consensual Relationships
Verse Off topic
Number of
Disputed
Words
Disputed
by context
1 Genesis 19:1-29 √ √
2 Judges 19:1-30 √ √
3 Leviticus 18:22 One √

In Part 2
Seven Scriptures Blessing Sexual Minorities
Seven Scriptures Affirming
Sexual Minorities
They are hard to find as
ancient Hebrew and Greek
have no synonym for the
modern word “Homosexual”
Isaiah 56:4-5Matthew 19:11-12Acts 8:26-40

Part 3: The New Testament
It is Widely Believed that Paul Was Anti-Gay
But, Perhaps Not!
Both the context and his
Greek are complex
Verse Off topic
Number of
Disputed
Words
Disputed
by context
5 Romans 1:18-27 One √
6 I Corinthians 6:9-10 Two √
7 I Timothy 1:8-11 Three √

5. Romans 1:26-27
“For this reason God gave them up to
degrading passions. …men, giving up
natural intercourse with women, were
consumed with passion for one
another.”
For what reason?
The prior verse, Romans 1:25, explains:
“…because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the
Creator...”Farnese Hercules
Paul Stevenson
Paul’s letter to Rome

“ …because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie and worshiped
and served the creature …men,
giving up natural intercourse with
women, were consumed with passion
for one another.”
Janet Edmond explains:
“The behavior Paul was addressing here
is explicitly associated with idol worship
(probably temple prostitution) and with
heterosexual people… participating in
promiscuous sex with anyone available.”
“…these were not the committed
homosexual relationships that we see
today.”*
Farnese Hercules
Paul Stevenson
* Janet Edmonds: https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-Homosexuality-and-the-
Bible-Sept.-2016.pdf

Clobber Verse #6
The Condemnation of Roman Orgies
The Triumph of Pan (1636)
Nicolas Poussin - Wikipedia

"Paul's writings have been taken out of context and
twisted to punish and oppress every identifiable
minority in the world: Jews, children, women, blacks,
slaves, politicians, divorced people, convicts, pro-choice
people, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transsexuals, religious
reformers, the mentally ill, and the list could go on and
on. Paul is often difficult and confusing to
understand. A lot of Paul's writing is very difficult to
translate. Since most of his letters were written in
response to news [or questions] from other people,
reading Paul can be like listening to one side of a
telephone conversation. We know, or think we know,
what Paul is saying, but we have to guess what the other
side has said [or was asking about]."
R.S. Truluck
The six Bible passages used to condemn homosexuals

What Reports Was Paul Receiving from Rome,
Corinth and Ephesus?
I imagine he might have
been getting letters like this:
Dear Teacher, I am sorry to report that on the feast of Dionysia
many of our brethren were celebrating in the streets. The young
men were stealing wine and their fathers were entering pagan
temples. You know what terrible things go on in there… Perhaps
in your next letter you could say something. Although, please
don’t mention that you heard this from me….
Roman cities were famous for their sexual excesses.
Whichever way Paul got his news, it could have been reports
like this, or what he saw on his visits that inspired him to
write…

6. I Corinthians 6:9-10
“Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male
prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy,
drunkards, revilers, robbers – none of these will
inherit the kingdom of God.”
Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth

The Verse is Not About Homosexuals
The exact meaning of two critical words
—malakoi and arsenokoites—is unknown!
“…male prostitutes, sodomites…none of these will
inherit the kingdom of God.”

