ts215-queertheology - Tumblr blog

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

Dr. Marcella Althaus-Reid

was born in 1952 in Rosario, Argentina, to Alberto and Ada Althaus. She studied liberation theology and earned a Bachelor of Theology degree at the renowned Instituto Superior Evangelico de Estudios Teologicos (ISEDET) seminary in Buenos Aires, studying with scholars such as Jose Miguez Bonino and J. Severino Croatta.

Althaus-Reid trained for ministry in the Methodist Church of Argentina and developed expertise in the method of "conscientization," pioneered by the Brasilian educator Paolo Freire. She implemented this work in social and community projects supported by the church in poor communities of Buenos Aires. She was invited to undertake similar projects in Dundee and Perth (Scotland) years later. Throughout her career, her theological work retained a strong grounding in the "preferential option for the poor."

She continued studies in Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology and Queer Theology and completed a Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 1994. Following an appointment to a lectureship, she became Professor of Contextual Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh. She was the first woman professor of theology in the history of New College.

Her first book, Indecent Theology (2000), received widespread recognition in the theological field and earned her self-described reputation as an "indecent, Latina, bisexual theologian." Her next book, Queer God (2004), was a bold and provocative challenge to the sexual oppression inherent in most Christian theologies and established her as a fresh, cutting-edge thinker. She wrote and edited articles in numerous theological journals and was invited to lecture throughout Europe, Latin America and the U.S. Althaus-Reid and Lisa Isherwood,were the editors for a ground-breaking series of books, "Queering Theology" published by T&T Clark.

Althaus-Reid found a spiritual home in the Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) and became an advocate for MCC as a respite from alienating and exclusive liturgies and the hope for an alternative queer Christian community.

She died in Edinburgh on February 20, 2009, following a long illness, and is survived by her husband Gordon Reid.

(Information for this profile taken from a faculty bio on the University of Edinburgh web site and tributes to her written by Dr. Robert Goss and Dr. Jay Johnson: http://www.clgs.org/blog/commentary/queer-god-really-remembering-marcella-althaus-reid)

Biography Date: September, 2009

Citation

“Dr. Marcella Althaus-Reid | Profile”, LGBTQ Religious Archives Network, accessed March 25, 2023, https://lgbtqreligiousarchives.org/profiles/marcella-althaus-reid.

1 note · View note

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

People often ask me why I talk about sex so much & I’ve always been alarmed by why others talk about it so little. It’s everywhere��

The heterosexual foundation of Liberation Theology can claim for toleration of the abnormal in its communities, but it is heterosexuality as a compulsory system in itself which is abnormal, not Queer, indecent people. Indecent people challenge precisely the unnaturality and abnormality of the present sexual ideology, in all the consequences of this sexual and political theology. The fact is that our lives as heterosexuals, gays or lesbians are always abnormal, that is, managed by remote control from idealism. Therefore, liberationists or not, we are always called to confess and repent from normality and its policy of toleration, and we need to stop the circle of the life-energy wasting process of trying to fit into that ideal heterosexual being we should be. This goes for gender roles in society, sexual organisation of relationships but also our way of being society. Why do a theology of sexual stories? Is that not too particular, or too concerned with the ‘private realm’ of a person? The answer is no, because sexuality does not stay at home, or in a friend’s bedroom, but permeates our economic, political and societal life. Theology has always been a great theoretical discourse on hetero-normativity, prescribing sexual relations at home and in the public spheres of life. Without a theology of sexual stories, the last moment of the hermeneutical circle, that is, the moment of appropriation and action, will always have a partiality and a superficial approach to conflict resolution. For instance, during the past decade many BECs have been dissolved by the decision of Roman Catholic dioceses in Latin America. This has happened because the BECs have never been inscribed into canonical law: they were spontaneous, non-hierarchical movements of the church, outside the legal arrangements of ecclesial institutions.

MLA 9th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)

Marcella Althaus-Reid. Indecent Theology. Routledge, 2000.

APA 7th Edition (American Psychological Assoc.)

Marcella Althaus-Reid. (2000). Indecent Theology. Routledge.

