God, Sex, and Gender

Adrian Thatcher is currently Visiting Professor in Applied Theology at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of numerous books, including: The Savage Text: The Use and Abuse of the Bible (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008); Theology and Families (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007); The Guide to Christian Marriage and to Getting Married in Church (2003); Living Together and Christian Ethics (2002); and Celebrating Christian Marriage (ed., 2001).

“Many of the critiques of God, Sex, and Genderoffered in this review emerge from Thatcher’s own lines of interrogation. In this and other ways, the book succeeds in drawing readers into what is truly an exhilarating mode of reflection. As such, it offers a major contribution towards theological depth and creativity in this important set of discourses, renewing the often reflexive ethics of sex and gender through witness to the Word become flesh.”  (Studies in Christian Ethics, 16 April 2014)“Written as a text for post-secondary courses, this book aims to provide “a comprehensive and consistent theological understanding of sexuality and gender, which is broad, contemporary, undogmatic, questioning, inclusive, and relevant to readers’ interests, needs, and experience” (xi).”  (Studies in Religion, 1 September 2013)"Adrian Thatcher's new book will be a rich resource for those studying and teaching sex, gender and sexuality in theological perspective ... The volume is a valuable one, which I hope will prompt readers to go and explore Thatcher's own extensive work form the past, as well as the broader context of theological scholarship on sexuality, gender and marriage within which it sits." (Theology, 1 January 2012) "Although designed as an introduction for theology students, this is a really remarkable book covering a whole range of sensitive subjects in a deeply humane fashion." (Network Review, 1 June 2011)

• Introduction – Or, a Welcome to My Readers ixPart I Sex, Gender, and Theology 11 Sex: Sexuality, the Sexes, Having Sex 31.1 Sexuality 31.2 How Many Sexes are There? 61.3 Having Sex 142 Gender: Language, Power, and History 172.1 Gender 172.2 Gender, Language, and Power 232.3 Gender in the Time of Jesus 283 Theology: Sources and Applications 333.1 Explaining the Sources: Scripture, Tradition, Reason 333.2 Applying the Sources 403.3 Using the Sources Well 49Part II Being Theological about Sex 554 Desiring 574.1 Learning from Lust 574.2 Desiring 624.3 Desiring God? 664.4 God Desiring Us? 695 Framing Sex: Must the Framework be Marriage? 765.1 The Traditional Framework: Celibacy or Marriage? 765.2 The Case against Marriage 795.3 Alternative Frameworks: Justice and Friendship? 875.4 A New Case for Marriage? 896 Covenants and Covenant-Makers 966.1 Beginning with God 966.2 God the Father – Maker of Covenants 1006.3 Christ – The Bridegroom, Maker of a New Covenant 1066.4 The Eucharist – Sharing in the New Covenant 111Part III Being Theological about Gender 1157 God: Beyond Male and Female 1177.1 Does God Have [a] Sex? 1187.2 Is God the Son a Man? 1237.3 Mary – Mother of All the Living 1277.4 Womankind in God’s Likeness? 1318 ‘‘In Christ there is neither Male nor Female’’ 1358.1 Sex in the Body of Christ 1358.2 Gender in the Body of Christ 1398.3 Masculinity in the Body of Christ 1438.4 . . . Neither . . . Male nor Female . . .? 149Part IV Being Theological about Same-Sex Love 1559 The Bible and Same-Sex Love 1579.1 What the Churches Teach 1579.2 Same-Sex Relations in the Hebrew Bible 1599.3 Same-Sex Relations in the New Testament 1639.4 What Else Does the Bible ‘‘Say’’ about Same-Sex Relations? 1689.5 Finding What We Want to Find? Evaluating Official Teaching 17110 Tradition, Reason, and Same-Sex Love 17510.1 Tradition and Same-Sex Love 17510.2 Reason, Natural Law, and Same-Sex Love 18010.3 Complementarity and Same-Sex Love 18510.4 Experience and Same-Sex Love 188Part V Learning to Love 19111 Virginity, Celibacy, Chastity 19311.1 Valuing Virginity? 19311.2 Virginity ‘‘for the Sake of the Kingdom’’ 19611.3 In Praise of Restraint 20011.4 Commending Chastity 20312 ‘‘Condilemmas’’: Sex and Contraception in the Time of HIV/AIDS 21112.1 Contraception, Still a Theological Issue 21112.2 Lambeth against Rome 21412.3 Contraception and Natural Law 21712.4 Sex and Love: An ‘‘Unbreakable Connection’’? 22112.5 Moral Deficit Arguments 22412.6 Condoms in the Time of HIV/AIDS 22613 Marriage and the ‘‘States of Life’’ 23413.1 Betrothal in the Bible 23413.2 Betrothal and Tradition 23713.3 Spousals, Nuptials, and States of Life 24414 Inclusive Theology and Sexual Minorities 24914.1 Sex 24914.2 Gender 256Index of Authors 259Index of Biblical References 263Index of Subjects 267