The Ever Changing Meanings of
Malakoi & Arsenokoitai
Conservative Christians have condemned all
homosexuals largely based on two words
whose meaning keeps changing:
“Most English-speaking Christians would have no
idea that the Greek word being translated was a
new word that Paul coined whose meaning and
translation are contested.”
Baptist News*
* https://baptistnews.com/article/two-odd-little-words-the-lgbt-issue-part-11-revised

“Paul is right to condemn these sexual activities,
but this has nothing to do with a consensual
homosexual relationship.”
Bible commentator Janet Edmonds*
* Janet Edmonds: https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-Homosexuality-and-the-Bible-Sept.-2016.pdf

Three key translations disputed:
pornos, arsenokoites and andrapodistes.
 The exact meaning of the latter two words
is lost in antiquity
7. I Timothy 1:8-11
“the law is laid down…
for those who kill their
father or mother, for
murderers, fornicators,
sodomites, slave traders,
liars, perjurers… Saint Timothy
Orthodox Icon
Paul’s letter to Timothy in Ephesus, a
city later famous for its brothel

A Condemnation of
Human Trafficking
“…fornicators,
sodomites, slave traders,
liars, perjurers…
Saint Timothy
“Scholars believe that the three terms were used
together in that slave dealers (andrapodistes) would
be acting as pimps for captured boys (pornos) who
would be taken advantage of by powerful men
(arsenokoites)…These are sins that certainly need to
be addressed, but this Bible passage does not relate
to homosexuals in a committed relationship.” Edmonds*
* https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-Homosexuality-and-the-Bible-Sept.-2016.pdf

If the Objective is to Condemn Homosexuality
All 7 “Clobber” Verses Have Serious Problems
Verse Off topic
Number of
Disputed
Words*
Disputed
by context
1 Genesis 19:1-29 √ √
2 Judges 19:1-30 √ √
5 Romans 1:18-27 One √
6 I Corinthians 6:9-10 Two √
7 I Timothy 1:8-11 Three √
* Disputed words are significant and change the meaning of verses 3 to 7

Old Testament Verses
Verse Topic Disputed Words* Context
1 Genesis 19:1-29
Treatment of the
poor & foreigners
-
Destruction of
Sodom and
Gomorrah
2 Judges 19:1-30
Rape and murder
of visitors
-
Rape and murder
of the Levite’s
concubine
3 Leviticus 18:22
Condemns incest,
shrine
prostitution and
sex during
religious rituals.
Abomination vs.
Ritually unclean
Unusual wording in
ancient Hebrew:
Meaning of both
verses is unclear.
Holiness codes:
not adopting
gentile customs
Includes many
“rules” universally
ignored today*
4 Leviticus 20:13
* https://leviticusbans.tumblr.com/post/23730370413/76-things-banned-in-leviticus

New Testament Verses
Verse Topic Disputed Words* Context
5 Romans 1:18-27
Consequences of
idol worship is
sexual
immorality.
Powerful Roman
men abusing
others
Para physin
Pagan Idol
worship,
promiscuous
heterosexual sex,
& possibly temple
prostitution
6
I Corinthians 6:9-
10
Forbids believers
in Corinth from
suing each other
Malakoi and
arsenokoitai
Exact meanings of
critical words are
unknown.
Probably
condemns the
sexual
exploitation of
slaves and boys
by powerful
heterosexual men
7 I Timothy 1:8-11
Kidnappers and
slave traders
pimping young
boys
Pornos,
arsenokoites and
andrapodistes
More translation notes in the appendix

It Is a High Bar
For the Bible to Condemn All Homosexuality…
To claim that all homosexuals must
 Abstain from all sex
 Never marry
 Forgo leadership in churches
The scriptures would have to be:
1. Clear, undisputed in translation
2. Affirmed by context
3. Not contradicted by the Prophets or Jesus
© Marie-Lan Nguyen
Wikipedia

As We Have Seen
The Opposite is True
These scriptures are
1. Disputed in translation
2. Challenged by their context
3. Contradicted by Jesus, Isaiah, Luke, even Paul

“Homosexuality Was Well Known
In the Ancient World,
Well Before Christ Was Born
And Jesus Never Said A Word About
Homosexuality.
In All of His Teachings about Multiple Things
He Never Said That
Gay People Should Be Condemned…”
President Jimmy Carter
Bible School Teacher,
Governor of Georgia,
39th President of the United States (1977 to 1981)
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/president-jimmy-carter-bible-book_n_1349570.html
President Carter
National Archives