1 note · View note

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

1. What did your faith community teach you about sex?

Anonymous Responses:

Nothing

That it should be reserved for marriage and it was sinful

Heterosexual sex is to be had! For joy, connection, and reproduction - it's part of life / humanity / our scripture & ancestral story

It should happen after marriage , it is sacred between a man and women

No. I got pregnant at an early age (5) and had no one in my faith community that I trusted to confide to. When I grew up “sex” was not discussed. There were primarily 2 sexes. Males and females

I was always told that sex is something exclusive to a married, heterosexual couple for the purposes of procreation. Pleasure was completely absent from all teachings, and moreover, deeply and explicitly shamed if you're in pursuit of it.

don’t do it (read: be a sexual being of any expression) unless you’re married to someone of the “opposite gender”.

nothing.

It’s best to wait until marriage because sex is a sacred bond that two deeply in love individuals share. It is one of the most scared expressions of love.

That sex is sacred and meant to be shared with the person you commit to in holy matrimony (marriage).

Wait until marriage

to not have it until we got married

You fulfill God’s plan if you have sex within cis-het marriage, but if you have sex or even kiss outside of marriage, you are sinning against God, yourself, and whoever you have sex with. All sex outside of cis-get marriage is sinful, and it defiles you. You can ask for forgiveness, but you’ll never be the same as you were before. Purity for women was stressed more than for men.

Beautiful (within the context of marriage)

Very little is discussed about sex in my faith community

I was taught very little about sex while growing up Catholic. I was not taught proper sex education and was even taken out of the puberty education portion of my public schooling by my parents in 5th grade. The little sex education I did have came a little later in my public schooling, 9th grade. As far as I can remember, none of it really came from my faith community. The only things I do remember were some specific rules, such as no sex before marriage, sex must be open to the possibility of bearing children, no masturbation, etc.

Growing up my faith community taught me that sex was sacred, yet ironically also profane. I was taught that because sex was sacred, that it was to be saved till marriage and done with your wife. On the flip side of that coin, pre-marital sex was looked at as sinful, as shameful, as betrayal of God. I grew up feeling deeply conflicted about my relationship to myself, to God, and to my needs and desires. I wanted to make God happy, and make it into heaven, but I felt the rigid rules of religion to be too restricting and punitive. I developed a lot of shame around sex, and part of that is because of my learned understanding of it through church and faith community. I felt either you choose God and withhold being your true self, ultimately living in hell, or be your true self but betray God and actually go to hell.

Use protection . Don’t have sex young and just wait ! As a women, you should protect your soul. Don’t allow easy access to the most sacred part of your body

Not to have sex outside of marriage or you'd be sinning against God and would get an STD and get pregnant and die and go to hell

I grew up in a cultural faith community generally informed by protestant and catholic Christianity, but not in an organized church group. The explicit teachings about sex were mostly about being safe due to the high frequency of teen pregnancies in my area, but the ideals were definitely still targeted at waiting until marriage. I think more than anything, the faith community tried to avoid the topic of sex if possible, and instead just presented strong examples of "successful" parishioners and families who had had children within marriage. There was also a lot of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, as is quite typical in my culture generationally.

Having sex is a big deal.

They taught us more about aids/HIV than sex

I was taught that sex should happen between man & woman only when they’re married. My church had sex Ed events for youth that taught us about safe sex w demonstrations (how to put on a condom etc), STDs (w pics of infected genitals), & pregnancy. I was prolly 11/12 by this time & had already seen porn/masturbated so this info was new to me. Still I didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask questions I fear I be shunned by my peers. This started the curiosity around sex & the fear to express my thoughts/questions to my church family bc I knew it was ultimately considered a sin

I grew up in a conservative episcopal church, which would be moderate to liberal in the evangelical world. We were very much not abstinence-only, but we very much were heteronormative. Summed up in a childlike way, I grew up knowing that premarital sex and ALL queer sex was wrong, but we probably wouldn't be sent to hell for it....

Sex is a sin unless you are married.

Mostly that waiting to have sex until marriage was pleasing to God and better for my soul to find peace because soul ties are real and dangerous when intertwined with the wrong person

They taught me not to have it till I was Married. That is was a thing Between a man and woman only after they were married and if not then it was a sin.

It’s for making babies. And must be done a certain way to be considered lawful and not fornicative

0 notes

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

2. How has your faith shaped the expression of your sexuality?

Anonymous Responses:

Yes, I was hindered for many years.

Normalization of hetero sex was both enticing and didn't fit neatly with my queer desires.

It has made me want to get married . It has taught me the value in it .

I feel very inhibited and sexually suppressed. No freedom of sexual expression. Basically the church taught sex before marriage is a sin frowned and punishable by God.

