Description
Book SynopsisA commentary on Catholic ethical views of marriage and reproduction.
Trade ReviewKalbian (Florida State Univ.) explains the meaning behind her provocative title Sexing the Church: it captures the way Catholicism's attitudes about gender (what it means to be male or female) permeate its teachings about sexuality, reproduction, and church authority. Kalbian's study of gender, power, and ethics in contemporary Catholicism hinges upon the twofold meaning of order within Catholic tradition and institutions: order is conformity to God's will and purpose (right order), and it is also the regulation and enforcement of right order by church authorities (giving orders). Kalbian examines Vatican documents from Pius XI onward, illuminating the ways in which both meanings of order come into play in the articulation of official Catholic teachings on marriage, gender, and sexuality. She pays special attention to recent intramural controversies over contraception, new reproductive technologies, same-sex marriage, and sexual abuses perpetrated by priests. Kalbian draws upon the best recent scholarship on Catholic sexuality and ethics. Eschewing Mark Jordon's attitude of hostile suspicion, she embraces a polite suspicion that calls attention to the problems and contradictions in official Catholic teachings and policies and leaves readers with much food for thought. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readerDecember 2005
-- D. Campbell * Colby College *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
1. Order and Sexual Ethics
2. Theology and Marriage
3. Reproduction
4. Gender
5. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
