The sins of Sodom

by Nathan Brown

If I were to ask about the “sins of Sodom,” chances are there would be those who would almost automatically launch into an almost perversely vivid description of various sexual and other depravity. After all, that’s where the term “sodomy” is derived and “Sodom and Gomorrah” have become bywords for a plethora of lascivious and decadent behaviour.

Interestingly though, that’s not the answer the Bible gives. Consider Ezekiel’s description: “Sodom’s sins were pride, laziness, and gluttony, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door” (Ezekiel 16:49). Contrasting with our assumption of sexual outrage, Ezekiel’s focus is on economic injustice.

And it’s not something confined to Ezekiel. From Amos’ description of the rich women of Samaria as “fat cows” (Amos 4:1) to Mary’s song describing how God has “sent the rich away with empty hands” (Luke 1:53) to the “anti-Beatitudes” Luke records, which contrast the blessing of the poor with “woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” (Luke 6:24, NIV), to Paul’s repeated condemnation of the greedy (see, for example, Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5; Titus 1:7), it seems the Bible has something against the rich and their/our accumulation of wealth.

Perhaps this biblical concern has its high point in Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (see Luke 12:13-21). This story “gives no indication that the greed being condemned involves anything other than the accumulation of wealth by legitimate means” (Brian Rosner, Beyond Greed). But through this parable Jesus leads into a description of a life lived with a different set of priorities (see Luke 12:22-34). Jesus is criticising an approach to life that is “measured by how much we own” (Luke 12:15, NLT).

In Seven Types of Ambiguity, Australian writer Elliot Perlman describes this all-pervading measure of life in contemporary society:

“The relentless pursuit of the bottom line is the siren song of the times and the song is played over the public-address systems in banks, in stores and supermarkets. . . . It has never been so loud. It’s never been so ubiquitous. It has never before so routinely, so blatantly, ousted and nullified citizenship and notions of the common good. . . . It has never before so successfully colonised men’s souls.”

The economic mythology criticised by both Jesus and Perlman is that of the supposed “trickle down” effect of prosperity. While economic prosperity can bring some benefits to all, generally only a small portion “trickles down” to the people who most need it. This is compounded when the economic growth is driven by exploitation in its various forms—people, labour, the environment and other resources. So a small portion of the gains are “generously” made available to alleviate the suffering from which those gains were derived, all the while “the rich get richer.” It is a downward spiral with a veneer of economic growth and upward mobility.

And if the prosperity is derived from unsustainable development in whatever form, the prosperity will only ever be an illusion bought at someone else's expense, whether it be at the expense of the working poor, those marginalised by society, developing countries or future generations.

Clearly this is not the way of God:

“Economies built on destruction and exhaustion must be replaced with economies that model hospitality and care. We need to see that our economic lives give the most honest portrayal of how we understand salvation” (Norman Wirzba, The Paradise of God).

The connection of economics and our appreciation of salvation is one usually only employed in announcing the offering at church, but it isn’t limited to that small part of our income. It’s about all our lives, how we arrange all our finances, our priorities in our work, our families and our faith. Jesus said, “A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God” (Luke 12:21). One evidence of that “rich relationship” is our focus on material resources and what we do with the resources we are given.

In the midst of our market-driven, consumer-focused and advertising-saturated culture, the economics of the Bible call for a radical reordering of our priorities. As Will O’Brien has put it, “When we truly discover love, capitalism will not be possible and Marxism will not be necessary” (quoted by Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution).