Sexual Virtue: An Approach to Contemporary Christian Ethics

308 Pages·2015·2.57 MB·English

by  Richard W. McCarty

SEXUAL
VIRTUE
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SEXUAL
VIRTUE
An Approach to Contemporary Christian Ethics
Richard W. McCarty
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Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2015 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic,
electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Jenn Bennett
Marketing, Kate Seburyamo
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCarty, Richard W., 1975–
Sexual virtue : an approach to contemporary Christian ethics / Richard W.
McCarty.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5429-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)
E-ISBN 978-1-4384-5430-6 (ebook)
1. Sex—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Sexual ethics. 3. Christian
ethics. I. Title.
BT708.M415 2015
241'.664—dc23 2014003520
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Dedicated to
Jesse Vedder Edwards-Borowicz
In all that leads to unconditional love and human flourishing,
we remember you.
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction
To Reclaim Sexual Virtue 1
Part I
Getting Situated
Chapter One
Sexual Positions 17
Chapter Two
Sexual Ethics 29
Part II
A Moral Framework of Virtue
Chapter Three
Virtue Ethics and Sexual Virtue 61
Chapter Four
Christian Virtue Ethics 87
Part III
Religious Sources of Moral Authority
Chapter Five
Understanding Scripture 109
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viii Contents
Chapter Six
Sex and Marriage 119
Chapter Seven
The Bible and Homosexuality 139
Chapter Eight
Curious Interpretations of Nature 167
Chapter Nine
Church Teachings Revisited 191
Part IV
Ends of Sexual Virtue
Chapter Ten
Recreational Sex 207
Chapter Eleven
Relational Intimacy 231
Chapter Twelve
Selective Acts of Procreation 243
Conclusion 255
Notes 259
Bibliography 283
Index 289
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Preface
This is a book on sexual ethics, and one that advances an argument
about redefining sexual virtue for Christian ethics. In particular, I will
argue that prudential reflection on sexual morality—when informed by
contemporary critical insights—allows for a more inclusive understand-
ing of sexual virtue than what traditional views have permitted. While
my argument about sexual virtue comes from academic study in religion
and sexual ethics, the seeds for thinking anew about sexual ethics were
planted long ago by real-life questions, experiences, curiosities, pleasures,
pains, and anxieties—and all of these stemming from simply living in
a culture where the categories “sex” and “religion” (especially “Chris-
tianity”) often ignite fires of controversy, or shine spotlights of shame.
Along the way, I decided it was a good thing to study and write on these
issues. My journey would lead me to see new possibilities for conceiv-
ing sexual morality, which is expressed here as a work of constructive
sexual ethics. My hope is that the argument of this book is one that
has practical implications for how people might actually talk about sex
and sexuality, whether in academic settings, religious communities, or
the public square. Thus, my goal is not only to make a small contribu-
tion to the academic fields of religious studies and sexual ethics, but also
to create a safe intellectual space for people’s real-life concerns about
sexual morality.
I hope what I’ve written helps you on your journey, as it has mine.
Whether you are engaging in the field of sexual ethics as a scholar
or a student of the liberal arts, or as a person engaged in confessional
Christian discourse; or even if you are unconvinced by the various argu-
ments in these pages because you have other commitments, philosophi-
cally or theologically, I am hopeful that I can get you to consider the
merit of engaging Christian sexual ethics through an ethic of virtue.
Admittedly, I also hope that a byproduct of this book is the promotion
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