On one hand, the repression my faith tradition caused made me swing towards the other extreme for a few years after my sexual debut. However, now that I've found more a balance and have started developing a more personal sense of faith and spirituality that greater reflects and captures my true self, I am now able to draw from my faith and relationship with God to shape and make decisions about my sexuality, and vice versa.

it’s mostly stiffled it and resulted in me coming out as queer in my 30s

it hasn’t really..

I don’t have sex with just anyone. It is meaningful to me and should not be done out of boredom with people whom share no true connection beyond physical attraction.

I’ve normally revered sex as a pretty sacred act and something I only share with someone in a very intimate relationship/setting.

I thought I had to be in a relationship with everyone I had sex with

Formerly, I was afraid to express my sexuality, even in healthy ways because I was afraid that expressing it outside of marriage made me weak or lesser in some way. Now, with a better understanding of my faith's theology, I'm okay with non-marital expressions of sexuality so long as trust, integrity, reciprocity, love, and communication. In other words, to me, the highest forms of sexual expression must consider the humanity of the other person, treating their needs (and mine) to love, be loved, be respected, be pleasured, and honored as holy.

I was afraid of sex for a long time (especially penetrative acts), unfulfilled in sexual relationships, and only having sex to get my partners’ pleading or my own needs to stop. Purity culture created a lot of fear and trepidation as well as obsession with sex. I thought I was cis-hetero, but I’m not. Now, I have a mostly positive attitude about sex and am very happy to have sex only when I know it’s with someone I trust. I’m way less interested in sex, too, and desire quality over quantity. I think my faith really fucked up the way I see sex, and it’s a huge area of learning for me still. I have started to heal, though! Deconstructing and reconstructing with friends and partners has been a huge help in that area.

Repression of curiosity, questions, exploration, etc.

It definitely influenced my mindset at first thought certain thoughts were sinful however wished I was able to talk in a safe place emy thought without thinking I'll be sent to total damnation

Due to my queer sexual identity (along with other varied concerns), I ended up leaving the Catholic faith in my teenage years. I felt unable to express my sexuality without shame and condemnation.

Faith has shaped the expression of my sexuality in that I was a virgin till I was 18. I wanted to save my virginity till marriage and marry the person I 1st slept with. I wanted the christian ideal of love.

Ultimately it didn't work out.

In my experience it has not. Or maybe it has because my unconscious protest against organized religion gave me the license to explore my sexuality

Very selective on whom I chose to have sex with .

It's made me hesitant to explore and understand

My personal faith, which has changed dramatically through the years and isn't necessarily fully informed by my original faith community, holds a lot of space for the spiritual connection that can be achieved through sexual acts. I think one way that my faith shapes my sexuality is that I really want to maintain a very human level of respect, dignity, and concern for my sexual partners, which ultimately means that I have less casual sex than I might otherwise. Not to say that casual sex can't be holy-- I just find myself valuing developed connection and care over very short term connections. I also waited to have sex for the first time until I found someone that I loved, was in a relationship with, and thought I might marry (even though that was just an ideal for me and wasn't really tied to purity culture in the evangelical sense).

It hasn’t really

When first having sex, I felt guilty about not being a faithful Christian, but also conflicted because I enjoyed/enjoy sex. Now I don't attend faith spaces, but am still spiritual and a believer of more.

As a child I was told sex was a sin unless married & that I shouldn’t engage in lust or any sexual behavior. It was confusing when everything around me had some sexual influence (music, movies, tv, etc) I dealt w a lot of shame around sex until I got in hs & began to ask questions to my friends who were sexually active (I was not) & do my own research outside of a biblical perspective. I realized the same adults who made sex out to be a bad thing were the same ppl who had kids at a young age, were promiscuous, etc. By the time I was in college I was more open minded & comfortable in my sexuality. I knew sex wasn’t as black & white as I was raised to believe & to be curious abt sex wasn’t a bad thing. Since then I’ve learned to unlearn out dated views/opinions around sex created by the church I felt mature enough to make my own decisions on my own terms w/o any shame.

