Thesis Now Available Online

For those extremely bored, my thesis, Just Sex: Sexual Ethics for Twentyfirst Century Christians, is now available online through digital commons. Here is the abstract:


This thesis addressed nonmarital sex from a Christian perspective. It questioned the traditional rule of “no sex before marriage” and attempted to define a broader guideline for moral sex that is not dependent on one's marital status. It drew upon five sources for ethical reflection: Scripture, tradition, secular knowledge, experience, and moral discernment. By examining the Biblical commandments concerning sex, this thesis found that the inspiration behind many of the commandments limiting sex to marriage is androcentric and patriarchal. Because of this, the commandments should no longer be accepted with little reflection. Drawing on James Nelson's work, the importance of mutuality and proportionality in relationships was developed. Proportionality presumes that the level of sexual activity in a relationship is commensurate with the level of commitment. Mutuality combined with proportionality provide the foundation for an ethic that allows for nonmarital sex so long as these two concepts are present.

Sources of Moral Discernment: Quadrilateral or Pentagon?

     The sources considered in Christian ethics are nearly uniform among Christian ethicists. The most common version of the four-part theme is: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. In general, I agree with this “quadrilateral” structure, but I prefer Margaret Farley's less catchy but more precise phrasing of: Scripture, tradition, secular disciplines of knowledge, and contemporary experience. Secular disciplines of knowledge refers mainly to the sciences, both “hard” and “soft,” as well as philosophy. I believe this is a better description than “reason.” Reason, after all, is present regardless of which side of the quadrilateral one is engaging.

     I would, however, expand these four common sources and add moral discernment as a fifth source because “Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience [are] only the beginning of deliberation. Deliberation becomes incarnate as Christian communities read and speak, listen and pray” (Martha Ellen Stortz). From a Christian ethical perspective, the ability of God to continue to speak to us should not be denied. One could argue that the living word of God continues to be present through the four common sources, but I believe placing an emphasis on a fifth source of discernment gives the Spirit the place to truly work God's will among us. Considering moral discernment as it's own source also makes available perspectives and concepts that would not be easily visible if considering just the four common sources. If “reason” could be considered the work of the human mind, moral discernment could be considered the work of the Spirit within humanity.

     The importance of moral discernment should not be minimized. Many authors stress its significance. Lutheran ethicist Karen Bloomquist has pointed out that the differences of opinion in corporate moral discernment “can give rise to a moral outlook, a common moral substance that emerges through interactions in which our perspectives are enlarged and we ourselves are transformed.” Here I emphasize the latent aspect that Bloomquist mentions. The moral substance that is brought out and the personal transformation that takes place were in a sense always present, yet needed to be uncovered through dialogue. Because of its ability to bring these new insights to light, I believe moral discernment should take its place alongside the four common sources and not be relegated to simply “what we do with” those sources.

     The work of the Spirit in moral discernment does not need to be limited to corporate dialogue either. James Nelson points out its personal nature in a slightly more academic sense when stating that “the writer does not write out of having found an answer to the problem, but rather out of having discovered the problem and wanting a solution. And the solution is not a resolution of the problem so much as a deeper and wider consciousness of the issue to which we are carried by virtue of having wrestled with that problem.” Experience itself teaches us that discernment, whether individual or corporate, brings out ideas and solutions that were inconceivable before. The place for moral discernment also has a distinctly Pauline air to it. It was Paul who stated “not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:5-6).

On My Bookshelf

Taking a cue from Sojourners, the 10 books closest at hand/reached for most often. Unfortunately the bookshelf that is described in the link has been on my want list for months. I still have to move to access most of my books. :(

Top 10 (in order from closest to farthest):

1) Chicago Manual of Style -- gotta have it real close for thesis writing. You get the common style points memorized quickly, but there's always those exceptions . . .

2) Lutheran Book of Worship and 3) With One Voice -- For choosing hymns.

4) Just Love -- Just happens to be the one of the many thesis sources on my desk right now.

5) Love Does No Harm 6) Promise of Lutheran Ethics 7) Premarital Sex in America -- These are not on my desk, but are the ones I reach for the most for citations.

8) The New Oxford Annotated Bible -- For getting my scripture on.

9) Love and Justice -- A great collection of shorter writings regardless of topic.

10) Doesn't technically fit as a "book on my desk," but I rely heavily on the internet for stuff like dictionaries, Constitution, free books through my Kindle (such as Luther), this site because I need to be able to spell Schüssler correctly, and probably the most used to go in conjunction with #2 and #3, Revised Common Lectionary.

Chapter Outline of My Thesis

 I. “On the Ethics of Free Milk: From Torah to Today”

This chapter will introduce the thesis and examine the morality of premarital sex from scripture and the present. It will provide an overview of sexual injunctions in the books of Moses, the Gospels, and the epistles while also examining contemporary concepts of sex such as recent developments in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It will also introduce the themes of delayed marriage, hookups, cohabitation, and serial monogamy.