What Do These 7 Verses Really Mean?
These hard-to-translate, murky scriptures
condemn certain behaviors:
 Rape, gang rape and murder
 Promiscuous, debaucherous sex
 Male prostitution in a temple
 Buying and selling of young boys
 Human trafficking
 Powerful men sexually abusing others
 Straight men having sex with men and boys

“In the [New Testament] clobber passages Paul
condemns the coercive, excessive and predatory
same-sex sexual activity practiced by the Romans
— and would have condemned the same acts had
they been heterosexual in nature.”
John and Catherine Shore
excerpted from
“UNFAIR: Why the ‘Christian’ View of Gays Doesn’t Work.”*
* https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-best-case-for-the-bible-not-condemning-homosexuality_b_1396345

The Essential Point
None of these 7 scriptures “have anything to
do with consensual homosexual relations.”*
They describe sexual behaviors that are
abusive, most of which are illegal today.
Paul is condemning powerful men
sexually abusing those without power.
* Bible commentator Janet Edmonds

A Bit of
Recent History and
Safety Messages for LGBTQ+ Young Adults
And Their Parents
Before we close…
What American High Schools
Often Omit

When Homosexuality Was an Illness
Through most of the 20th century most medical
professionals believed homosexuality was a
mental illness
 The results were than shuffled and given to
experts who were confident they could identify the
“mentally ill” gay men.
 They could not
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/myth-buster
 In 1953 UCLA Professor Evelyn
Hooker administered three tests
for “mental illness” to 30 gay and
30 straight men. Rorschach test

“Evelyn Hooker’s groundbreaking research exploded the
notion that homosexuality was a mental illness,
ultimately removing it from the DSM.”*
American Psychological Association (APA)
 One expert was so certain he could find the
“maladjusted” gay men, he went through all
the tests again. Still no luck.
 Her research was pivotal in changing the
minds of many medical professionals and it
ultimately led, in 1972, to the APA’s decision
that homosexuality was not a mental illness.
* https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/myth-buster

Last Century
 If a young women had
feelings for other women.
 But guys were nice enough
 If she wanted a family
Everyone advised her to marry a guy and
“settle down.”
 So she married and tried not to fantasize
too often about women
Was this fair to the husband?
Woman’s Army Corps

Guys Were Told
“Just Marry a Women”
Throughout history, and still today,
many gay men have been
encouraged to “focus on girls,” get
married and have children.
And then there is conversion therapy…
 The marriages often created great
emotional trauma for the wives, the
children and the men themselves.
Rock Hudson
Wikipedia

Conversion Therapy and Prayer
Most LGBTQ Christians try hard to become
straight
 They pray, they beg God. Success is rare.
“Relapses” are near universal.
 Conversion therapy has been such a disaster
one of the founders shut down his
organization and issued a public apology
 After telling his wife, children and relatives that
he was gay
 His “conversion” having failed

“In a 2019 survey of almost 35,000 young people
…found that 42% of a subgroup who had
received conversion therapy attempted suicide.”
January 2020

Homosexuality is Still Illegal in 72 Countries
Death Penalty in 7 Countries*
https://76crimes.com/76-countries-where-homosexuality-is-illegal
Use Caution WhenYou Travel Abroad
* https://76crimes.com/10-nations-where-the-penalty-for-gay-sex-is-death/

Most
Dangerous
1. Nigeria
2. Qatar
3. Yemen
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Tanzania
6. Iran
7. Sudan
8. Barbados
9. Malaysia
10. Malawi
11. Zambia
12. Saint Lucia
13. Uganda
14. Pakistan
15. W. Bank & Gaza
16. Kenya
17. Maldives
18. Jamaica
19. Ethiopia
20. Egypt
Safest
Countries
1. Norway
2. Portugal
3. Belgium
4. United Kingdom
5. Finland
6. France
7. Canada
8. Spain
9. Sweden
10. Malta
11. New Zealand
12. Netherlands
13. Denmark
14. South Africa
15. Ireland
16. Australia
17. Uruguay
18. Iceland
19. Colombia
20. Austria
Be Cautious
Traveling with
LGBTQ family
members
Organizing
meetings
Relocating
employees
Source:
www.asherfergusson.com/lg
btq-travel-safety/
Some websites add Russia
and Lithuania to the most
dangerous list

