Theology of the Body: The Biblical Vision for Sex, Love, and Marriage

Andre Villeneuve, Ph.D., Honors College

Since the sexual revolution, our world has witnessed seismic shifts in its understanding of sex, love, marriage, and most recently of the very identity of the human person as created male and female in the image of God. These changes have occurred so quickly that many Christians today are at a loss as to how to respond to them. One significant contribution to this topic has been the “Theology of the Body,” a series of teachings popularized by Pope John Paul II that unveils the beauty of God’s plan for human love. This profound biblical reflection on the Christian vision of love and sexuality has been called “a theological time bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences…perhaps in the 21st century.” This presentation will introduce the “Theology of the Body” as a faithfully Biblical and Christian response to the challenges posed by today’s sexual ethics and gender ideology. This rich biblical vision of human love reveals that “today’s sexual confusion is not caused because the world glorifies sexuality, but because the world fails to see its glory.”