Transforming Theology: Emergence for Emergents, Part Two

Great interview Tony! Thanks for the insights and honesty. I especially appreciate the part about the influence of culture and our need for patient anticipation for Christianity to catch up.

As a Roman Catholic, with the conservative idea of the Seamless Garment of Life, I see only katholikos- the reality behind Christianity that is true for “normal” human beings. To me, environmentalism and being pro-life are one and the same, as is being anti-war, anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, anti-euthanasia. It’s the *same issue*, though Americans don’t seem to understand. Asking homosexuals to live a life of celibacy is obvious in this- it’s about human procreation. I don’t hate gay people- I want them to live chaste lives *just like heterosexuals* are called to restrict sex to only within marriage for the purpose of procreation and parenthood (sex done right, takes 25 years and includes three or more human beings!).
I would challenge you to, instead of “waiting for Christianity to catch up”, get progressive to the point where SOCIETY catches up with what the church has taught all along- that human life and human dignity are sacred.

That definitely deserves a reply. But my reply, also needs some background first:
For Catholics, there are really four sources of knowledge about God, not just one. Scripture (of course), Tradition (at least the dogmatic portion of it), Natural Law, and Human Conscience.
Due to what you’d call “Process Theology” and what I’d call “Organic Doctrinal Development”, our understanding of science and humanity in the last two, affects our understanding of the first two.
Sex for “procreation only”- comes from natural law. ALL mammalian species, not just human beings, need to have sex for the species to survive.
Now having said that, parenthood is a part of this. Thus, sex is also unitive- the man and the woman becoming of one flesh, for the good of the children. A monogamous couple who does not yield to the temptation of divorce, is much more likely to finish the sex act than one that is not- for sex is FAR more than just intercourse- it’s also raising the child to be an adult.
Restricting the idea of sex to just the initial courting of the Song of Solomon- or Paul (a celibate and quite possibly a homosexual, I’ve seen some interpretation of his letters that claimed he struggled with unnatural urges) definition of sex as merely the deadly sin of lust, seems to me to be missing the long term view and at least 90% of the enjoyment of the topic.