Lest anybody think that evangelical views on homosexuality are rooted in the bible and have never changed lets look at Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
According to Matthew Henry homosexuality is the punishment given to someone by God for the sin of idolatry and not a direct sin in itself, except in it being against the levitical law and being a scandalous sin greater than others in the publics mind of that time.
A law against unnatural lusts, sodomy and bestiality, sins not to be named nor thought of without the utmost abhorrence imaginable, Lev. 18:22, 23. Other sins level men with the beasts, but these sink them much lower. That ever there should have been occasion for the making of these laws, and that since they are published they should ever have been broken, is the perpetual reproach and scandal of human nature; and the giving of men up to these vile affections was frequently the punishment of their idolatries; so the apostle shows, Rom. 1:24.
Commentary on Leviticus Ch 18
and
The judgments of God upon them for this idolatry; not many temporal judgments (the idolatrous nations were the conquering ruling nations of the world), but spiritual judgments, giving them up to the most brutish and unnatural lusts. Paredoken autous—He gave them up; it is thrice repeated here, Rom. 1:24, 26, 28. Spiritual judgments are of all judgments the sorest, and to be most dreaded
Commentary on Romans 1:24
I am not sure that any modern evangelical would hold to this view, yet both Henry and his modern counterparts would both claim to be interpreting the bible literally and without prejudice.
What I m saying here is that there is no such thing as a literal interpretation of anything in the bible. It all requires interpretation of some sort and evangelicals do this as much as liberals.
Let he who is without sin!
