Christopher West (3) (1969–)

(Note: I did not get to read this book in its entirety, but I do feel I read enough to get a good feel for how to review it.)

At first glance, Protestants may want to pass on this book because it draws from the teachings of Pope John Paul II and is written by a Roman Catholic author. However, there is much to glean from it.

“Theology of the Body” by Christopher West was first recommended to me by a friend. It begins by detailing where the view that the body is evil originates and how to view our bodies in light of Christianity and God’s will and Word. In the midst of our current culture, this is bound to serve as a very helpful book.

West writes, “To say ‘theology of the body’ is, in fact, just another way of saying we’re made in the image and likeness of God.”

Some highlights from the book:

“The woman’s body primarily tells the story of receiving divine love while the man’s body primarily tells the story of offering that love, of pouring it out.”

“While the sexual and feminist revolutions of the twentieth century were right to challenge certain roles conventionally limited to one or the other gender, there are two roles—one belonging only to men and the other only to women—that are inalterable and absolutely indispensable for the survival of the human race: fatherhood and motherhood.”

“The problem with our sex-saturated culture . . . is not that it overvalues the body and sex. The problem is that it has undervalued them; it has failed to see how incredibly valuable the body and sex really are.”

“‘It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life,’ says Francis, ‘and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.’ We ‘are called to protect our humanity,’ he insists, ‘and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created [by God].’”

“We are ‘free’ in a sense to ‘do whatever we want with our bodies.’ However, we are not free to determine whether what we do with our bodies is good or evil. As Adam learned, this is a tree (the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’) from which he cannot eat, lest he die (see Genesis 2:16-17). Therefore, human freedom is fully realized not by inventing good and evil, but by choosing properly between them.”

… (meer)