Thoughtful, instructive look at sex and marriage

By Kurt Armstrong and ChristianWeek | September 29, 2010

This dense little book is another sign of the vibrant, lively work going on in "The Little Parish that Could," St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Winnipeg. The chapters originated with an ambitious theological consultation in 2008 on questions about sexuality and marriage, issues that are particularly pressing for Anglicans. Roy Jeal, who teaches religion at Booth University College, has collected these essays together in a thoughtful, instructive book that adds serious depth to the Christian conversation about sex and marriage.

The book addresses marriage and sexuality from biblical, theological and philosophical angles in an attempt to avoid the polarizing, politicized rhetoric that can overshadow genuine conversation, and to root the conversation in orthodox Christian faith. The contributors include ministers, theologians, biblical scholars and historians, and each in their own way challenge our culture's narcissistic view of sex.

Together they argue that sex and marriage are inseparable from love, which is fundamentally other-centred, not self-centred; marriage is about faith, vocation, covenant and obedience; sex is about community, not just private pleasure; and marriage is about children.

There is plenty of rich substance in each of these eight essays. It's plain to see that even theological discourse has political implications—for example, Ephraim Radner's argument that procreation is central to marriage, or Jane Barter Moulaison's discussion of friendship, community and desire. But nowhere do these contributors stall-out on a particular political agenda. These writers don't agree on everything, but each one seeks to bring fresh, generous insight to a conversation, avoiding shrill polemics and opting, instead, to try to build up Christian community.

Despite Oliver O'Donovan's statement that "Gay Christians must speak for themselves, and not be spoken for by me or anyone else," there are no contributions from self-identifying homosexuals, and Jane Barter Moulaison is the book's only woman essayist. But just because this book doesn't include everyone who might want to have their say doesn't diminish the wisdom and insight of those who do.

Readers who think of "academic" as a pejorative term might be turned off by the depth of theological and scholarly examination going on here. But Jeal's book will be a real gift to pastors and laypersons, too. For something as common and everyday as marriage, this is a deep, sustained examination of what is immediately in front of us. Not only does it move the conversation forward, it provides a compelling example of how to dialogue in love.