In this Close Reading series, biblical scholars reflect on a passage in their area of expertise that has been formational in their own discipleship and continues to speak to them today.

I had just finished a class lecture on the theology of sin in the New Testament, and a student wanted to continue the conversation after class. Her pensive expression gave me some alarm. My mind began to race through all of the possible comments that may have offended her. After everyone had departed from the lecture hall, she confessed, “My brother is gay. He told my family last week, and I want to know what you think.”

My heart is filled with compassion in situations like these. Conversations about human sexuality are not simple. You do not just give people a few Bible verses and send them on their way, expecting all their problems to be solved. You have to patiently talk through their questions, concerns, and doubts. These sorts of dialogues are often laced with heavy emotions such as fear, guilt, pain, or shame.

As a New Testament scholar, I often find myself in off-the-record conversations about human sexuality. Whether it is in a discussion with a student, a former colleague whose son is dealing with gender dysphoria, or a pastor who is attempting to balance leading a welcoming church while upholding the teachings of Scripture, human sexuality increasingly comes up in conversations.

I am asked questions as if I know of something new or different from what has been understood and affirmed throughout Christian history and tradition: that God created male and female, and that sex outside of the confines of marriage between a man and a woman is contrary to biblical values.

Some gently start by testing me with hypothetical questions. “What do you think about …” is an innocuous way to gauge how I would react. Others may bring up the sexual sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, and when they do, my mind does not rush to Genesis 19:1–28. Instead, I think first of ...