Walk into any coffee shop in America and bring up religion, and you’ll eventually hit a wall. It’s the "clobber passages" wall. You know the one. For decades, the question of is being gay a sin in Christianity has been the primary fault line tearing apart denominations, families, and friendships.
It's messy. Honestly, it's more than messy—it’s a theological battlefield where people use ancient Greek words like grenades.
Some Christians will tell you the Bible is crystal clear. They point to Leviticus or Paul’s letters and say, "Case closed." Others, including a growing number of Biblical scholars and "Side A" Christians, argue that we’ve been reading these texts through a skewed, modern lens that the original authors wouldn't even recognize.
So, who’s right?
The answer isn't a simple yes or no. It depends entirely on how you view inspiration, translation, and the cultural context of the first century. If you’re looking for a Sunday School answer, you won’t find it here. We’re going into the weeds of the Hebrew and Greek because that’s where the actual answers live.
The Big Six: What the Bible Actually Says (and Doesn't Say)
When people ask is being gay a sin in Christianity, they are usually referring to six specific passages. These are often called the "clobber passages" because they’ve been used to, well, clobber the LGBTQ+ community for generations.
Let's start with the Old Testament.
💡 You might also like: Easy recipes dinner for two: Why you are probably overcomplicating date night
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 are the heavy hitters. They call male-to-male sex an "abomination." It sounds final. But scholars like Dr. Renato Lings have pointed out that the Hebrew word to’evah (abomination) is usually linked to ritual impurity or idolatry, not necessarily a moral "sin" in the way we think of it today. Think of it more like "taboo" within a specific ancient Jewish context designed to keep the Israelites distinct from their neighbors.
Then there's Sodom and Gomorrah.
For centuries, people thought the "sin of Sodom" was homosexuality. But if you actually read the rest of the Bible, specifically Ezekiel 16:49, it tells you exactly what the sin was: "She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." It was about a lack of hospitality and attempted gang rape, not a committed same-sex relationship.
The New Testament Twist
Moving into the New Testament, things get even more complicated. St. Paul writes about "men who have sex with men" in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy.
The Greek words he uses are malakoi and arsenokoitai.
Here’s the catch: nobody actually knows exactly what arsenokoitai meant back then. Paul basically invented the word. Some scholars, like Dr. David Gushee, argue it referred to economic exploitation or pederasty (men using boys), which was common in the Roman world. It’s a huge leap to take a word used to describe Roman sexual exploitation and apply it to a loving, egalitarian marriage in 2026.
📖 Related: How is gum made? The sticky truth about what you are actually chewing
The Traditionalist View vs. The Affirming View
Christianity is currently split into two main camps on this. It's not just "liberals vs. conservatives." It's a fundamental difference in how people handle the Bible.
The Traditionalist (Non-Affirming) Perspective
This group believes that marriage is divinely restricted to one man and one woman. They argue that because Genesis sets up a "complementary" pair (Adam and Eve), any deviation from that is a miss of the mark. For them, is being gay a sin in Christianity is answered by the "design" of creation. They often distinguish between "attraction" (not a sin) and "action" (a sin).
The Affirming Perspective
Affirming Christians look at the "fruit" of the Spirit. They see LGBTQ+ people living lives of deep faith, kindness, and love. They argue that the Bible doesn't actually have a concept of "sexual orientation." To the biblical authors, you were either straight and acting out of "excessive lust," or you were engaging in exploitative acts. They believe that a committed, monogamous same-sex relationship is a modern phenomenon that the Bible simply doesn't address.
Why Translation Matters More Than You Think
Language changes. Quickly.
Did you know the word "homosexual" didn't even appear in an English Bible until 1946?
Before the Revised Standard Version (RSV) swapped it in, the verses in 1 Corinthians were often translated to refer to "the soft" or "abusers of themselves." By putting a modern psychological term like "homosexual" into an ancient text, translators arguably changed the meaning of the Bible.
👉 See also: Curtain Bangs on Fine Hair: Why Yours Probably Look Flat and How to Fix It
It’s like trying to find a verse about the internet. It's just not there.
We are essentially trying to map modern identities onto ancient tribal laws and Greek city-state ethics. It’s clunky. It leads to bad theology.
The "Fruit" Test
Jesus actually gave us a way to figure out tricky ethical questions. He said you can tell a tree by its fruit.
For a long time, the "fruit" of the traditional teaching has been high rates of depression, suicide, and family rejection among LGBTQ+ youth. Affirming theologians, like Matthew Vines (author of God and the Black Sheep), argue that if a teaching consistently produces death and despair rather than life and peace, the interpretation might be wrong.
That’s a heavy thought.
It shifts the conversation from "What does this Greek word mean?" to "What is this teaching doing to people’s souls?"
Moving Forward: Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you are wrestling with this, you aren't alone. Thousands of people are asking is being gay a sin in Christianity every single day. Here is how you can actually move forward without losing your mind or your faith.
- Read the "Other" Side: If you grew up in a traditional church, read God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines. If you are in an affirming space, read The Great Sex Rescue or works by Preston Sprinkle to understand the traditional nuances. Don't just stay in your bubble.
- Study the 1946 Project: Look into the history of how the word "homosexual" entered the Bible. There is a documentary called 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture that is a great starting point.
- Look for "Side B" Perspectives: There are many gay Christians who remain celibate because of their convictions (often called Side B). Their stories offer a middle ground of deep faith and honesty that often gets ignored.
- Talk to a Chaplain or Progressive Pastor: If you're feeling the weight of "religious trauma," find a professional who is trained in "Deconstruction." You need a safe space to ask the "heretical" questions without being judged.
- Check the Fruit: Look at the LGBTQ+ people in your life or community. Are they exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience)? If so, let that inform your theology as much as any commentary.
Christianity has changed its mind before. It changed its mind on slavery, on the role of women, and on whether the Earth revolves around the sun. Whether it's currently changing its mind on this issue is something you have to decide through prayer, study, and a lot of honest conversation. The Bible is a living library, not a static rulebook. Treat it with the complexity it deserves.