Modern-day Sodomites

In pronouncing judgment on the people who were to represent Him to the rest of the world, God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel saying,

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did the wicked things that you and your daughters have done. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were full of arrogant pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease; they did not help to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy outside her door." (Ezekiel 16:49)

Somehow we skipped over the Ezekiel passage at the seminary. Many conservatives today love to point to the story of the destruction of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (in the Bible, see Genesis, chapters 18-19) to justify their disgust of homosexuals and homosexuality. Apparently, God's judgment on those two cities was not due to homosexuality after all. It's interesting that many of those "throwing stones" and condemning the "sins of the sodomites" are guilty of the real sins of Sodom--arrogant pride, excess of food (obesity) and a life of prosperous ease, while ignoring the cry of, and failing to strengthen, the poor and needy.

The richest 1% of the world's population owns almost 40% of total wealth, and the richest 5% owns 70% of the wealth. The United States is in the bottom 25% of all nations (and runs dead last among industrialized nations) in terms of wealth distribution . In 2006, of the 21 most developed nations, the U.S. ranked 21st (dead last) in the percentage of its Gross Domestic Product given to foreign aid. While there is a food shortage in parts of the world, other nations wrestle with an obesity epidemic.

Who are the modern-day "Sodomites"? Prideful, overfed, prosperous and at ease; and seemingly unconcerned with the inequity of basic resources, and the suffering of others. While some in our midst occupy themselves with focusing on the "sexual sins" of others, God has a heart for the poor and the oppressed. The truth is, Jesus was concerned with sin and inequity--and so are those who follow after Him.

Instead of focusing on our own needs and our neighbors sins, we would all do well to pay more attention to our neighbor's needs and our own sins.