Few topics are more controversial in the Catholic Church today--and indeed, in many other churches--than homosexuality. Unfortunately, the usual response to such controversy is to avoid discussing the topic in question, either by simply and nervously refusing to address it, or by using authority to squelch presentation of anything other than the "official" position (which all too often is the product of simplification or misunderstanding).

Jung and Coray are doing the Catholic Church, and wider society, a great service by attempting to open up theological discussion on the Church's teachings of homosexuality and human sexuality in general. The authors make the argument that Catholic teachings must not rely only on one particular reading of Scripture and tradition. Instead, the teachings must also take into account historical context of the times in which Scripture was written, current knowledge of the biological and social sciences, and life experiences that witness to the way God's Spirit is present in people's sexuality today. Jung and Coray and the other contributors to this book--most of whom are theologians associated with Chicago's Loyola University--thus provide a wide range of perspectives and much food for thought around the challenging topics addressed.

As a gay man raised in the Catholic tradition, this reviewer has had cause to question the Church's current teachings on human sexuality--for example, that marital sexual intercourse must always be open to the possibility of procreation, or that while a homosexual sexual orientation is not sinful, for two persons of the same sex to express love through sexual intimacy is sinful. Many of the authors in this collection raise similar questions about these teachings. The conclusion drawn by most of the essayists is that while there is certainly much truth and beauty to be found in the Church's sexual teachings, those teachings are at present based on an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate understanding of the full range of human experience.

One sincerely hopes that "Sexual Diversity and Catholicism" will be widely read and discussed among not just Catholics but anyone hoping to gain a better understanding of the many and diverse ways God's love is expressed through the beautiful gift of human sexuality.

As with most books I read, or intend to read, my first look is to the book's publisher. In this case the publisher is that distinguished publisher of theology, the State University of New York Press. I searched my personal library for other books of that publisher, and could find none. I searched the internet for SUNY Press's stable of justly-famous theologians, and could find none. I did note that the book is ranked 572,509th in Amazon.com's sales list. Undaunted, I read the book anyway. So that those who might not want to read this entire review, I will cut right to the bottom line. This book is a primer on how modern theological thought is done. If you can name any theological idea that has seen the light of day in the last one hundred years (5% of the Christian Era's entire time, mind you!) these authors have accepted it. You might name historical-critical method of Biblical interpretation. You might name feminism, evolutionary social theory, reframing, the homosexualist agenda, etc. All have been uncritically accepted and used as if everyone would think that each of these has universal and absolute authority in the life of the entire Christian (world?) community. The underlying assumption is that of a modernist bias that says only the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of the present age is of any value in doing theology. I have known of pastors, priests, bishops and theologians who do what has come to be known as "paperback" theology. But I think this is the first volume I have ever seen that actually has it printed in paperback! It does not surprise me any more that anyone in the Christian community might buy into this way of doing theology. It saves on having to do one's homework in the formative or conciliar era of Christian formation. Modernist bias simply rejects that as as being anti- or at least pre-scientific. Thus it is no wonder I have not heard of this volume. It is now seven years old as a book of paperback theology and is, no doubt, out of date and can be relegated to the pile of hundreds, nay thousands, of other such paperback theological tomes. In terms of its theological arguments, the authors attempt quite successfully to explain exactly what this new moral category of "heterosexism" actually is. They do so by analogy with other sinful "-isms" such as "racism." Racism comes about when one particular race is seen as normative and all other races are judged against it. Generally, that is how these authors define heterosexism. Their argument is that there is not one "model" for sexuality against which all others are to be judged. They claim that today the notion of heterosexuality is taken as the prevailing norm for human sexual relationships. As such all other notions of sexuality when judged against that model are found to be wanting. That wanting has been described historically by some as sin, sickness, maladjustment and by many other pejorative epithets. This understanding, pervasive in church and society, they claim, must be dismantled. For, after all, any sexual orientation, being a gift of God must be judged on its own terms, not by comparison or contrast with any specific orientation that might be normative. With full and uncritical acceptance of the modern notion of "justice," and with full and uncritical acceptance of modern biblical criticism, they then proceed to support this claim. Their method is the tried and true method of paperback theology -- reverse logic. Having claimed that a = c, they then proceed to try and prove that a = b and b = c. (For those who have forgotten, first you prove that a = b and b = c; then, all things being equal, a = c.) The Bible, they say, does not speak to the issues and therefore we as Christians must find a moral norm outside of the Bible. And, since justice is demanded by all for whatever orientation or behavior is desired, we must accept all of these just because we ought to love each other. That, after all, is what Christians do! I have obviously reduced a closely thought-out argument to rather simplistic terms. But I do so not to belittle the argument, but to cut through the rhetoric to see not the faulty conclusions, but the faulty method. When 95% of Christian wisdom is whisked away by the modernist bias, there will result faulty method. When scientific data is used simply to support preconceived conclusions, there will result faulty method. And faulty method produces faulty conclusions. As stated earlier, my fear is not of what is said in this book. My fear is that theology will continue to be done in this way. My fear is that the church's leaders will continue to accept this throwaway theology. My fear is continuing rejection of the wisdom of the Church from its inception. Yes. Read this book. There is much to learn about how theology is done in the modern church today. But--caveat christianum emptor!

As a response to the previous reviewer who was so appalled by the alleged "modernist" tone of the book, I found this volume to be a serious and thoughtful analysis of the issue. There is nothing to suggest that the authors are not comitted Christians engaging a contemporary issue. Nor is there any indication that the authors reject core Christian beliefs/theology simply because they chose to address a contemporary question. The first review says more about the reviewer than it does about the book itself. Whether one accepts or agrees with the authors, their book deserves a careful and critical reading.