It is a shame how little of the Pope's teaching has spread through the Protestant church. I guess I should not be too surprised considering the immense distrust of all things Roman in most Protestant circles. If Protestants are honest with themselves, they must admit that we desperately need help when it comes to issues of sexuality and the body. We have such a poor foundation for these issues. The entire spectrum of Protestant theology is vapid. From the meager traditional teaching, "'don't have sex before marriage," to the more progressive teaching that seems to have even less to offer, we are floundering in our efforts to communicate solid and encouraging teaching on the body to our children.
To this end, I would like to recommend Christopher West's Theology of the Body for Beginners. It is solid and accessible. There is plenty you will disagree with, but at least it will give you something to work with, which is more than most of us have.
The following quote from his introductory chapter sums it all up for me, "[Pope John Paul II's teaching] is a message of sexual healing and redemption, not condemnation. With this compassionate approach-the Gospel approach-John Paul shifts the discussion of sexual morality from legalism to liberty. The legalist asks, "How far can I go before I break the law?" Instead, the Pope asks, "What's the truth about sex that sets me free to love?"
This is the premise of the Pope's extensive theology of the body and I commend it to everyone. It is time to break down some of the walls between the Protestant and Roman traditions. We have a lot to learn from one another.
3 comments:
A Catholic friend introduced me to the Theology of the Body, and I thank God she did. It is dense stuff, which is why it is great that Christopher West has translated it for the layperson. I do have to disagree with you on one point however: there is solid work out there from a Protestant perspective on sex and marriage. You should check out John Piper and his biblical based views on complementarianism.
Oh no, John Piper? I have not read about his views on sexuality, but I have read little of his work that I have enjoyed at all. I generally just get frustrated and upset with his work, but if could tell me where I can find his teaching on complementarianism I will check it out.
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