Why are we afraid of bodies?

So, blog readers, sorry I didn’t finish my series on colonialism. Stuff came up and I just haven’t been able to write lately. As I’m sure you can tell, my writing’s been scattered for awhile now. I’ve been emotionally and physically worn out the past 6 months or so after a pretty tough battle with depression, some new medication, and some confusing life changes, and publishing my words can get pretty draining on this extreme introvert. I’ve been taking it easy, trying to heal, and publishing once or twice a week. I think I’m starting to get back on my feet again!

Anywhooo, part of this healing process for me has been spiritual healing. I’ve stopped going to church–I need a break, people–but I still listen to sermons online every Sunday from The University Church (the wonderful place that I wrote about HERE). I’ve also been learning feminist theology. Sexism and God-Talk and She Who Is are helping me do this. Also, I’m reading the book A Church of Her Own, in which Sarah Sentilles (who is a fantastic writer. Love her style and her boldness) shares the stories of many diverse women’s experience with becoming church ministers.

I have this idea that, on days when I don’t have the energy to write a whole post, I’ll try to post some thought-provoking quotes from the books I’ve been reading and then let y’all discuss them in the comments.

Today’s quote comes from A Church of Her Own, p. 127:

We don’t know what to do with bodies in most forms of Christianity. The body–and in particular the female body–has been denigrated, feared, understood as sinful, shameful, something to be covered up, tamed, and mastered. There is something ferocious about our fear of bodies in churches. And yet, at the heart of Christianity are stories about incarnation, about a God that dwells in a human body, a God that makes bodies and breathes life into them.