NEW DIRECTIONS IN SEXUAL ETHICS
Essays in Response to the AIDS Pandemic
by Kevin T Kelly
CONTENTS
Preface
A ROUTE-MAP TO HELP READERS
1
Prologue
HEARING THE CHALLENGE OF THE AIDS PANDEMIC: A MORAL THEOLOGIAN
TELLS HIS STORY
8
Women and HIV/AIDS
11
The ‘pro women’ challenge to the church and to Christian sexual ethics
16
Widening the agenda: the need for a renewed sexual ethics
18
Listening to experience
21
Chap 1
NEW DIRECTIONS?
30
Why do we need ‘New Directions’ in Sexual Ethics?
30
A process in which change is transforming rather than deforming
32
Understanding ourselves as historical, social and cultural persons
35
Social construction and natural law
37
The challenge of gender analysis
43
Chap 2
CHRISTIAN SEXUAL ETHICS AND INJUSTICE AGAINST WOMEN - A CASE OF
COLLUSION?
49
The roots of injustice against women lie deep in history
49
A sign of hope: The ‘pro-women’ teaching of Pope John Paul II
55
The Pope and gender: how complimentary to women is ontological complementarity?
60
The experience of women
65
Collusion with injustice against women?
69
Chap 3
SEXUAL ETHICS - DENYING THE GOOD NEWS TO GAY MEN AND LESBIAN
WOMEN?
75
The link between patriarchy and homophobia
75
The dissimilarity of lesbian and gay experience
76
A disturbing question: does the Christian stance on homosexuality help to spread HIV/AIDS?
77
Learning from experience
79
Finding the appropriate theological language for the experience of gays and lesbians
83
(a) The use and abuse of the language of ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’
84
(b) The use and abuse of the language of God’s word in the Bible
86
Towards a gay and lesbian theology and spirituality: Woundedness and healing
91
A ‘time of AIDS’ a time for positive living and positive thinking
100
The Gospel as ‘good news’ for gays and lesbians
104
Chap 4
WHAT THE CHURCHES ARE SAYING
109
Church statements: listening to an on-going conversation
109
The conversation begins: birth control - disagreeing about the relevance of the human context
for moral evaluation
113
Widening the agenda: giving more importance to relationship - a Quaker view of sex
123
Marriage breakdown: a Church of England contribution
127
A Roman Catholic contribution - Vatican II
130
The joy of married sexual love: a Methodist contribution
131
Two contributions about homosexual relationships
133
1. The Church of England
133
2. The Evangelican Lutheran Church in America
136
The Church of England and cohabitation: introducing ‘diversity of life-style as a new topic in
the conversation
137
Two contributions drawing together the many threads of the conversation
141
1. The Church of Scotland
142
2. The Presbyterian Church (USA)
146
Conclusion
149
Chap 5
TOWARDS A SEXUAL ETHICS IN A TIME OF AIDS
153
(1)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in the FULL AND EQUAL
DIGNITY OF
WOMEN AS HUMAN PERSONS as a major touch-stone in our age for judging the credibility
of
the church’s commitment to the dignity of the human person
156
(1)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in HUMAN FREEDOM
158
(2)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in FRIENDSHIP, INTIMACY and
LOVE164
(3)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in the GOODNESS OF
THE HUMAN BODY, SEXUALITY AND SENSUAL JOY
171
(4)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in the GIFTEDNESS OF HUMAN
LIFE
181
(5)
A Christian sexual ethics for today must be based on belief in the UNIQUENESS OF THE
HUMAN
PERSON and, therefore, respect for PERSONAL CONSCIENCE
188
(a)
To your own self be true
189
(b)
Respect for Conscience: personal goodness not synonymous with ethical rightness
192
(c)
The uniqueness of each person’s story of moral growth
194
Chap 6
SEXUALITY AND SIN
197
Sex is not sinful: it is a gift of God
197
Patriarchy as sexual sin - and the sexual sin of collusion in patriarchy
198
‘Doing the best one can’ in sexual ethics
201
Sexual sin and sexual sins
204
Is it wrong to engage in casual and uncommitted sex?
205
Chap 7
LIVING AND LOVING POSITIVELY IN A TIME OF AIDS
210
Living positively with AIDS: a lesson from Uganda
210
Is the church living positively with AIDS? Yes, but...
214
(1)
Is a diocese or religious congregation is living positively with AIDS if it demands
the compulsory testing of candidates for the priesthood or the religious life?
216
(2)
Is the church is living positively with AIDS when it opposes using condoms as a help
towards preventing HIV infection?
218
(a) Condom use as a component in governmental HIV prevention programmes
218
(b) The use of condoms within marriage when one partner is HIV infected
226
Epilogue
A TIME OF AIDS - A TIME OF GRACE?
229
A ‘time of AIDS’
229
A time of grace: - a window of opportunity for our global society?
232
Words
Total
Prologue
2,548
Introduction
8,823
Chap 1
7,266
Chap 2
9,742
Chap 3
13,217
Chap 4
16,471
Chap 5
16,671
Chap 6
4,992
Chap 7
7,699
Epilogue
2,632
90,061