Could the sin of Sodom have been arrogance, abundant food, carelessness, and not helping the poor? Certainly, these are identified as sins of Sodom in Ezekiel, but they can’t account for other descriptions of Sodom’s behavior: “abominations” (Ezekiel 16:50), “oppressed by the sensual conduct” (2 Peter 2:7), “indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh” (Jude 1:7).

What was the sin of Sodom? Pro-gay theology advocates deny homosexuality was involved. Instead, they point to other offenses like gang rape, inhospitality, sex with angels, and other sins. But prior to the last 40 years, there was little debate about Sodom and Gomorrah. With culture’s approval of homosexual “sex” and same-sex “marriage,” a tremendous amount of ink has been spilt debating the sin of Sodom. It turns out you can resolve the debate with only one question.

To be sure, no one denies the people of Sodom were morally bankrupt. They were guilty of many sins. That’s not disputed. What’s in question is whether Sodom’s inhabitants were also guilty of homosexual sex.

I’ll admit, though, that of the six most famous texts about homosexuality (Gen. 19:1–29, Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom. 1:26–27, 1 Cor. 6:9, and 1 Tim. 1:10), it’s hardest to argue that homosexual sex should be included in the list of sins the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of. Still, I want to make an argument for the historical Christian interpretation.

There’s only one question that resolves this mystery: What sin explains all the biblical data? In other words, let’s first read the relevant passages and then ask what sin is best characterized by the verses.

This approach enlists a standard technique of rational inquiry: abductive reasoning. Investigators of all stripes incorporate it. Gather data. Study the clues. Then ask, what’s the best explanation? The answer needs to have the greatest explanatory power. That means it must account for all the data—not just some of it—and not be contradicted by any data point.

In the case of determining the sin of Sodom, the answer needs to account for all the verses and not be contradicted by any of them. Although there are over a dozen passages that mention Sodom and Gomorrah, most of them simply mention the cities without a lot of detail. The following five passages, though, provide valuable insight into the sin of the men of Sodom.

The first passage is Genesis 18:20–21. God speaks these words before the angels arrive in Sodom and Gomorrah: “And the Lord said, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.’”

The second is Genesis 19:1–29. This is the primary source material for the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative. When two angels visit Sodom, Lot invites them to stay inside his house. Then, “the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.’” After Lot offered his virgin daughters to the men, the angels blinded the men. Lot and his family fled the city, and God “rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

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