Thirteen States Ban All Forms of “Sodomy”
…Regardless of the Participants’ Genders:
 Alabama
 Florida
 Georgia
 Idaho
 Louisiana
 Maryland
 Massachusetts
 Michigan
 Minnesota
 Mississippi
 Both Carolinas and
 Oklahoma
Rolling Stone also flags:Texas, Tennessee & North Dakota*
Use Discretion and Caution in these States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy_laws_in_the_United_States
* https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/the-5-worst-states-for-lgbt-people-198931/

Be Cautious in These States
And Countries
Driving while Gay
 Don’t get pulled over at 1am
 Avoid flamboyant attire
 Avoid public displays of affection
Revelers dressed as the
Village People in
Mexico City
Image:
Thelmadatter/Wikimedia

The follow slide is sexually explicit
One Minute of Sex Ed

Just Because the Bible Doesn’t Forbid it
Doesn’t Mean It Is Always a Good Idea
Sex has risks:
 Intercourse, oral sex and anal sex
can all pass sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and cancers
 Anal sex is the most common way
both men and women get HIV*
** www.ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/vaccines/* www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/analsex.html
 Condoms, three** vaccines, limiting your
number of partners, PEP* and PrEP * all lower
the risk of a life-changing STD or cancer, but
do NOT eliminate all risk (more info in the appendix)
1930’s WPA Poster

Sigmund Freud wrote:
“Many highly respectable
individuals of ancient and
modern times have been
homosexuals, several of the
greatest men among them…”*
Benois Madonna
Leonardo da Vinci
David
Michelangelo
The Creation of Adam
Michelangelo
* https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Letter_from_Freud_(to_a_mother_of_a_homosexual)
Leonardo da Vinci was
imprisoned for “sodomy.”
Michelangelo’s love poetry
had all the male pronouns
switched to female pronouns
after his death and before
publication.

Once, I believed that gay children were
defective.
But I have come to realize that they are part of
God's creation:
Intentionally and purposely created.
And it is our job to cherish, protect and
celebrate them.

If Your Church Has Told You…
…You should not hold hands.
…You must live a celibate life.
…You should not love the person you love.
…You cannot marry.
…You cannot be ordained.
…You cannot teach children
…You cannot hold a leadership position.
…If your church has said you should not be who
God created you to be, remember:
The Bible Does Not Say This
And There Are Many Affirming Christians and Churches
That Do Not Believe This

Closing Blessing
If you are straight…
…Do not let the “teachers of the law” steal your
ability to enjoy and love God’s entire creation,
including the 7% that are not like you.
If you are—or might be—somewhere in the
rainbow…
…Do not let the “teachers of the law” steal your
self-confidence, your joy of life or your faith.
God created you uniquely and exactly as you are.

To Parents of LGBTQ+ Youth
It seems unwise to encourage an LGBTQ+ youngster to
fall in love with a denomination’s youth program and
then discover the denomination believes they are:
 “Intrinsically disordered”
 “Sinful unless celibate”
 “Contrary to the natural law”
 “Gravely immoral…” It is a sad, long list.
Research* and common sense dictate that it is not
healthy for the “7% kids” to attend churches professing
these non-scientific, non-scriptural beliefs.
* https://www.huffpost.com/entry/queer-youth-religion-suicide-study_n_5ad4f7b3e4b077c89ceb9774 and
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(18)30050-3/fulltext

Discussion Questions
“Cobber Verse” Translation Notes
What Is a LGBTQ Person?
“Cobber Verse” Analysis and Expert Opinions
Resources for LGBTQ Christians and Their Families
Notes for the “One Minute of Sex Ed”
Image Credits
References and
Resources

Discussion Questions for Part 3
1. What most surprised you in the lesson?
2. Do you think any of these New Testament verses are a
universal ban on all homosexual acts?
3. What are your thoughts about the section discussing:
homosexuality as a mental illness; anti-gay laws; and
encouraging gays to marry straight spouses?
4. Neither Jesus, nor the prophets, nor the Ten
Commandments condemn Homosexuality. Why do you
think this is? Is it an accident?
5. Looking at all the scriptures we have discussed—all 7
“clobber verses” and the 7 affirming scriptures—what do
you believe is God’s message to sexual minorities?

