“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah” (1:10; cf. Genesis 19).

Sodom. Gomorrah. Remember? Places of wickedness, of violence, of perversity. Do you know any place like that? Places where sexuality is twisted and relationships are corrupted and social order is breaking down? Places where people seek to gratify personal desires at the expense of others, where individual pursuits take precedence over common well-being, where anything goes as long as it feels good?

Have you been to Sodom lately? I wonder if you’d recognize it. People spend lots of time and even more money pursuing pleasure. Sex has become a social craze. The most intimate of actions are widely displayed and intensely viewed. The society seems to demand a con…