Our Selves, Our Souls and Bodies: Sexuality and the Household of God

by Charles Hefling

This collection of essays, written primarily by Episcopalian scholars, address the broad topic of human sexuality in the context of today's issues. The essays take the forms of narrative, argument, first-person accounts, and theological reasoning.

Genres: Theology, Religion

1 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jonathan Platter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is something of a mixed bag. It is a collection of essays by contributors from various sectors of the Anglican church, some academics, some pastors. All essays address an aspect of the church's inclusion of homosexual persons, whether into ordained ministry or into church-sanctioned unions. The book was written in the nineties, and so reflects the issues that were pressing at the time and with the political state of that decade. Nonetheless, the methodologies of several contributors are helpful for continuing the discussion today.

There are essays on parenting children who self-identify as homosexual, on ministry with and/or as homosexuals, ordaining and marrying homosexuals. The essays that I found most intriguing were on the nature of sexuality and marriage. Four essays explicitly deal with that theme, addressing the question of what sex "means" (assuming that it can be partially described as a linguistic act, capable of performing interpersonal communication and thereby bearing meaning). With this question in mind -- on the meaning performance of sex -- the contributors ask whether same-sex unions can participate in this form of meaning making. These contributors are sympathetic to an affirmative answer, but their main project is in contributing to the church's process of discernment and so in proposing the means by which such a discernment process can take place.

There are some essays in this collection that will not as interesting/engaging/helpful. One or two even came across as trite. However, several essays -- especially those investigating the meaning of sexuality in general in discussion with Christian tradition and scripture -- make genuine contributions to a Christian sexual ethic, particularly on the question of whether the church will recognize same-sex unions as analogous or equal to opposite-sex unions.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must read-1
Accessible-3
Kept my attention-3