ABSTRACT
For two millennia Christianity has embraced fairly consistent views of human sexuality. Today, there exist more varied outlooks on the subject. This volume on Christianity in the The Library of Essays on Sexuality and Religion series overviews the contrasting Christian perceptions of sexuality. Part 1 includes a number of previously published articles that are theological in nature and present biblical interpretations of sexuality. Here, several Christian voices are permitted to speak from their varied perspectives, both conservative and liberal. Part 2 features contributions focusing on the Christian tradition of celibacy and asceticism. Part 3 surveys scholarly work emphasising the relationship between sexuality, gender and patriarchy. Part 4 offers academic interpretations of Christian expressions of sexuality through the mediums of worship, ritual and the sacraments. The final part peruses contemporary contestations of conventional Christian views. This is undertaken by presenting articles examining views of gay sexuality, assisted human reproduction and priestly celibacy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|2 pages
Theology and Biblical Interpretation
part II|2 pages
Celibacy and Asceticism
chapter [10]|126 pages
Children of Disorder: Clerical Parentage, Illegitimacy, and Reform in the Middle Ages
part III|2 pages
Gender and Patriarchy
chapter [13]|22 pages
Fragments from a Journal Reflections on Celibacy and the Role of Women in the Church
chapter [14]|26 pages
Deviance, Agency, and the Social Control of Women’s Bodies in a Mennonite Community
chapter [15]|16 pages
Young Women, Sexuality and Protestant Church Community
part IV|2 pages
Worship, Ritual and Sacraments
part V|2 pages
Contesting Hegemony and Orthodoxy