II. “Purity and Property Contracts to Egalitarianism: Marriage in Scripture and Modernity”

This chapter will examine the ideal marriage as described in scripture as well as the rules and traditions surrounding it. It will describe how marriage was viewed as a property transaction between a father and a future husband with the need to guarantee the “new vs. used” nature of the goods being exchanged.

This contrasts with the modern ideal of marriage includes mutual love, submission, and intimacy. The contractual nature of marriage, if still evident at all, is found taking place between the husband and wife as opposed to the husband and father of the bride This will draw heavily on Nelson, Gudorf, and St. Paul.

III. “21^st Century Sex: To Infinity and Beyond”

While much has been written on sex throughout historical periods, this thesis will focus on contemporary ideas of sex – specifically from the second half of the 20^th century to the present. This period has seen a liberation of sexuality. Conservatives have often turned to a slippery-slope argument to counter this trend. It is important to consider at what point liberalization becomes self-righteousness or idolatry and to define the limits of what is permitted. While this thesis will argue for yet another “deregulation” of sex, the same conditions that should apply to sex for non-married couples should also apply to married couples. Thus, it could also be considered an increase in regulation. This thesis will also examine how a focus on egalitarian relationships could help increase “sanctification” as opposed to decrease it.

IV. “Conclusion: Returning to Scripture”

As mentioned above, while looking to scripture for approval is not feasible, holding conclusions up to the light of scripture for evaluation is important.  Instead of prima scriptura I'm actually attempting an ultima scriptura in the hopes that it will strengthen a hermeneutic of suspicion and negate any hermeneutic of consent I may have. This section will be taking my hypothesis on nonmarried sex and seeing if it can hold water against scriptural injunctions against it. 

Done with the I of I/O

Finally done with all the reading I wanted to do for the thesis. I hope I took good notes. Now onto "coding" them so I can retrieve citations easier. I use a program that was designed for qualitative data analysis, but it works pretty well for what I need. I'll go through all the quotes I've gotten from reading, and code them according to argument and chapter. With WeftQDA I can just select an argument or chapter and it will show me every quote that fits. Possibly more work than it needs to be, but it works for me.

So far, there seem to be three broad social narratives that contribute to the topic (premarital sex in case you've forgotten).

• Since the end of WW2 or so, the ideal marital relationship has been based on romantic and intimate love. The concept of a "soul mate" gets introduced and (probably) greatly affects peoples' decision in a marriage partner.
• Going back a little further, we've seen an increasing "deregulation" in sex. This (probably) started with first wave feminism, proceeded to homosexuality, and now gets turned onto premarital sex. Slippery slope arguments abound and often with good reason.
• Marketing geniuses have found out how easy it is to sell a mundane product by using sex. This commodification of sex has transferred sex from something relational (something that happens between two people) to a product to be consumed (relationship has no part in the equation--solely orgasm [or at least the hope for one]).

Bibliography Finished

And almost done reading it all . . . hence my lack of recent posts. For those interested, here it is:

REFERENCES

Althaus, Paul. 2007. The ethics of Martin Luther. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Barkan, Steven E. 2006. Religiosity and premarital sex in adulthood. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 45, no. 3: 407-417.

Bloomquist, Karen L. and John R. Stumme, eds. 1998. The promise of Lutheran ethics. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Childs, James M., Jr., ed. 2003. Faithful conversations: Christian perspectives on homosexuality. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

------. 2006. Ethics in the community of promise: Faith, formation, and decision. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.

Chilstrom, Herbert W. and Lowell O. Erdahl. 2001. Sexual fulfillment: For single and married, straight and gay, young and old. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.

Countryman, L. William. 1988. Dirt greed & sex: Sexual ethics in the New Testament and their implications for today. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Ellison, M. Mahan, and Kelly Brown Douglas, eds. 2010. Sexuality and the sacred: Sources for theological reflection. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 2002. Journey together faithfully, part one: A message on sexuality, some common convictions. N.p.: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

------. 2003. Journey together faithfully, part two: The church and homosexuality. N.p.: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

------. 2006. Journey together faithfull, party three: Free in Christ to serve the neighbor, Lutherans talk about human sexuality. N.p.: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

------. 2009. A social statement on human sexuality: Gift and trust. N.p.

Farley, Margaret A. 2006. Just love: A framework for Christian sexual ethics. New York: Continuum.

Fortune, Marie M. 1995. Love does no harm: Sexual ethics for the rest of us. New York: Continuum.

Gudorf, Christine E. 1994. Body, sex, and pleasure: Reconstructing Christian sexual ethics. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press.

Harrell, Daniel. 2003. There's no such thing as premarital sex. Regeneration Quarterly 8, no. 2 [October]: 20-21.

Kaczor, Christopher. 2002. Martial acts without marital vows: Social justice and premarital sex. Josephinum Journal of Theology 9, no. 2 [March]: 310-319.

Keane, Philip S. 1977. Sexual morality: A Catholic perspective. New York: Paulist Press.