“Cobber Verse” Translation Notes
 I am neither an ancient Greek nor an ancient
Hebrew scholar. Therefore, I found it
necessary to keep a spreadsheet of the
disputed words in the 7 “clobber verses.”
 The next 3 slides are my working notes as I
read and reread dozens of translations and
commentaries.

Matrix of Possible Translations
Disputed Translation Possible Meanings
Men & Abomination
(TO’EBAH)
Leviticus 18:22
Leviticus 20:13
Unusual wording in ancient Hebrew: Meaning of these verses is unclear and widely
disputed. While the English transliterations seem clear, the meaning of the original
Hebrew is anything but clear.
Abomination vs. Ritually unclean. Foul thing vs. things pertaining to idolatry4 "ritually
improper" or "involving foreign religious cult practice."1 Added complexity because
different Hebrew words are used for the word “man.”
Para physin
Romans 1:26-27
Unnatural vs. atypical vs. unconventional2
Malakoi
1 Corinthians 6:9
Possibly: Men who shave.3 Perhaps the “bottom” in male/male sex…? Also proposed:
Hairless young boys used for sex5
Malakoi has many meanings: Soft, effeminate, a male prostitute, lazy, decedent,
lacking in courage. Perhaps a young male prostitute, or catamite (young boy kept as
sexual companion for young man or boy).4 The soft fine clothing worn by the rich. Also:
“weakling” “wanton” “debauchers” “licentious” “sensual” “effeminate” and “male
prostitutes”6
In the Bible it has been translated as: “weaklings” (1525)
“effeminate” (1582, 1901)
“those who make women of themselves” (1890) and
“the sensual” (1951) 7

Disputed Translation Possible Meanings
Arsenokoitai(es)
1 Corinthians 6:9;
1 Timothy 1:10
Word probably invented by Paul. Possibly means pederasty (sex with young boys), male
prostitution or “men exploiting other men sexually.”7 Possibly: “customers of ‘the effeminate
call boys.’”5 Meaning is disputed/unknown.
Over last 500 years it has been translated as: “buggerers, “abusers of themselves with
mankind,” “the brutal,” “sodomites,” “liers with mankind,” “homosexuals” (1946), “pervert,”
“homosexual perverts,” “homosexual offenders” and “practicing homosexuals”6 Also as sexual
pervert7
malakoi + arsenokoitai
1 Corinthians 6:9
Possibly Shrine prostitute?3 Possibly: male prostitutes … homosexual offenders; or
effeminate … sodomites8 or catamite (young boy kept as sexual companion for young man or
boy).4
Paul disapproves of something, but exactly what has been lost to history.
Pornos
Timothy 1:10
Adultery (a married person having sex with anyone other than their spouse) or male
prostitute. Immoral person. Mistranslated as homosexual. Pornos derives from the verb
pernemi meaning “to sell.”
Andrapodistes
Timothy 1:10
Kidnappers, slave dealers, pimps, man-stealer,
one who unjustly reduces free males to slavery or
one who steals the slaves of others and sells them.
Andrapodistes
+ pornos
+ arsenokoites
Timothy 1:10
Janet Edmonds: “kidnappers or slave dealers (Andrapodistes) acting as pimps for their
captured and castrated boys (pornos) to service the men (arsenokoites) who use these
unfortunate male prostitutes. (Brownson, pg. 274)”9

