Date of Award

3-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Systematic Theology

First Advisor

Joel Biermann

Scripture References in this Resource

Genesis 2:18–25; Matthew 5:27–28, 43–45; Mark 7:20–23; Acts 2:44–47; Romans 13:13–14; 1 Corinthians 6:12–20; 1 Corinthians 7:1–9, 25–40; 1 Corinthians 12:12–31; Galatians 5:19–21; Ephesians 5:3–5; Colossians 3:1–6

Abstract

Rusche, Sarah Talena. “Sex in Church: The Christian Vocation of Sexuality Within the Ecclesial Community.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2023. 71 pp.

Sex is characterized as an individualistic endeavor by both Christian and non-Christian thinkers. The culture of the world gives license to every individual to choose what kind of sexual experiences they would like to give and receive, while the culture of Christianity isolates individuals navigating the complexities of sexuality. In response to this individualism, this thesis argues that a faithful sexual ethic orders itself according to God’s will for His creation by considering the needs of the ecclesial community. This thesis analyzes the current sexual ethics of Roman Catholicism, confessional Lutheranism, and liberal Protestantism to glean benefits and drawbacks from each ethic. The benefits of each sexual ethic are then combined with Stanley Hauerwas’ writings in A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic to develop ecclesial-focused perspectives within each existing ethic. The thesis concludes with a working faithful sexual ethic which uses the doctrine of vocation to guide each Christian through life and discover how their sexuality fits within each life stage.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS