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Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity
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About This Book
A major new assessment of one of the most controversial topics in history Few matters produce more public interest and public anxiety than sex and religion. Much of the political contention and division in societies across the world centres on sexual topics, and one-third of the global population is Christian in background or outlook. The issue goes to the heart of present-day religion.The Bible observes that God made humanity 'for a little while lower than the angels'. If humans are that close to angels, where lies the difference? Is it human sexuality and what we do with it? In a single lifetime, Christianity or historically Christian societies have witnessed one of the most extraordinary about-turns in attitudes to sex and gender in human history. There have followed revolutions in the place of women in society, a new place for same-sex love amid the spectrum of human emotions, and a public exploration of gender and trans identity. For many the new situation has brought exciting liberation – for others, fury and fear.This book seeks to calm fears and encourage understanding through telling a three-thousand-year-long tale of Christians encountering sex, gender and the family, with noises off from their sacred texts. The message of Lower Than The Angels is simple, necessary and to pay attention to the sheer glorious complexity and contradictions in the history of Christianity. The reader can decide from the story told here whether there is a single Christian theology of sex, or many contending voices in a symphony that is not at all complete. Oxford's Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church introduces an epic of ordinary and extraordinary Christians trying to make sense of themselves and of humanity's deepest desires, fears and hopes.
Reviews
"MacCulloch guides us through it with equanimity as well as expertise, while constantly trying to place the people he discusses in their own particular historical context."
"But when MacCulloch does take the time to hook into case studies of Christians bucking consensus, he provides moving stories of how believers can let their guard down and move through the world with humility."
"Dazzles in the depth of his knowledge of sources, clarity of his prose, carefully framed descriptions, and the playful wit that keeps the text from becoming dry or self-important."
"Lower Than the Angels sometimes veers into passages only a specialist could love, but this arcana is well balanced by MacCulloch's dry wit and flair for narrative sweep ..."
"It's a thrilling read ..."
"It would be an injustice to say this work is other than scholarly."
"Though his subjects are often abstruse, his writing is clear and even sometimes sprightly ..."
"Offers a compelling and encyclopedic survey of how Christianity makes sense of sexual desire ..."
"Thrilling and comprehensive ..."
"MacCulloch's perspective, to put it mildly, is Olympian."
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