Comments on: Christopher West: Sexualizing Christianity

By: Fr Angelo

Fr Angelo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:41:46 +0000

John, I commented on the Chesterton anecdote here, where I examine the validity of the alleged symbolism of the Easter Candle. With respect to the "absurdities" you mention, I believe many Catholic thinkers have succumbed to the habit of finding the areas in which speculation seems to be permissible and then allowing their own personal experience to serve as the guide. Their estimation of how far they can go is based on plausibility and probability relative to magisterial pronouncements, but pays little or no attention to whether what they propose is a real development of doctrine, or just something that has not been formally condemned. See Venerable Newman's An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine for the an example of a careful theologian's attempt to discern which probabilities are actual developments and those that are just wild speculations and therefore, not developments but corruptions. Thomas, Well, many have been waiting an awful long time for clarifications from CW. I would recommend Stever Kellymeyer’s Sex and the Sacred City as a excellent starting point because it places Theology of the Body in the larger context of the Church’s ordinary magisterium, and and also in the larger context of family life. It is a great example of the hermeneutic of continuity in action. At 100 pages, it is also fairly brief and serves a a great introduction.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:50:59 +0000

I think Mr. West’s statement was sincere and express willingness to take criticism and improve his presentations. I think we need to give him a chance and give him the benefit of the doubt and see what improvements he will make. From what I understand, his books are excellent; it is his presentations that have caused many to question his interpretations of TOB teaching. Can anyone recommend other authors or presenters that may have a clear orthodox view of JPII TOB?

By: John Tuturice

John Tuturice — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:21:26 +0000

Very interesting commentary on the issue. I had heard some gripes about some things that Christopher West had taught a good 5-7 years ago, but had not actually seen or heard them until recently. In particular the Easter candle as a phalic symbol. Before I heard that one, I would have been hard pressed to find fault with anything Christopher West said. But, that was just so off kilter that it made me think … and enabled me to read through a different lense some well thought out commentary on the issue such as this.

As an aside, the absurdity of the Easter candle as phalic symbol analogy makes me think of that passage from G.K. Chesterton’s Everlasting Man where he remarks on the absurdity of a church spire as a phalic symbol. The main difference between the two scenarios is that Chesterton’s friend was not a practicing Christian. Christopher West, on the other hand, is. What does this say about the state of the Church when otherwise seemingly devout Christians spout absurdities in their preaching that were, in the past, confined to the non-believers? Or am I reading too much into this? Thoughts?