References for last three slides
1) http://www.religioustolerance.org/hombiblot.htm
2) http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_bibc3.htm
3) https://www.gaychristian101.com/Malakoi.html
4) https://www.gaychurch.org/homosexuality-and-the-bible/the-bible-
christianity-and-homosexuality/
5) https://www.equip.org/article/is-arsenokoitai-really-that-mysterious/
6) https://baptistnews.com/article/two-odd-little-words-the-lgbt-issue-part-
11-revised
7) http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/modern-translations-from-ideology-
malakoi-arsenokoitai/
8) https://gospelreformation.net/pauls-understanding-of-sexuality/
9) https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-
content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-Homosexuality-and-the-Bible-
Sept.-2016.pdf
Many of these webpages have additional references at the bottom.

What Does it Mean to Be LGBTQ?
Image: Thelmadatter/Wikimedia

A Complex Question
With a Helpful Answer
“What about people born with
ambiguous genitals or
whose chromosomes are not XX or XY?”
They struggled to answer the question.
Here is how I would answer it.
At a recent college gathering two
Christian theologians were asked
the following question:

90 to 93% of Humans Come in 1 of 2 “Models”
The Boy Model
√ Has XY chromosomes,
√ Has a male body
√ Believes they are a boy
√ Is primarily attracted to
girls
The Girl Model
√ Has XX chromosomes,
√ Has a female body
√ Believes they are a girl
√ Is primarily attracted to
boys

God’s Special Editions
7 to 10% of the population
does not fit in these two boxes, instead:
…Their DNA is neither XX nor XY; or
…Physically their bodies have some physical
characteristics of both a boy and a girl; or
…Their feelings don’t match their body’s physical sex.
For example they have a girl’s body but since
childhood think of themselves as a boy; or
…They have significant attraction to their own gender.

The Most Common Colors in
the Rainbow
There are many variations and combinations in the LGBTQ+
rainbow, including:
 Gay or Homosexual: Primarily attracted to people of the same
gender
 Bi or Bisexual: Attracted to both genders
 Undecided or Questioning: Not yet sure of their sexual
orientation
 Trans or transsexual: Gender identity does not correspond
with birth sex. For example, a child with a girl’s body who feels
or “knows” they are a boy.
 Fluid or gender fluid: Someone whose sexual orientation
changes over time.
 Intersexual: a person “…born with a combination of male and
female biological characteristics, such as chromosomes or
genitals…”

“For those whose physical and emotional attractions are
consistently and exclusively directed toward persons of "the
other sex," knowing one's sexual orientation is easy. These
individuals are fortunate to live in a society – and family – that
unequivocally affirm heterosexuality and present no obstacles
to the recognition and acceptance of one's heterosexuality.
“Others experience some degree of same-sex attractions and
struggle to make sense of what those attractions mean,
especially in the context of a society and family that regards
heterosexuality as the ideal sexual orientation.”*
*Am I Gay?" A Guide for People Who Question Their Sexual Orientation:
www.yoursexualorientation.info Dr. Richard H. Reams

“Cobber Verse” Analysis and Expert Opinions

Analysis of the 7 Clobber Verses
Gay Church
 https://www.gaychurch.org/homosexuality-and-the-bible/the-bible-
christianity-and-homosexuality/
Huffington Post
 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-best-case-for-the-bible-not-
condemning-homosexuality_b_1396345
The PostBarthian
 https://postbarthian.com/2017/10/11/clobber-verses-six-
scriptures-cited-gays-lesbians-sex-relationships-lgbtq/
The Janet Edmonds’ white paper
 https://serendipitydodah.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/the-clobber-
verses/ or https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-
content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-Homosexuality-and-the-
Bible-Sept.-2016.pdf

“Malakoi is NEVER Used in the Bible
to Mean Homosexual”
“…the meaning of malakoi, which by 1958, came to
equate malakoi with homosexuality instead of softness,
moral weakness or the effeminacy of temple prostitutes,
was not prompted by new linguistic evidence. Instead,
cultural factors influenced modern translators to inject
anti-gay bias into their translation. In ancient times, the
malakos stem never referred exclusively to gays and
lesbians. …In ancient times, it was used to refer to
heterosexual men who followed the Greek custom of
shaving the face daily.”
All quotes from: www.gaychristian101.com/Malakoi.html Also see: www.gaychristian101.com/Define-Malakoi.html

