Why use the word Sodomy
A Few people took offense at statement in another article that said that “we have ceased using the term “sodomite” or “sodomy” when speaking of those tempted to same-sex intimacy and of the indecent acts they are tempted to perform.” The complaints ranged from the use of the word “sodomy” is unnecessarily inflammatory to arguing that the word “homosexual” predates the LGBT movement. The main thing that all the complaints had in common was that they did not see how the change from “sodomy” to “homosexuality” to "same-sex attraction" was all that big of a deal.
One person sent me a google books ngram viewer tracing the word sodomy and homosexual over the 20th century as proof that the word sodomy wasn’t used. Notwithstanding the fact that the google books ngram viewer has some legitimate accuracy problems that Wire has documented here, I decided to expand the graph to the 1600s. I think the discerning reader will see that this graph rather than disproving Ben’s theory highlights it.
The Huffington Post wrote this article about the man who coined the term “Homosexual.” This is what they said “Kertbeny’s role in fighting for gay rights is rarely mentioned. His one lasting legacy was that he was the man who invented homosexuality, or to be more precise, the one who coined the terms “homosexual” and “heterosexual.” Kertbeny felt that the common phrases of the day were unfairly pejorative and wanted more neutral terms.”
Notice that the reason for the new word is to provide a neutral term that softens the blow of pejoratives like “sodomy.” Now why is “sodomy” a pejorative? Because it shows the end result of the act. If we are completely honest, the reason people don’t like the word is precisely why we should be using it. They don’t like the fact that it contains within it the idea of God’s judgment. Everyone knows what happened to Sodom because of their abominable and perverse acts. That is why they hate the word and consider it a pejorative. It has the sting of shame and judgment right within the word. The two things our sinful nature hates more than anything is shame and judgment. Yet both shame and judgment are the precise thing that those tempted to this sin need to hear about it. They need to know that this crime of Sodom brings with it shame and the judgment of God. The most loving thing they can hear is "stay away from this shameful act that brings the judgment of God. Flee the shame and judgment and look to Christ who can forgive." They don’t need a clinical and neutral term.
Nor do they need a term that can become their identity. Historian and philosopher Michel Foucault argued in his book “The history of Sexuality” that homosexual and heterosexual identities didn't emerge until the 19th century. Prior to that time, the terms described practices and not identity. The word “sodomy” and “sodomite” describe shameful practices and a label for those who practice them. It is similar to the word theft and thief. One is a thief when he commits theft. Thief is not an identity however to latch onto. You can search high and low in your Bible but you will not find the idea of sexual orientation. You will see the use of terms to describe those who practice indecent acts and are given to unnatural desire.
Even Wikipedia understands that the use of the term Sodomy has been the regular practice of the church for years. This is what it says “The term is derived from the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Christian churches have referred to the crimen sodomitae (crime of the Sodomites) for centuries.” For example, “in the early 5th century, Jerome, a priest, historian, and theologian used the forms Sodoman, in Sodomis, Sodomorum, Sodomæ, Sodomitæ.”
Having said all of that, are we arguing that you must always use the word “sodomy” and never the word “homosexuality?” No. That was not even the main point of Mr. Carmack’s article. His point was that we need to be able to say clearly that homosexuality/sodomy is wicked, perverse, shameful, and harmful. We better not speak about it in precious words. Nor should we be ashamed to say the truth. The lives of people caught in this abominable act are at stake and they don’t need Christians especially elders and pastors to be ashamed of the truth. They don’t need us to soft-peddle this. No matter how much you try to put on a smile and use the word “gospel”, you are not helping anyone nor honoring the Lord when you soften the blow of sin. Our Lord and Savior died a bloody and shameful death for sin, sin like this. We are not honoring him by talking about sin in precious ways, no matter how many times we say the word "gospel." So whatever word you use, make sure that you convey the shamefulness that this sin brings. It harms the bodies and souls of people tempted to it. People’s souls are at stake. Furthermore, this sin is not only a sign of God’s judgment but it brings God’s judgment upon churches and nations that tolerate it.
Leviticus 20:22-23 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
Pastors, seminary professors, and denomination leaders who are helping to remove the shame from this sin are hastening the judgment of God upon this nation. They may not be long for this world, but our children and grandchildren will be here and they will suffer as God pours out his judgment. As a pastor, I have no patience for pastors who are ashamed to speak to this issue with the blunt truth.
I want to leave you with this excerpt from a sermon by John Chrysostom. He was one of the most well know Christian preachers during the late 300s AD. Compare this with how precious our modern teachers speak. May God raise up more men with the golden tongue of John Chrysostom.
"(T)hese I say are even worse than murderers: since to die even is better than to live under such insolency. For the murderer dissevers the soul from the body, but this man ruins the soul with the body. And name what sin you will, none will you mention equal to this lawlessness. And if they that suffer such things perceived them, they would accept ten thousand deaths so they might not suffer this evil. For there is not, there surely is not, a more grievous evil than this insolent dealing. For if when discoursing about fornication Paul said, that "Every sin which a man does is without the body, but he that commits fornication sins against his own body" 1 Corinthians 6:18; what shall we say of this madness, which is so much worse than fornication as cannot even be expressed?
For I should not only say that you have become a woman, but that you have lost your manhood, and hast neither changed into that nature nor kept that which you had, but you have been a traitor to both of them at once, and deserving both of men and women to be driven out and stoned, as having wronged either sex.
And that you may learn what the real force of this is, if any one were to come and assure you that he would make you a dog instead of being a man, would you not flee from him as a plague? But, lo! You have not made yourself a dog out of a man, but an animal more disgraceful than this. For this is useful unto service, but he that has thus given himself up is serviceable for nothing. Or again, if any one threatened to make men travail and be brought to bed, should we not be filled with indignation? But lo! now they that have run into this fury have done more grievously by themselves.
For it is not the same thing to change into the nature of women, as to continue a man and yet to have become a woman; or rather neither this nor that. But if you would know the enormity of the evil from other grounds, ask on what account the lawgivers punish them that make men eunuchs, and you will see that it is absolutely for no other reason than because they mutilate nature. And yet the injustice they do is nothing to this. For there have been those that were mutilated and were in many cases useful after their mutilation. But nothing can there be more worthless than a man who has pandered himself. For not the soul only, but the body also of one who has been so treated, is disgraced, and deserves to be driven out everywhere. How many hells shall be enough for such?
But if you scoff at hearing of hell and believest not that fire, remember Sodom. For we have seen, surely we have seen, even in this present life, a semblance of hell. For since many would utterly disbelieve the things to come after the resurrection, hearing now of an unquenchable fire, God brings them to a right mind by things present. For such is the burning of Sodom, and that conflagration! And they know it well that have been at the place, and have seen with their eyes that scourge divinely sent, and the effect of the lightnings from above."