Christian Theol Sexuality

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Sexuality is a powerful medium through which humans explore their passions and freedoms. For this reason, sexual intimacy is often considered a site of unparalleled joy. At the same time, humans can profoundly exploit each other through sex, and such abuse is uniquely harmful. In light of these concerns, this course explores the many things that the Christian tradition says about sexuality and ethical sexual behavior, historically and today. Specifically, we will examine the following topics: the historical development of doctrine about sexuality; sexuality and gender identity; sex in and outside marriage; queer sexuality; sexuality and disability; sexuality and racial oppression; rape culture; the Catholic sex abuse crisis; and toxic masculinity. In this examination, we will take into account not only Christian theological discourses, but also feminist, BIPOC, queer, disabled, and scientific perspectives. In all of this, our goal will be to articulate the demands of sexual justice in our world today