Lichter, Daniel T. and Zhenchao Qian. 2008. Serial cohabitation and the marital life course. Journal of Marriage and Family 70, no. 4 [November]: 861-878.

Loader, William. 2010. Sexuality in the New Testament: Understanding the key texts. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

McLean, Stuart D. 1985. The covenant and pre-marital sex. In Liberation and ethics: Essays in religious social ethics in honor of Gibson Winter, ed. Gibson Winter, Charles Amjad-Ali, and W. Alvin Pitcher, 111-122. Chicago: Center for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Nelson, James B. 1978. Embodiment: An approach to sexuality and Christian theology. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House.

Regnerus, Mark and Jeremy Uecker. 2011. Premarital sex in America: How young Americans meet, mate, and think about marrying. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Regnerus, Mark, Richard Ross, and Donna Freitas. 2010. What's the best way to encourage people to save sex for the covenant of marriage? Christianity Today, January 2010.

Sassler, Sharon. 2010. Partnering across the life course: Sex, relationships, and mate selection. Journal of Marriage and Family 72 [June]: 557-575.

Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. 1983. In memory of her: A feminist theological reconstruction of Christian origins. New York: Crossroad.

Thatcher, Adrian. 2003. Norms, rules and steadfast love: Towards an inclusive theology of intimacy. Theology and Sexuality 9, no. 2: 230-241.

Tracy, Steven. 2006. Chastity and the goodness of God: The case for premarital sexual abstinence. Themelios 31, no. 2 [September]: 54-71.

Waite, Linda J. and Kara Joyner. 2001. Emotional satisfaction and physical pleasure in sexual unions: Time horizon, sexual behavior, and sexual exclusivity. Journal of Marriage and Family 63 [February]: 247-264.

Wolfe, Regina Wentzel and Christine E. Gudorf. 2008. Ethics and world religions: Cross-cultural case studies. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

Zimmerman, Kari-Shane Davis. Hooking up: Sex, theology, and today's “unhooked” dating practices. Horizons 31, no. 1:72-91.

Neck Deep in Thesis

I've been up to my eyeballs in sexual ethics reading. Hence the no-posting for awhile. Here's what I've read so far. I admit to a compulsion to having to read all of a book or article. I'm told by successful academics that this will not be possible in the future, but so long as I'm a part-time student, I will give in to my vice and read from the roman numeral pages to the end.

Finished:

Ethics in the Community of Promise: Faith, Formation, and Decision by James Childs 

Not a sexual ethics book, but I wanted to make sure to read something specifically by a Lutheran on ethics in general. Very good book. I'm a fan of Childs and this book provides an easy to follow method for moral discernment.

Sexuality in the New Testament: Understanding the Key Texts by William Loader

I'll be honest, I don't remember much of this book. Definitely dry. Definitely exegesis. I'm glad I took notes for later perusal. 

Body Sex and Pleasure: Reconstructing Christian Sexual Ethics by Christine Gudorf

Full disclosure, Dr. G is my thesis advisor. That said, this is one of my top 3 books so far. Excellent look at Christian ethics from a liberal Christian point of view that is still well informed and well argued. Mutual pleasure is at the heart of the work. I can dig it. 

Dirt Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today by William Countryman

This is the second driest read of the group. It's very good exegetically and connects the dots between purity, property, and sex. I can appreciate his general findings (that anything related to purity laws is not binding on Christians; that most of the sexual injunctions in the Bible have a property right reasoning), but cannot agree with some specific findings (on bestiality and polygamy for instance).

Embodiment: An Approach to Sexuality and Christian Theology by James Nelson

Add this to the canon. It's that good. An excellent look at late 20th century Christian ethics. Only parts of it appear dated (written in 1978, it still has to address some of the "sexual revolution" things). Worth reading by anyone regardless of their level.

In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza

Excellent excellent excellent. I read this for an overview of her hermeneutics of suspicion methodology. But like I said, I had to read the whole thing. What was very surprising is that she didn't throw out Paul and the seeming "misogynist" authors, but rather embraced them and explained how those excerpts seemingly subordinating women could be reinterpreted based on the social ethos of the time to support a "discipleship of equals."

Sexual Fulfillment: For Single and Married, Straight and Gay, Young and Old by Herbert Chilstrom and Lowell Erdahl

Bingo! Sexual ethics AND specifically Lutheran. Unfortunately this does not live up to Gudorf or Nelson -- but it's also directed at a different audience. No footnotes, no acadespeak, etc. It's a good book if you don't want all that extra stuff. But if you want more than meat and potatoes it might not live up to expectations.

Currently reading:

Love Does No Harm: Sexual Ethics for the Rest of Us by Marie Fortune

This is where I'm at now. On chapter 3. So far I am very impressed by her methodology. With rule-based ethic and situation ethic on either pole, she argues for an ethic of moral agency which approaches discernment from principle rather than set in stone rules. I think I'll continue liking this through the end.