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Orthodox Tradition and Human Sexuality

Arentzen, Thomas LU ; Purpura, Ashley and Papanikolaou, Aristotle (2022) In Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought
Abstract
Sex is a difficult issue for contemporary Christians, but the past decade has witnessed a newfound openness regarding the topic among Eastern Orthodox Christians. Both the theological trajectory and the historical circumstances of the Orthodox Church differ radically from those of other Christian denominations that have already developed robust and creative reflections on sexuality and sexual diversity. Within its unique history, theology, and tradition, Orthodox Christianity holds rich resources for engaging challenging questions of sexuality in new and responsive ways. What is at stake in questions of sexuality in the Orthodox tradition? What sources and theological convictions can uniquely shape Orthodox understandings of sexuality?... (More)
Sex is a difficult issue for contemporary Christians, but the past decade has witnessed a newfound openness regarding the topic among Eastern Orthodox Christians. Both the theological trajectory and the historical circumstances of the Orthodox Church differ radically from those of other Christian denominations that have already developed robust and creative reflections on sexuality and sexual diversity. Within its unique history, theology, and tradition, Orthodox Christianity holds rich resources for engaging challenging questions of sexuality in new and responsive ways. What is at stake in questions of sexuality in the Orthodox tradition? What sources and theological convictions can uniquely shape Orthodox understandings of sexuality? This volume aims to create an agora for discussing sex, and not least the sexualities that are often thought of as untraditional in Orthodox contexts.

Through fifteen distinct chapters, written by leading scholars and theologians, this book offers a developed treatment of sexuality in the Orthodox Christian world by approaching the subject from scriptural, patristic, theological, historical, and sociological perspectives. Chapters devoted to practical and pastoral insights, as well as reflections on specific cultural contexts, engage the human realities of sexual diversity and Christian life. From re-thinking scripture to developing theologies of sex, from eschatological views of eros to re-evaluations of the Orthodox responses to science, this book offers new thinking on pressing, present-day issues and initiates conversations about homosexuality and sexual diversity within Orthodox Christianity. (Less)
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editor
LU ; Purpura, Ashley and Papanikolaou, Aristotle
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
sexuality, Eastern Orthodox Christianity
in
Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought
pages
352 pages
publisher
Fordham University Press
ISBN
9780823299676
9780823299683
9780823299690
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
99ee8c6a-62f9-4584-be78-68112234a08d
date added to LUP
2022-09-20 17:11:56
date last changed
2023-09-27 08:03:15
@book{99ee8c6a-62f9-4584-be78-68112234a08d,
  abstract     = {{Sex is a difficult issue for contemporary Christians, but the past decade has witnessed a newfound openness regarding the topic among Eastern Orthodox Christians. Both the theological trajectory and the historical circumstances of the Orthodox Church differ radically from those of other Christian denominations that have already developed robust and creative reflections on sexuality and sexual diversity. Within its unique history, theology, and tradition, Orthodox Christianity holds rich resources for engaging challenging questions of sexuality in new and responsive ways. What is at stake in questions of sexuality in the Orthodox tradition? What sources and theological convictions can uniquely shape Orthodox understandings of sexuality? This volume aims to create an agora for discussing sex, and not least the sexualities that are often thought of as untraditional in Orthodox contexts.<br/><br/>Through fifteen distinct chapters, written by leading scholars and theologians, this book offers a developed treatment of sexuality in the Orthodox Christian world by approaching the subject from scriptural, patristic, theological, historical, and sociological perspectives. Chapters devoted to practical and pastoral insights, as well as reflections on specific cultural contexts, engage the human realities of sexual diversity and Christian life. From re-thinking scripture to developing theologies of sex, from eschatological views of eros to re-evaluations of the Orthodox responses to science, this book offers new thinking on pressing, present-day issues and initiates conversations about homosexuality and sexual diversity within Orthodox Christianity.}},
  editor       = {{Arentzen, Thomas and Purpura, Ashley and Papanikolaou, Aristotle}},
  isbn         = {{9780823299676}},
  keywords     = {{sexuality; Eastern Orthodox Christianity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Book Editor}},
  publisher    = {{Fordham University Press}},
  series       = {{Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought}},
  title        = {{Orthodox Tradition and Human Sexuality}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}