The Ever Changing Meanings of
Malakoi & Arsenokoitai
 https://baptistnews.com/article/two-odd-little-
words-the-lgbt-issue-part-11-revised
 https://gospelreformation.net/pauls-
understanding-of-sexuality/
 http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/modern-
translations-from-ideology-malakoi-arsenokoitai/
 https://www.gaychristian101.com/Malakoi.html
 https://www.equip.org/article/is-arsenokoitai-
really-that-mysterious/

Additional Analysis of the 7 Clobber Verses
Old and New Testament
 https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_homosexuality
Old Testament Verses
 http://www.religioustolerance.org/hombiblot.htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_the_Hebrew_Bible
Leviticus
 http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/leviticus-18-20-say-sex-
behavior/
 https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/leviticus-1822-2013/
 https://blog.smu.edu/ot8317/2016/05/11/leviticus-1822/
 https://www.gaychristian101.com/in-hebrew-does-leviticus-1822-
really-say-while-with-a-woman.html
 http://www.religioustolerance.org/interpreting-Leviticus-18-22.htm

New Testament Clobber Verses
New Testament verses
 http://www.religioustolerance.org/hombiblnt.htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_the_New_Testament
 Romans 1:26-27
 https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/romans-126-27/
 http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/romans-126-27-say-sex-behavior/
 https://www.forgeonline.org/blog/2019/3/8/what-about-romans-124-27
 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
 https://www.patheos.com/blogs/unfundamentalistchristians/2015/08/clobberi
ng-the-confusion-about-1-corinthians-69-10/
 http://queergrace.com/corinthians/
 http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/1-corinthians-1-timothy-say-sex-
behavior/
 I Timothy 1:8-11
 https://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/i-corinthians-69-timothy-110/

The 7 Scriptures Used Against Gays
Janet Edmond Summarizes:
“Many Christians want to remain faithful to God’s Word
through the Bible. This has caused Christians who
read the Bible without background information or
cultural context, to have difficulty accepting
homosexuals. They see gays and lesbians as sinners
who need to change and repent or remain celibate.
But when we study the seven scriptures typically used
to condemn homosexuals, it’s evident that none of
them have anything to do with consensual homosexual
relations.”

There Were Many Different Types of Eunuchs
In the Ancient World
 www.thoughtco.com/eunuchs-in-the-roman-empire-121003
 http://epistle.us/hbarticles/eunuchs1.html
 http://epistle.us/hbarticles/eunuchs2.html
 https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~wstevens/riseofeunuchs.p
df see page 497.
 https://books.google.com/books?id=tlvMHa6qKloC&pg=PA2
19&lpg=PA219&dq=Spadones
 www.gaychristian101.com/eunuchs-are-gay.html
 http://theologyattheedge.co.uk/tears-in-god-s-wineskin/31-
tigw-part-1-eunuchs-eunuchs-in-the-old-testament
 http://theologyattheedge.co.uk/tears-in-god-s-wineskin (see
bottom 4 references)
From part 2 of this series

Resources for LGBTQ Christians
Their Families,
Their Pastors and Spiritual Advisors

The Christian Message
Affirms Minorities and Sexual Minorities
Sojourners
 https://sojo.net/articles/10-bible-passages-teach-christian-
perspective-homosexuality
Unclobber
 http://www.unclobber.com/
Pastor Brandon Robertson
 http://www.brandanrobertson.com/

