I. Biblical authority 

All Christians grant some level of authority to the Old and New Testament writings. When Christians deal with ethics and morality, they either start with the Scriptures or at least listen attentively to their commentary and counsel.

The study of the Bible is more than merely reading the material, the Bible is not a recipe-book. Serious study of the Bible involves the adoption of a "hermeneutic". Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. Conclusions can be no better than the hermeneutic rules that are adopted.

II. Never ask the Bible a question it does not address

One basic rule of most hermeneutic systems is "Never ask the Bible to answer a question that it does not address." This rule is violated over and over again. For example, the Bible cannot be asked to answer scientific questions of the 21st Century. The Bible material was written in pre-scientific eras. It is understandably silent on 21st Century understanding of chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, DNA or geology.

As we approach the Bible on the subject of homosexuality, we must ask the root question: "Does the Bible in fact say anything that is applicable to the present discussion?"

Some facts are accepted by everyone. At the head of the list, Jesus said nothing on the subject. There is not a single word in the Gospels about any type of same-sex sexual activity. Jesus did not hesitate to comment on all the evils of his day. He said nothing about homosexuality. Arguments from silence are always weak at best. Nevertheless, Jesus's silence on this particular subject is worthy of note.

III. Does the Bible in fact say anything on homosexuality?

Additionally, everyone agrees that there is no word in the original language of either the Old or New Testament that can be properly translated "homosexual or homosexuality". If this word is used in your translation, the translators have used it although it is not in the original Hebrew or Greek texts! For example non of the Dutch translations use the word "homosexual" although some English translators still use it.
There is no reference in the Bible to homosexual orientation. One can only conclude that homosexual orientation was not a concern to Jesus, to the writers of the Bible materials, or to the societies in which they lived.
Whenever same-sex references are made in the Bible, it is always a reference to some particular sexual act, mostly in the context of rape or prostitution.

IV. The top 9 texts used against homosexuals

(1) Genesis 19
This chapter records the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. There is no reference to homosexual activity in the passage. Two messengers from God, referred to as angels, visited Lot. Men of Sodom and Gomorrah did not want the messengers from God in their cities. They demanded Lot turn his guests over to them for sexual abuse. Lot offered his daughters instead. If the passage is any commentary about sex, it is about abuse and rape, not homosexuality. Another rule of hermeneutics is that Scripture should be allowed to comment on Scripture. Allowing Scripture to comment on Scripture, the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were inhospitable attitude (look at Luke 10:10-13) and failure to care for the poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

(2) Deuteronomy 23:17
(3) I Kings 14:24
(4) II Kings 23:7
All this texts forbid both male and female prostitution in pagan temples. The people of God were warned against selling themselves sexually for pagan religious ceremonies. A male temple prostitute performed sexual acts with another male, a clear homosexual act. I would not allow modern heterosexual prostitution to be used as a negative commentary on the morality of sexual relations between a loving husband and wife. Neither do I see any relevance of ancient male temple prostitution to the discussion of homosexuality and the practice of Christian faith in 21st Century.

(5) Leviticus 18:19-23
(6) Leviticus 20:10-16
These passages are from the Old Testament: and are a part of the Holiness Codes. The theme of the codes is summed up with "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." To be holy or pure before God was something more than merely being moral. Every area of a person's life was involved. Some instructions in the Holiness Codes became central to Christian understanding. When Jesus commanded his followers to love their neighbors, he was quoting from the Holiness Codes. On the other hand, the Holiness Codes carry instructions that all Christians ignore. According to the codes, a worker must be paid his wage on the day of his labor. A field is never to be harvested to the edge. Two types of yarn are never to be woven into the same cloth. Raw meat is not to be eaten. Tattoos are forbidden. Bigamy is clearly acceptable.

Imbedded in the Holiness Codes along with an almost endless number of instructions and commands is found a prohibition of a specific homosexual act. "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman." The book of Leviticus itself gives us little help in understanding the intent of the command. Leviticus tells us nothing specific about the forbidden homosexual act. It gives us no context for the command. Christian hermeneutics give priority to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth over the Old Testament. Jesus set new standards for what it means to be holy. He embraced some Old Testament standards. He rejected and openly violated some other Old Testament standards: his breaking of Sabbath rules kept him in constant tension with religious leaders. He ignored some Old Testament standards. He raised justice, mercy, kindness, and love to new heights.

In the light of Jesus's life and teachings, the two Holiness Codes passages fade into obscurity and irrelevance. The Old Testament informs and instructs, but it is the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus that the Christian churches have embraced as normative and as having final authority.

It is well for hermeneutics to raise a general caution. Can any ancient prohibition set in a little known and little understood context be properly superimposed over a modern setting? In particular can the Holiness Codes statement have any relevance to the relationship between two men or two women in the 21st Century in a committed relationship that is characterized as genuinely affectionate and respectful? I think not.

(7) Romans 1:26-2:1
(8) I Corinthians 6:9-11
(9) I Timothy 1:10
All three references about sexual deviance are found in the writings of Paul. These passages have always been difficult to translate and even more difficult to interpret because there are no clear English equivalents into which the key Greek words can be translated. The most exhaustive study of the issues involved was published by author Robin Scroggs in his book The New Testament and Homosexuality published in 1983.
In his study, Scroggs takes us into the Jewish and Greek worlds of Paul's day. He researched the sexual practices and the issues of morality of that day as reflected in literature extant from that day. He found no indication of interest in same-sex sexual relationships between consenting adults. What he did find was the widespread practice of pederasty. In its usual form pederasty was a form of prostitution in which young boys were used sexually by heterosexual males. Devout Jews and Christians were understandable critical of this practice found widely among the Greeks. It is in this context that the words and expressions used by Paul are found in other literature o the same period.
It is Scroggs' argument that the three references from Paul which we have cited are not commentaries about homosexuality in general, but understandable references to the widely known practice of pederasty among the Greeks. Scroggs confronts us with another rule of hermeneutics. He maintains that for moral and ethical passages of the Bible to be applied to today's world, there must be some reasonable similarity between the contexts then and now. In this case the contexts are so dissimilar that the three passages become irrelevant. To make his point even clearer, Scroggs concludes that Paul can be shown to be against only that which he was clearly against.

One further observation is worthy of consideration. Nowhere in the New Testament is there a discussion of homosexuality or of any homosexual practice. The three New Testament references are part of lists made in the larger contexts of other discussions. Even if the importance of these three passages could be maximized and be shown to be directly relevant to today's discussion, the very incidental nature of the references would relegate them to secondary importance.

V. Conclusion: What Does the Bible say about homosexuality?

When someone asks me what the Bible says about homosexuality, my most honest answer must be: "Not much!" So how to deal with homosexuality then? Look what the Bible says about love. God is love and we are supposed to love God with all that is in us and our (gay/lesbian/bisexual/ heterosexual/transgender) neighbour as ourselves (see Matthew 22:37-40).