In the last decade, my spiritual understanding of sex has been evolving. At this point, I think sex is one of the best ways for us to connect with one another and with the divine. Why must sex be so guarded? Why can it not be shared liberally? As someone who finds themselves living more and more into a post-monogamous queer life and in an open marriage (or attempting to...who's got the time? We have assignments and papers!💀), I am leaning more and more into the understanding of how sex can be an ultimate act of sacred hospitality. What better way to welcome the stranger, or make (or strengthen) friendships than with sex? how much more can we learn and share with one another, if we allow ourselves to be sexually intimate with those we love or want to get to know? How much can we also share in the divine dance of God through this? There is much more to this, but this is the summary of my experience...

I’m very modest with how I dress because I feel super sexy covered up but it does have a lot to do with my faith. I view my body as a temple and I’m very selective with who sees it. I also tend to not share a lot of my intimate interactions with others like I prefer to keep my business (sex life and stories) to myself and I think my faith has a lot to do with that as well.

It convicts me to try to remain obedient to God’s word. I used to feel extreme guilt around my sexuality because I felt that I was living in sin. Now, it empowers me to try to make better choices but realizing that it is natural to have these urges but learning self control has helped remove the shame and fills me with empowerment and patience with myself.

It has made me suppress it. I didn’t start having sex until my early 20’s in fear of upsetting people at church and my mother who was a leader in the church. My faith is the reason why i don’t even understand my own sexuality it doesn’t aid in it’s development much.

My faith in Allah knows that Allah wills all things and that includes my body

0 notes

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

3. When have you experienced sexual shame? And what caused it?

Yes, mother grandmother and ingrained belief that it was wrong

Within myself. In peer groups.

After I had so many sexual partners in a span of a year I realized I felt disgusted with myself because I felt like not many people should have that much access to your body

Sex before marriage. Getting pregnant without marrying the father. When I owned my body and opened mind and gave myself (mentally)after deciding to feel my bodiy.

Honestly, I don't experience sexual shame and don't remember a time that I did, really, because I think sex is *so* incredibly holy and God-given, ordained, and sanctioned. However, I know that my mom, who thinks I'm a virgin and believes that my heart is "a blank piece of pure white paper," would be totally shocked at knowing even a fraction of the things I've done, and that thought gives me anxiety.

i don’t think i have shame, but it’s funny how it still feels kinda forbidden for me (a femme person) to date another femme person. i have to mentally give myself permission because there’s something in my bones that still feels like i shouldn’t.

never.

I don’t think that I have, but I’m sure I felt some level of moral conflict the first time I had sex just because I wasn’t married to her.

Yes. It was caused by non monogamy

yes. Compulsively viewing p and being told masturbation and viewing it was a sign of divine disloyalty

Sexual shame was a constant theme in my youth, from experimenting with the same sex to masturbating and trying to hide it. I would feel eaten alive by shame and guilt after masturbating sometimes as a kid. I experience shame sometimes now, but rarely while having sex. Masturbation often feels more shameful because it began during a time for me when I believed that it was wrong. That messaging came from my church a bit, but more so one of my parents who was very involved in the intimate details of my life.

No. I don’t think men experience such a thing.

The shame of not knowing what I assume to be common sense knowledge about sex because I never had a proper sex ed

Thoughts about masterbation and how it was sinful , I was caught by my parents

I have experience sexual shame on multiple occasions, but one occasion that sticks out in my memory was when I was around 13 years old and began masturbating for the first time. I was so wracked with guilt that I went to confession and told the elderly priest from behind the veil. Looking back, this exercise felt very strange; a 13 year old telling a 70-something year old man about his guilt around masturbating in the shower from behind a curtain. It's a bit funny to be honest, but also alarming given that I would consider this to be perfectly normal behavior now, and probably just shows how my faith community instilled sexual shame in me from a young age.

I have experienced sexual shame. I think what brings shame is not meeting the needs of my partner, falling short of my own expectations, experiencing moments when my sex drive or interest is low, or being single and not sexually active or pursued by anyone. In those moments I feel the most inadequate. There's a strong connection between my own need for self-validation and my ability to be desired by others, or to meet people's needs. I find that even at my age of 43, I measure my value as a person and as a man, by my relation to and position with others.saying this out loud actually causes me to feel ashamed lol But, thats my truth and the truth isn't always pretty, neat, or simple.

Yes. As a young woman coming up. Being accused of being fast for exploring my sexual curiosity vs holding adults accountable for sexualization of children.

Having sexual encounters with the same sex. I felt dirty, unclean, mundane, like I wanted to shower for hours to wipe away what I did. I had to pray and ask God to forgive me for my actions. It just wasn’t something that made me feel “good” or at peace afterwards. Very ashamed of my actions.

