Hi everyone,
When it comes to moralising about sex, no institutions have been quite so vocal as those claiming descent from Abraham. Christianity, for its part, has a long history of—among other things—condemning and punishing homosexuality, divorce, and extramarital amours, alongside its complicated relationship to women (mostly thanks to some Pauline passages of dubious authenticity).
Today, I’m joined by Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford. An ordained deacon of the Church of England, MacCulloch is also openly gay, and declined ordination to the priesthood due to the church’s attitude towards homosexuality.
We talk about marriage, homosexuality, women, celibacy, Adam and Eve, divorce, and, of course, “the great sodomite massacre of Christmas Eve”.
His new book is Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Marriage Was Not About Love
07:46 – Is Sex a Duty in Christian Marriage?
13:30 – Should Clergy Be Celibate?
19:18 – Adam and Eve Conspiracy Theories
22:01 – Homosexuality in Scripture
31:00 – Where Does Distain for Homosexuality Stem From?
35:39 – Is Celibacy a Christian Virtue?
43:44 – Divorce in Scripture
46:15 – How Translation Changes Scripture
52:15 – What Happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?
54:18 – Will Catholicism Become Progressive?
