Sodom 101 Seminar Study Guide Questions

by Rick Brentlinger
(Pace, FL)

My goal as a preacher of the glorious gospel of Christ is to obey Nehemiah 8:8- "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."

and 2 Timothy 4:2- "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

If I attempt to be neutral, I cannot give the sense and cause them to understand the reading. If I attempt to be neutral, I cannot reprove, rebuke and exhort. To obey those verses, I must take a side. Therefore I am not a neutral observer.

I have a viewpoint which is based on what the Bible says in context. The anti-gay crowd also has a viewpoint. They make little or no attempt to be neutral or even fair. On each of the clobber passages, they are content to ignore the context - not on one clobber passage but on all the clobber passages.

That is my reason for asking profound and thought-provoking questions which I hope will make people think. For too long, people have listened to and parroted their pastors on Genesis 19, without any regard for what the text really says.

That has resulted in an upside-down view of Genesis 19 and untold suffering for gay and lesbian kids who grow up in that environment. Some of those gay and lesbian kids have killed themselves because of false teaching they heard in church. False teaching must be confronted because God's truth is important. May it never again be the case that in Christian circles, truth is fallen in the street, Isaiah 59:14.

This Sodom 101 Seminar Study Guide is intended to help faithful pastors and Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders convey truth to their hearers.

Sodom 101 Seminar Study Guide Questions

FREE Printable 5 page pdf
Sodom 101 Seminar Questions



Before starting your discussion and answering these questions, please read all of Genesis 19 aloud with your group and then pray for the Holy Spirit to show you God's truth as you study the Bible together.


1. Please list the verse(s) in Genesis 19 which mention gays or lesbians or homosexuals. How many verses did you find?

2. Is there a difference between violent gang rape and sex in a loving marriage?

3. Is it honest and ethical to teach that violent man on man gang rape by a mob equates to being gay? vs. 5-7

4. When Lot cried out: "Do not do so wickedly," was he describing gay dating, gay marriage or gay sex or was he describing the vicious mob's attempt to gang rape angels?

5. Does anyone in Genesis 19 commit homosexual rape or incestuous homosexual rape or gay rape? If your answer is yes, please list the verses.

6. Is it honest and ethical to teach that women raping a drunk man equates to being heterosexual? vs. 32-36

7. Does anyone in Genesis 19 commit incestuous heterosexual rape? vs. 32-36

8. Please list the verse(s) in Genesis 19 which forbid gay marriage. How many verses did you find?

9. Please list the verses in Genesis 19 which instruct us to discriminate against or deny civil rights and equal rights to gays and lesbians? How many verses did you find?

10. Please list the verse(s) in Genesis 19 which say that God destroyed Sodom because of homosexuality. How many verses did you find?

11. Is it honest and ethical to use Genesis 19 to condemn homosexuality when homosexuality is not the context of Genesis 19?

12. How many people from Sodom gathered at Lot's door? v. 4

13. The population of San Francisco is about 15% gay and lesbian. Comparatively, how likely is it that all the men of Sodom were homosexuals? v. 4

14. Does the Bible say that all the men of Sodom were homosexuals? If you answer yes, please list the verse(s).

15. What did the men of Sodom attempt to do to the angels who visited Lot? vs. 4-5

16. Does "know them" in this context refer to sex?

17. Does "know them" in this context refer to dating?

18. Does "know them" in this context refer to gay marriage?

19. Does "know them" in this context refer to gang rape?

20. Did the men of Sodom gang rape the angels?

21. Did Lot try to prevent gang rape of the angels by offering his virgin daughters to be gang raped? v. 8

22. Lot offered the virginity of his daughters to the vicious mob but the men of Sodom were not interested. Who ended up taking the virginity of Lot's daughters, a heterosexual man or a homosexual man? vs. 33-36

23. Did anyone in Genesis 19 have gay sex? If you answer Yes, please list the verse(s) which say that. How many verse(s) did you find?

24. What was Lot referring to when he asked the men of Sodom not to do so wickedly? v. 7

25. Was Lot asking the men of Sodom to (a) stop being gay or (b) not to commit gang rape?

26. Did the men of Sodom threaten to gang rape Lot? v. 9

27. Who ended up raping Lot in Genesis 19, heterosexuals or homosexuals? vs. 33-36

28. How did the men of Sodom respond to Lot's offer of his virgin daughters? v. 9

29. Was Lot's offer to allow the men of Sodom to gang rape his daughters the right thing to do?

30. Is Lot a hero or a coward for his behavior in Genesis 19?

31. What did the angels do to the men of Sodom who tried to break into Lot’s house? vs. 10-11

32. What did the angels tell Lot they were about to do to Sodom? v. 13      

33. What did the angels tell Lot and his family to do? vs. 12,15,17

34. How did Lot’s sons-in-law react to the angel's warning? v. 14

35. Why did the angels have to take hold of Lot’s hand? v. 16

36. Was Lot obedient to God or rebelling against Him? v. 18

37. Why did Lot say he couldn't do what the angels asked? v. 19

38. What did the LORD rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah? v. 24

39. How is Genesis 19:24 similar to Revelation 20:10, 14-15, 21:8?

40. What happened to Lot’s wife? v. 17, 26

41. Why did Jesus warn: “Remember Lot's wife”? Luke 17:32

42. Are there serious consequences when we ignore God's word?

43. Does God keep His promises? v. 29

44. What did Lot’s daughters do to their father? v. 30-36

45. Did Lot's daughters get him drunk with wine?

46. Did both of Lot's daughters rape their father?

47. Is sex between a man and a woman homosexual or heterosexual?

48. How many people were raped in Genesis 19?

49. Who committed the sin of rape in Genesis 19?

50. Were the rapists in Genesis 19 homosexual or heterosexual?

51. Based on two heterosexual rapes in Genesis 19 which actually happened, should we conclude that heterosexual sex is wrong?

52. Based on an attempted gang rape in Genesis 19, which never happened, should we conclude that homosexuality is wrong?

53. What are the names of the children born of the heterosexual rape of Lot by his daughters? vs. 36-38

54. Why is Genesis 19 viewed as being about homosexuality when the truth is, two heterosexual rapes occurred in Genesis 19 but no gay sex of any kind occurred in Genesis 19?

55. When we know the truth about Genesis 19, will God hold us responsible to share His truth with others?

56. Are we being faithful to God when we know the truth about Genesis 19 yet remain silent when fellow Christians teach that Genesis 19 condemns homosexuals?

57. From a faithful heart for God's truth, will you gently and humbly share with your pastor and other Christians a copy of these study questions and what you have learned about Genesis 19?
 
58. How do things you've said about gays and decisions you've made affect other Christians, your friends and family and the people you love?

59. Have you offended and wounded gays and lesbians by wrongly using Genesis 19 to condemn them?

60. Are you willing to apologize and ask forgiveness so that you can repair relationships you've damaged by misusing Genesis 19? Please use 1 Corinthians 13, Matthew 5:23-24 and Luke 10:25-37 as your model.

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Inhospitality as the sin of Sodom

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Thank you for using this Study guide. I pray it will be a blessing to you as you study Genesis 19. You have my permission to cut and paste so you can make copies for your Bible study group, your church or your individual use AS LONG AS you do not post it online (I've already done that) or as long as you do not sell it.

Oil on canvas painting - The Great Day of God's Wrath, by John Martin, 1853, is in the public domain.


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