God, Sexuality, and the Self
An Essay 'On the Trinity'

A creative new venture in systematic theology which tackles the intrinsic relation of God and 'sexuality'.

Sarah Coakley (Author)

9780521558266, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 29 August 2013

384 pages, 39 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.62 kg

'Coakley's work is engaging and fascinating as a means of critiquing a number of strains of contemporary theology.' Jack Kilcrease, Anglican and Episcopal History

God, Sexuality and the Self is a new venture in systematic theology. Sarah Coakley invites the reader to re-conceive the relation of sexual desire and the desire for God and - through the lens of prayer practice - to chart the intrinsic connection of this relation to a theology of the Trinity. The goal is to integrate the demanding ascetical undertaking of prayer with the recovery of lost and neglected materials from the tradition and thus to reanimate doctrinal reflection both imaginatively and spiritually. What emerges is a vision of human longing for the triune God which is both edgy and compelling: Coakley's théologie totale questions standard shibboleths on 'sexuality' and 'gender' and thereby suggests a way beyond current destructive impasses in the churches. The book is clearly and accessibly written and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of theology.

Preface
Prelude: God, sexuality and the self
The arguments of this book
1. Recasting 'systematic theology': gender, desire and théologie totale
2. Doing theology 'on Wigan Pier': why feminism and the social sciences matter to theology
3. Praying the Trinity: a neglected patristic tradition
4. The charismatic constituency: embarrassment or riches?
5. Seeing God: Trinitarian thought through iconography
6. 'Batter my heart': reorientations of classic Trinitarian thought
7. The primacy of divine desire: God as trinity and the 'apophatic turn'
Coda: conclusions and beyond
Glossary of technical terms and names.

Subject Areas: Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], Theology [HRLB]