Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships

by Karen R. Keen

The first confusion to clear up is that the culture of the ancient Near East (or the Greco-Roman world) is distinct from biblical inspiration itself. Ancient Near Eastern culture was not divine, even though the biblical message that was articulated from within that culture is divinely inspired. The biblical authors wrote with an accent, so to speak. The language and social structures of that time period influenced how the message was delivered. If God had chosen to inspire the writing of Scripture in our society today, it would have sounded different, using the vocabulary and social structures of twenty-first-century America. We have to get used to the biblical authors’ accent to understand what they are saying.