Disregarding The Body – Podcast
The Crisis of our Time
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art
Companion Posts
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Starting Again
I was born in the sixties. But I am not a child of the 60’s. My family was lower-middle class, and by the standards of the time, traditional in most every way. Dad was a minister. If he or mom had lived into their 90’s they would not have imagined the social changes we have witnessed in the last 20 years. It would be too easy to say the sexual revolution of the 60’s caused all this change, as some conservatives maintain. But the roots of this change go back much further than the swinging 60’s.
So I’m embarking with some misgivings on a survey of cultural history. There are deep intellectual and cultural traditions that have shaped our everyday lives. We’ve come to a point in the Western world where the statement “I’m a woman trapped in a man’s body” is comprehensible to many public leaders, at least in public. That phrase would be completely incomprehensible to my parent’s generation, in public or private, not to mention every preceding generation. It is still incomprehensible to many, if not most people today. But if you express your bewilderment in public, say at many workplaces in the Western world, increasingly the odds are you will be regarded as stupid, immoral or worse. You may be reprimanded for your irrational “phobia.” You might even have your career derailed. If you broadcast your view on a public forum, say Twitter, expect the Twitterati to pounce with the ferocity of a caged unfed Tiger. In certain parts of the world you may even be charged with a hate-crime for your expressed incredulity at the latest massive cultural shift. (See the following posts, here & here.)
As a 60’s poet might say, “The times they are a changin.”
The tectonic cultural shift in the last 20 years is quite breathtaking. Regardless of what you think about gay marriage, we have gone from year 2000 where the majority of Americans were opposed to gay marriage to today where normalization of Transgenderism is fast approaching.
A long and winding road brought us to this point. I want to offer a thoughtful and hopefully generous exposition, from a Classic Christian point of view, of how we got here. As I go, I’ll be documenting some disturbing current events. (Read my next post). I hope that even those who disagree with Classic Christianity will find here a fair and readable assessment of our state of affairs. (post continues page 2)
Compromising Our Christian Identity
Roman Catholic Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades expressed significant concerns about the change in admission policy at Saint Mary’s College, a Catholic women’s college, which now considers for admission not only applicants whose sex is female but also those who consistently live and identify as women.
In a recent statement the Bishop emphasized that this shift departs from fundamental Catholic teaching on the nature of womanhood and compromises the college’s identity as a Catholic institution. He pointed out that the ideology affirming gender as a subjective experience separate from biological sex contradicts Catholic teaching, which sees the unity of body and soul and recognizes sexual identity as an innate aspect of one’s nature created by God.
Bishop Rhoades highlighted Pope Francis’ teachings, which emphasize the inseparability of biological sex and socio-cultural gender roles, cautioning against ideologies that try to separate these aspects of reality. He stressed that truth and love must go hand in hand, expressing concern that the new policy might prioritize an inclusive environment over adherence to Catholic doctrine. He called on Saint Mary’s College to uphold its Catholic identity and mission by rejecting gender ideologies that contradict the Church’s teachings on the human person, sex, and gender. This includes recognizing and respecting every individual’s dignity as created in the image of God, while not affirming views of sexual identity that diverge from Catholic understanding.
You can read his full statement below.
Our Christian Identity is grounded in both Truth and Love.
Pope Francis teaches about the intimate connection between truth and love in his first encyclical, Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith). He writes:
“Love requires truth. Only to the extent that love is grounded in truth can it endure over time, can it transcend the passing moment and be sufficiently solid to sustain a shared journey. If love is not tied to truth, it falls prey to fickle emotions and cannot stand the test of time. True love, on the other hand, unifies all the elements of our person and becomes a new light pointing the way to a great and fulfilled life” (#27).
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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14, ESV
Taking Care of the Planet & Our Bodies
I’ve sometimes wondered about Christians who were so keen on ‘saving the planet’ but who have little difficulty disregarding the importance of the human body. They think, for example, that ‘gender fluidity’ is an acceptable way to be human. They think you should identify as a different sex, for example, if that’s what it takes to actualize your ‘authentic self,’ and by that they mean ‘your inner, invisible self.’
I know some of these Christians. I love them as brothers and sisters. But here’s the problem. They think the body is essentially irrelevant, and that we will one day ‘transcend the body’. They think we will, at death, become ‘spiritual,’ and therefore more like God (they think). I’ve studied their theology. I’ve hung out with them. I’ve loved them. And still do.
YET some of these same Christians think human-caused global warming crucially important. So. I must confess, I’m puzzled. Why not hasten the day when we become ‘godlike’? Why should we care about the material creation? Why not salt the earth? And hasten the coming day of godlikeness. Material suicide is the ticket. Isn’t it?
Of course each of them would recoil in horror at such a thought. But I detect a glaring inconsistency in their thinking.
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What if God created us to be and become what we were created to be and become? What if God created us to become ‘spirit of God’ infilled human beings? (Theologians calls this Temple Theology.) Doesn’t that change the end time calculus, cosmically and personally? And allow us to consistently view the planet and our bodies sacramentalIy? I think it does.
I know there is altruism in the position of the Christian environmentalists I’m criticizing.
“We should care for the planet because of our children and God’s other creatures” they say. And they are right.
But if these Christians are convinced that our eternal destiny is a disembodied ‘spiritual’ existence, if we are so to speak ‘justa passin thru,’ and the ultimate goal is to become godlike, as in ‘spiritual’ like an angel, then why not the sooner the better? True, it may be decidedly uncomfortable for our children and other worldly creatures. But won’t it be eternally rewarding?
And many of these Christians affirm God as the Creator. So. Can you square that circle? I can’t.
As a classic Christian I’m convinced that CREATED spirit (or soul) and CREATED matter (our bodies) are equally important to our Creator, and were meant to be integrated. God values both. God created both and called all of it “very good.” Why would Christians think otherwise?
They shouldn’t.
Oh, I know, some parts of the created order are broken. Like my brother’s body was broken in the womb. Still, assuming normal human development, our bodies are a great and good gift. And Christians should not think otherwise?
Thinking like that is the great distortion of these very queer un-Christian times.
God help us.
Companion Post
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Celebrate God’s Creation of Male & Female
Stack Rock Creek Bridge Video – Autumn
Stack Rock Creek Bridge, found near milepost 305, is more than just a bridge; it’s a testament to the harmonious blend of nature and engineering. This stone-faced beauty, seamlessly melding into the surrounding landscape, was constructed in the late 1930s as part of the New Deal-era projects.
If you’re lucky enough to be there in autumn, you’re in for a treat. The foliage turns into a fiery display of reds, oranges, and yellows, as if the trees decided to throw their own Mardi Gras parade.
Enjoy.
Companion Post
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