Resources for LGBTQ Christians
 Queer Grace: http://queergrace.com/
 Online communities: http://queergrace.com/communities/
 Geeky Justin: Christian video blogger extraordinaire
 http://geekyjustin.com/
 https://www.youtube.com/user/GCNJustin/featured
 NALT: Christians proclaiming their belief in full LGBT equality
 http://www.notalllikethat.org/
 Christian/Denominationally-Based LGBT Organizations: Catholic,
Mormon, Baptist, Eastern Orthodox, United Church of Christ, Et al. Some of
these groups are unapproved resistance groups supporting queer believers and
pushing for denominational change.
 http://www.welcomingresources.org/links.htm
 Canyon Walkers: http://canyonwalkerconnections.com/
 Q Christian Fellowship: https://www.qchristian.org/
 The Reformation Project: www.reformationproject.org
 Justin Hershey, Forge: https://www.forgeonline.org/

“Must Read” Documents for Bible Scholars,
Pastors, Elders, Deacons and Church Staff
 Affirming verses friendly or welcoming
 https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/4/0
3/difference-between-welcoming-church-and-
affirming-one-huge
 The Janet Edmonds’ white paper:
 https://www.rmnetwork.org/newrmn/wp-
content/uploads/2016/09/Booklet-about-
Homosexuality-and-the-Bible-Sept.-2016.pdf

Secular Resources
 The Trevor Project: Crisis intervention and
suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning
(LGBTQ) young people under 25
 https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
 FLAG: Founded in 1973 after the simple act of a
mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG
is the nation's largest family and ally
organization.
 https://pflag.org

Secular Resources
 The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
National Help Center: www.glnh.org
 Moderated chat rooms for LGBT youth and teens
 Operates 3 hotlines:
 The LGBT National Hotline,
 The LGBT National Youth Talkline,
 The LGBT National Senior Hotline
 Largest collection of resources for the LGBT community
in the United States
 The Bisexual Resource Center
 http://biresource.org/

Additional Resources
https://medium.com/@adamnicholasphillips/the-bible-
does-not-condemn-homosexuality-seriously-it-doesn-t-
13ae949d6619 (see list near the end of article)
Additional Videos
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJVlgpe-R0
 http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/family-videos
 https://youtu.be/KLuB7fvMlhc (“welcoming” churches)
Michelangelo’s poetry changed and Da Vinci jailed
for sodomy (this reference contains an obscenity)
 http://rictornorton.co.uk/though19.htm

Four Affirming Books
1. Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-
Christians Debate (Justin Lee)
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455514306
2. God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in
Support of Same-Sex Relationships (Matthew Vines)
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/160142518X
3. UnClobber: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on
Homosexuality (Colby Martin)
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/066426221X
4. Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and
Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelicalism
(Deborah Jian Lee)
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807075078

The follow slides are sexually explicit
More Info on the
One Minute of Sex Ed

Sex Safety
A Note to Parents and Pastors
Why include information about sex safety in a
scriptural analysis on homosexuality?
Telling young people that the Bible does not
condemn an activity — an activity that involves
significant risks — and not mentioning the risks
and how to minimize them… well it seems
irresponsible.

Notes for “One Minute of Sex Ed”

Three Must Get Vaccines for All Young Adults
Straight or LGBTQ+
Currently there are three vaccines that protect against
sexually transmitted diseases and cancers.
All three vaccines protect against non-sexual and
sexual transition for:
1. Hepatitis A
2. Hepatitis B
3. HPV (Gardasil 9). Gardasil protects against almost all
cervical cancers as well as many other cancers and
genital warts in men and women. Cancers can develop
30 or more years after sex.
www.ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/vaccines/

What Are PEP and PrEP?
PrEP: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis*
 A daily pill that helps protect you from getting HIV
 Should be used in addition to a condom
 MUST be used if you have sex with an HIV positive
person without a condom
PEP: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis*
 These are “morning after” pills for HIV exposure
 But you must take the pills for 28 days
 If you have had intercourse, oral sex or anal sex without
a condom and your partner has or might have HIV.
 Get Advice ASAP: If you think you may have been
exposed to HIV or another STD
* www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/analsex.html

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LGBTQ in Scripture Part 3: New Testament Clobber Verses

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LGBTQ in Scripture Part 3: New Testament Clobber Verses