Tuesday 21 April 2009

Bodily and Christian

Christians have a complex relationship with their bodies, perhaps more complex than general society.

A few reasons why:


  • The crucified Jesus (a crucifixion not cancelled out by resurrection).

  • The resurrection of Jesus

  • The 'missing' body of Jesus (people struggle with belief in bodily resurrection without seeing the body of Jesus, and tend toward resurrection as a bodyless spiritual state, but then imp0rt all the problems of that kind of dualism.)

  • The 'general' resurrection

  • Imago Dei (Genesis 1:27)

  • Creation as good (Genesis 1) and the resurrection of all creation

  • The Incarnation, specifically the hypostatic union

  • The sacraments

  • The call to sexual purity, especially in a society that views sexual expression as the defining personal freedom (1Cor: 6-7)