Few biblical texts have been misused as maliciously, and as dishonestly, as has the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hebrew prophets talked about the “sin” of Sodom, but none of them mentioned homosexuality. The prophet Ezekiel spoke clearly on the matter:”“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”So what is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah about? Just like Jesus, the ancient rabbis often taught in parables. To take a parable literally usually means to miss the point entirely. The “sin” in the story of Sodom referred to a culture of domination and abuse toward of those outside one’s own culture. Sojourners were incredibly vulnerable in the ancient world. To not offer them hospitality could mean their death. To shoehorn the modern concept of homosexuality into the story of Sodom and Gomorrah says more about the sexual obsessions of the translators than anything that is in the actual text. Neither biblical Greek nor Hebrew had an equivalent term for the modern word “homosexuality.” In fact, the words “homosexual” and “heterosexual” were both coined by Karl-Maria Kertbeny in 1868. It is dishonest to pretend the ancient prophets were hating on the same people as the Christian Nationalists of today. We who live in the age of MAGA can learn a few things from this teaching story. As the demographics of our nation change and white Christian men are no longer the central stars of our nation’s narrative, many who benefit from white Christian male heterosexual privilege are tempted to mistreat those of the new demographic- as if their very presence were an assault on the the moral fiber of our nation.Forming lynch mobs to protect the old ways from newcomers is exactly what the bullies of Sodom were doing. Such mindless allegiance to the ways of yesteryear may feel strong at first but it actually binds us to an old world that is dying. The metaphor of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back is a warning about being unwilling to let go of our former glories and enter a new world being born. We cannot make America great by bullying those who do not fit our stereotypes about who is and isn’t a real American. The DEI movement (inclusivity equity and inclusion) so dreaded by Christian Nationalists is just another version of the ethical sinew of this nation “E Pluribus Unum.” If we do not develop a culture that affirms the dignity and human rights of us all, our wealth and military might will not make America great again. Without diversity, equity and inclusion this nation will unravel for lack of a unifying ethical principle. Ironically, blaming our problems on vulnerable populations like the LGBTQ community or undocumented immigrants makes us the very “Sodomites” the story warns about.