Making Love Just: Sexual Ethics for Perplexing Times

by Marvin M. Ellison

These days sexual sin is far less about sex and far more about the misuse of power and exploitation of vulnerability. It's time to redraw the ethical map. But how should a contemporary Christian ethic of sexuality be formulated? Marvin Ellison, a pioneer in contemporary Christian rethinking of sexuality and sexual ethics, uses a series of provocative questions to increase readers' skills and confidence for engaging in ethical deliberation about sexuality. Students and all adults will welcome this book for enabling their personal clarity, approach to relationships, and mindful participation in respectful moral debate.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[R.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate this book as a strong statement of progressive Christian sexual ethics, with which I am in substantial agreement. Ellison's writing is lucid and his academic apparatus is strong. As a theologian, I wish Ellison would engage explicitly with the biblical text more--as it is, because conservative Christians are not his audience, he risks alienating them by not using it, and perhaps by being heard as condescending.

The most difficult chapter for me was the chapter on reproductive justice. As a Christian who believes that abortion is a social evil that nevertheless should be legal (because abortions decrease when well-supervised and sanitary conditions exist), nevertheless I do not know why the life of the unborn should not be the primary consideration--Ellison does not explain, but only asserts, that this is the case. I still fail to see how any of the other ethics Ellison wants us to adopt are relevant if human beings do not have an unalienable right to exist.

The argument that comes closest to convincing me of his position is his analogy between the discussion of warfare in Christian tradition and that of abortion. I am a Christian pacifist and I believe that Christians bearing arms on behalf of the State is grave sin; however, I am willing to recognize that other people believe otherwise and still want to follow Jesus--for them, their faith is such that they do not regard authorized violence as sinful. Given the opportunity, I would attempt to convince my 'just war' co-religionists of the sinfulness of taking life for the state. But I also accept that I am in need of serious forgiveness, too. In the same way, I would attempt to persuade my fellow Christians that abortion destroys the life of an image-bearing creature, while still recognizing that others really do have their own integrity before God. God is always right when making a determination--but I most decisively am not. In short, I do not think, on balance, that Ellison makes a strong enough argument that supporting the actual choice to have an abortion is an instance of "just love."

Because the argument above is only one piece of an otherwise strong and articulate book, I would recommend it to thoughtful Christians and other people of conscience who are seeking to find workable solutions to the perplexing times in which we live.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a very academic and philosophical style, Ellison discusses the values related to justice-love, while encouraging the reader to use this as a foundation to develop one's own framework.

I found this text a welcome change from the sex-negativity that permeates traditional evangelical Christianity, yet simultaneously reacted with quiet surprise to the widely permissive conclusions drawn by the author. But the beauty of building a sexual ethic in this way is that, in accordance with the very personal, intimate nature of sex, we are each free to create our own moral judgments on the topic. There are of course some boundaries, ranging from the immutable standard of consent (similarly espoused by many non-religious institutions and individuals today) to the expectation that we hold ourselves to respectful, compassionate, and justice-affirming sexual conduct (perhaps less mainstream, but an idea that is not inherently tied to one's religion, though Christianity should certainly promote it).

Though I don't align 100% with all of Ellison's assertions, I'm certainly glad to have read this book, and I look forward to considering its arguments as a tool in the lifelong endeavor of forming my own sexual ethic.

[Emma Bernardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a sex ethics class and it was surprisingly liberal!! I did not expect such a modern take on sex, especially in a Christian context, but I really enjoyed it. some parts were a bit hard to read because of the language used, making it a lot more formally written than it could have been, but that also may have been because i was reading this for a class so it wasnt 100% my choice. either way, it was so interesting and eye opening! definitely great to think about sexual ethics through a progressive christian perspective.

[Philip Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent text on progressive Christian sexual ethics.