There are six direct references to homosexuality in the Bible -- three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament.
Some Biblical scholars say the passages needs to be taken at face value. Other theologians say it's much more complicated.
Here are the references and what scholars say, based on Kalamazoo Gazette interviews with theologians from Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Central Michigan universities, Kalamazoo and Calvin colleges.
Genesis 19: The story of Sodom and Gomorrah
This has been held up as a cautionary tale about the sinfulness of homosexuality. However, many scholars point to Ekezial 16:49 as indicating that the cities were destroyed by God for not helping the poor and needy. Some also say the sinful sex occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah was rape, which means it doesn't apply to teachings on consensual same-sex relationships.
Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament has two references condemning homosexuality: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (Leviticus 18:22) and "If a man lies with a man as one lies with woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads" (Leviticus 20:13).
While condemnations of gay sex are unequivocal in Leviticus, it also is part of a long list of Jewish laws, some of which are not followed by Christians today.
For instance, Leviticus bans tattoos, pork and shellfish, offers the proper rules for selling a slave and says a "foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born."
Leviticus also advocates the death penalty for adultery.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10
Paul writes in Corinthians: "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."
In Timothy, Paul writes: "The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching."
However, in both passages, there is debate about the terms now translated as referring to gays.
"The ambiguous word is often translated 'sodomites' but there's no equivalent in Greek or Hebrew," said Mary Rose D'Angelo, a biblical scholar at Notre Dame. "The word means something like 'softy' and refers to liking sex too much."
Even assuming that Paul is referring to homosexuality in these passages, there is dispute about exactly what he's condemning and why.
"Many scholars think that Paul is arguing against grown men having sex with adolescent boys and/or against men who are forced into the non-dominant position," said Kelly Murphy, a biblical scholar at Central Michigan University. "Of course, these ideas are clearly related to the idea of gender held in the ancient world: men were superior to women, and it would be shameful for a man to act like a woman."
Romans 1:26-27
Many theologians say this is the key passage on homosexuality in the New Testament.
Paul writes: "God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."
Jeff Weima, an expert on the New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, is among those who say this passage is a clear, unambiguous condemnation of homosexual activity.
"The text of Romans 1:26-27 is quite clear about the prohibition of same-sex activity for both men and women," Weima said.
Not so fast, say others.
"The passage does seem to say that all same-sex relationships are unnatural," Murphy said. "But then we have to remember that Paul and the world Paul lived in did not understand gender the same way that we do today, and also that Paul is using that example to lead up to his argument against worshipping idols.
"Opinions are split about whether Paul is upset about heterosexual people having same-sex relations or about pederasty -- but the larger point is that worshipping idols instead of God leads to mistakes in morality," she said.
John Fitzgerald, an expert in the New Testament who teaches at Notre Dame, said that parsing the words of each text isn't the only challenge.
"Although biblical scholars disagree about the meaning of some of the biblical texts . the real differences emerge in how these texts are to be interpreted and applied in our own time," Fitzgerald said.
Differing views on same-sex relationships in Christianity reflect "different assumptions and different interpretative approaches" to the Bible, he said.
Another point made by Fitzgerald and other theologians: Although homosexuality is singled out by some today as an especially vile sin, the Bible tends to lump it with other sins, such as greed and gossiping.
"In the history of Christianity in the West, there has been a recurring tendency to place greater emphasis on sexual sins than on other kinds," Fitzgerald said. "That greater emphasis is clearly evident in today's world."
Julie Mack writes for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.
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