Contemporary Theological Approaches to Sexuality

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.

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 book’s 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 Thatcher’s turn to sex similarity as opposed to sex difference; in my evaluation, queer theologians would benefit from following Thatcher’s 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

• ContentsPart I: Normativity and transgression Normativity and Transgression- Lisa Isherwood & Dirk von der HorstPart 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-EspinozaPart 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-GossPart 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