When Translation Becomes a Weapon

One of the most harmful things the church has ever done is take ancient words, shaped by ancient cultures, translated through centuries of bias and assumption, and then use them as weapons against people who are simply trying to live, love, belong, and be faithful.

When we look at passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we have to be honest enough to admit that translation matters, context matters, and history matters, even if that makes things inconvenient for those who prefer their theology pre-packaged and prejudice-approved. The words that eventually became “homosexuals” in some English translations did not begin that way, and they certainly were not written in a world that understood sexual orientation, committed same-sex relationships, or LGBTQIA+ identity the way we understand them today.

Paul was writing to a specific community, in a specific Greco-Roman context, where exploitation, excess, abuse, prostitution, power, slavery, and pederasty were part of the world around him. That is a very different conversation from two people building a loving, mutual, faithful relationship rooted in care, dignity, and covenant. To pretend those are the same thing is not biblical faithfulness, it is theological laziness dressed up in religious confidence, and frankly, the church has done enough damage with that costume.

The Bible should never be reduced to a weapon we swing at people we refuse to understand. Scripture deserves to be studied deeply, honestly, humbly, and with enough reverence to ask better questions than, “How can I use this to exclude someone?” Maybe the better question is, “Where is love present, where is harm being done, and where is God calling us to protect the vulnerable rather than punish them?”

As Rev. Dr. Troy Perry said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and he knows I’m gay.” And honestly, that may preach better than a thousand bad translations.