I have not experienced sexual shame but I feel as though sexual shame can come from peers in school as well as the community you are raised by . A lot of individuals/ communities are judgemental , force opinions and label your sexual choices .

Yes; people finding out that I'd had premarital sex and acting like it diminished my value

Thankfully, I haven't experienced too much sexual shame-- but I think this could be because I only share the content of my sexual life with close friends/found family/partners. I definitely think I would have experienced more if I was vocal about some of my sexual interests with people like my parents or childhood community. The cause of that would just be that the only kind of sex that was upheld as normal was heterosexual, vanilla, male-dominated sex, and I've explored beyond that binary.

When I was sexually assaulted.

All the time, I think some shame is normal, but living in it can be detrimental.

During puberty when I began masturbating - one Sunday @ church my pastor spoke about lust & how engaging in sexual activities before marriage was a sin. I felt sooo ashamed bc I was always horny & sometimes I couldn’t resist the urge to touch myself. Before I thought as long as I wasn’t having sex w someone I was okay but after I sermon I felt confused & scared that God hated me. From that point whenever I masturbated after I would pray & beg God for forgiveness

When I was a freshman in college, and my girlfriend and I became sexually active, I found myself experiencing deep shame because of it. I knew that we weren't going to hell for it, but it still felt like I was making Jesus sad, and I did not want to make Jesus sad! I think that what this was mainly caused from growing up in the Texas Purity Culture, and being taught from all angles that sex was evil. It took years to get over this.

It happened a long time ago when I slept with someone who made me believe he was done with his girlfriend but come to find out they were still together and she hit me up on Instagram asking what was going on between us. And when I asked the guy about it and was trying to check up on him he told me to leave him alone and blocked me. So at that moment I felt a shamed of myself just in the fact that I did that someone who had no idea their man was cheating and then I felt ashamed that we had sex at all. Till this day I still hate thinking about it.

I experienced sexual shame the first(and only) time I had a one night stand. Mostly because I felt that I shouldn’t have given my body to someone that I didn’t care for. It came from myself because it was something that weighed heavily on me.

Mostly from my parents and relatives. Say I was to fast or looking for someone to touch me or do something unwanted to be becuse I wore shorts and a tshirt becuse it was hit outside. My clothes were to sexual my boobs filling out was at a young age so I would get hit on by older men and then made fun by family becuse it was clearly my fault for having boobs?

My mother always tried to lash out at my brother and me for masturbating. She felt like we were better than that or whatever.

0 notes

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

4. Describe a time sex brought you joy. What were the emotions that came to the surface?

Anonymous Responses:

Acceptance belonging

Joy. Delight. Pleasure. Release, relief! Broadened horizons. Healing.

It was with someone I really cared about and the emotions on the surface was joy , pleasure , happiness I was glowing energetic and excited

Sex with same sex (lesbian)

I'm very sexual and hedonistic, so sex almost always brings me joy. When I have good sex, the emotions that surface can only be described to encounters with divinity and ultimate reality.

queer sex was the first time it brought me joy. i was in a great relationship in 2020 where sex was normal and fun and free and part of an intimate caring relationship. how wonderful!

most of the time. makes me happy, feel sexy, etc. 😂

The first time I had sex with someone I genuinely love and care about. I felt a massive amount of comfort and belonging even though it was outside of marriage.

Knowing both me and my partner were truly exhausted and satisfied! It made me feel fulfilled and accomplished.

As an expression of love to someone I loved and trusted.

I had sex with someone I really care about last month, and it was beautiful. It was one of those experiences where your bodies get lost together in the most lovely way. It was communicative, connective, sensual, and satisfying. I felt so happy, energized, connected, and honestly, badass.

Sex brings joy every time when it’s with someone you want to have it with. Happy, relieved, relaxed and satisfied.

realizing that intimacy could be healthy and enjoyable outside of the traditional contexts that it was cordoned off to for me as a child

When I was able to experience different ways to get an orgasm. Emotions were safe, optimistic

It's hard for me to put in words, but honestly the word that first comes to mind is relief. Maybe also comfort? In the ability to express myself in ways I wouldn't have thought of years ago.

Speaking on a particular sexual experience is hard. Mostly because while it brings up feelings of pleasure, it also brings up feelings of sadness, loss, longing, and regret.

I can't seem to separate the two...though I wish I could.

