Provides a much-needed overview of the state of scholarship on Christian theological reflection on sexuality. An international set of contributors offer a range of perspectives, including work from beyond the traditional boundaries of theological scholarship. This book will be an asset to religion and sexuality students and instructors.
Contemporary Theological Approaches to Sexuality provides a much-needed overview of the state of scholarship on Christian theological reflection on sexuality and sexual theology. Critically, it also intervenes in the cultural debate over sexuality by privileging feminist, queer, and other counter-normative perspectives. Comprising twenty-three chapters by a team of international contributors this volume is divided into four parts:
• Normativity and transgression
• Bodies
• Economies and violence
• Divinity.
Within these sections central issues, debates and problems are examined, including consideration of the complexities of Christian theology in regard to contemporary sexuality debates. Contemporary Theological Approaches to Sexuality is essential reading for students and researchers in the field of religion, sexuality, and Christianity.
Arvustused
Riveting and provocative! The focus on bodily theology, its up-to-date cutting edge research on topics from early Christian monasticism to contemporary pop music, the orientation toward redress of injustices, and the refutation of simplistic media-fostered ideas that all religious views of sexuality are conservative - make this volume a must-read for those who want to keep up with the ongoing theological discourse about sexuality.
- Barbara Darling-Smith, Wheaton College, Massachusetts, USA
"The books strengths include its careful considerations of gender and sexuality in their historical milieus, some critical engagements with contemporary science, fair considerations of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the crisis of Catholic clerical sexual abuse of minors, and fresh looks at erotic theology. It will be interesting to see what queer theologians do with Adrian Thatchers turn to sex similarity as opposed to sex difference; in my evaluation, queer theologians would benefit from following Thatchers lead on that point. (...) Contemporary Theological Approaches to Sexuality is worth reading to gain a single-volume appraisal of the state of queer theologies at present. The authors present some important points of contention that will likely be sites of future discourse, especially within queer theology."
- Katherine Apostolacus, Claremont Graduate University, USA
Contents
Part I: Normativity and transgression
Normativity and Transgression- Lisa Isherwood & Dirk von der Horst
Part II: Bodies
Gender AdrianThatcher
Transgender Sharon A. Bong
A sexual communion of subjects- Anne Benvenuti
Neurotheologies and sexualities Montserrat Escribano-Cárcel
Sexual renunciation in Christian history and theology Sarah Moslener
Theeology: the "not necessarily Christian alternative" available to
pre-Stonewall gay women Marie Cartier
Music Dirk von der Horst
Queering Desire- Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
Part III: Economies and Violence
Marriage Lisa Isherwood
Just sex work: a liberation thological, Marxist economic, and global feminist
analysis of sex in the sex trade Thia Cooper and Kristian Braekkan
Christian theology, sexuality and globalization: shifting practices,
revitalizing traditions Heather Shipley
Rape culture and the politics of sainthood Gina Messina-Dysert
Sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church Rosemary Radford Ruether
Reproductive rights and women's rights: justice in sexual relationships -
Rosemary Radford Ruether
AIDS: deviancy, stigma, and grace: counter-theology from the genitals of the
Body of Christ Robert E. Shore-Goss
Queer incarnational bedfelloows: Christian theology and BDSM practices
Robert E. Shore-Goss
Part IV: Divinity
Love and desire Gianluigi Gugliermetto
Sexuality in religious polemics Dirk von der Horst
Sexuality and the 'person' of Christ Lisa Isherwood
More than a divine ménage à trois: friendship, polyamory, and the doctrine of
the Trinity Hugo Quero and Joseph N. Goh
Sacramental sex/uality Alejandro S. Escalante
Virgin Mary, mother of God: from phallic fetish to fleshy womanhood? Lisa
Isherwood
Lisa Isherwood is Professor of Feminist Liberation Theologies and Director of the Institute for Theological Partnerships at the University of Winchester, UK.
Dirk von der Horst is Instructor of Religious Studies at Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, USA.
