Desire and Denial: Celibacy and the Church_图书大全
Desire and Denial: Celibacy and the Church
ISBN: 9780316840972
定价: 200.00
内容简介
Here is a book that confronts the fun-
damentals of Christian history, not
only movingly capturing the power-
ful interplay between culture and
religion, but dealing fully and frankly with the
most challenging of all issues -- the permissible
limits of sexuality within the Roman Catholic
priesthood and sisterhood. For the first time,
the question of whether celibacy is compatible
with human intimacy and sexual fulfillment is
faced honestly and without embarrassment. Is
celibacy rooted in an antisexual asceticism that
can be emotionally repressive? How far can Pope
John Paul II justifiably claim that celibacy repre-
sents the highest form of Christian perfection?
Above all, is the dichotomy between sexuality
and spirituality not only wrong but destructive?
Desire andDenial is a compassionate
account of the mystical forces that draw men
and women to religious life and of the equally
powerful human forces that make them ulti-
mately doubt their calling. Here, through the
lives of Father Breslin, Father Philippe, and Andrew, the seminarian, we penetrate the semi-
nary walls to be caught up in rituals rooted in
medieval lore and moments of profound spiritu-
ality that are not of this world. Through the eyes
of Sister Victoria and Sister Clare the fears,
dreams, and troubled longings of convent life
assume a mesmeric power.
Desire and Denial is a story of choice, the
product of three full years of methodical re-
search. Gordon Thomas presents the feelings
and thoughts of his nuns and priests with imme-
diacy, emotional depth, and a true understanding
of their sensitivity that is shattering in its impact.
Through their intimately portrayed lives comes
a vivid portrait of a church battling to preserve
its past yet trying to guarantee its future.
While its social significance will provoke
wide controversy, Desire and Denial is at the
same time an unforgettable and deeply affecting
love story.