The emotions that bring me joy within the context of sex, are feeling loved, free, alive, authentic, wanted, seen, desired, needed, safe,

The first time I had sex with my now husband. We share a raw and organic connection that I've never experienced. It was and continues to be an elevated experience that's both surreal and beautiful

WOW! Great sex brings great joy! Tears, hugs, kisses, sweats and sweet words . Good sex can also help with healthy dieting , great energy boost and motivation. I mean…. The list goes on.

When I was in love . Sex is more enjoyable when you have a genuine connection with the person you are pouring yourself into . When it is not a meaningless action but passionate .

I felt very connected to the person and I felt seen and valued and the emotions that came as a result were warming

Deep love for my partner, being thankful for being able to feel so safe and cherished in that moment, an embodied joy for the pleasure and closeness I was feeling and creating with my partner.

Recently with my partner. I felt desired, loved, held, and admired.

All the time! Sex makes me laugh because it is just imperfect people coming together to be one. From the size of nipples to the funny faces, sex is a humanizing act.

When I lost my virginity when I was 19 I felt like I was on cloud 9. No regrets or shame just pure bliss. I felt I’d chosen the right person & our feelings for each other were mutual. He made me feel safe & beautiful & validated. It was everything l wanted to be

Once, while having sex with my girlfriend in college, we looked deep into each others eyes and everything else fell away. In that moment, God was present. Not in a creepy way mind you, but it was this understanding that what we were participating in was a sacred act shared by God with humanity. There was such a rush of joy and peace that came with this.

So I’m engaged and about to be a married women so obviously sec with my man is always a joyful time because sex when you are in love is just the best. The mutual respect and love for eachother makes it a great time all the time.

I enjoy sex a great deal. It brings joy when you feel a sense of release but I lowkey don’t know if I’ve ever fully enjoyed penetration because I still feel a twinge of guilt. But, in times I did feel joy was mostly because I orgasmed.

The first time I experienced an organism more than once in one night. So much joy!!! After it happened I felt at peace, safe, clear minded, joyful, motivated, happy, and mad I haven’t experienced it before that day.

When I ate pussy for the first time I felt myself smiling and giggling. A lil frustrated that she mentioned the person they were in an open relationship with all the time throughout but I still had fun.

0 notes

ts215-queertheology · 2 years ago

Text

I asked 30 friends, family members, and colleagues to answer a few questions about sex:

1. What did your faith community teach you about sex?

2. How has your faith shaped the expression of your sexuality?

3. When have you experienced sexual shame? What caused it?

4. Describe a time sex brought you joy. What were the emotions that came to the surface?

This series of questions were inspired by the story of “X” in Indecent Theology. My hope is that we see the spiritual significance of our sex lives & ponder the questions that rise up as we reflect back on these stories. It is my most fervent wish that we are liberated from guilt & instead pick up insatiable curiosity.

Xoxo Destinee

………….

Traditional sexual stories of adultery always have a theological under-pinning and a storyline ending in disgrace. These are ‘Anna Karenina’ plots, built around a euthanasian pathos, that is, the death (symbolical, social or physical) of the adulterer, especially if that person is a woman. It is God’s punishment. For the man, the tragedy usually centres around unhappiness for not being forgiven by his wife, the loss of domestic peace and in some extreme cases, by public scandal which could be redeemed by repentance, going back to the abandoned wife. So, X told me the following story:

When my children were small, I met this woman, also married, and we loved each other dearly. When my wife found out, it was so devastating. I separated from my friend, and I stayed with my wife but the consequences of that love devastated me for many years.

X is a man who has had innumerable affairs during his married life, many of them complicated and simultaneous. He felt guilty; he changed his ways, but yet as a Christian man he has never reflected theologically upon this. He became wiser in the art of departing from lovers and keeping his public image as a serious religious man, but this longing for relationships with different women seems to be detached in his mind. It has never become an issue for the theological reflection that everybody has in life, when considering life, suffering and God’s discernment, although it is perhaps one of the most significant elements of his life. This may be unfortunate because his life has been driven by guilt instead of a genuine understanding which could have prevented the suffering of his family but also that of other women.

MLA 9th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)

Marcella Althaus-Reid. Indecent Theology. Routledge, 2000.

APA 7th Edition (American Psychological Assoc.)

Marcella Althaus-Reid. (2000). Indecent Theology. Routledge.

0 notes