Decadence and Catholicism

Rating:
Summary: Decadence or Incarnational Reality?
Review: As the editorial reviews state, those of orthodox stripes will likely dismiss this book out of hand, especially those uneasy with homo/sexuality. After re-reading the text, to me the author appears to have unwittingly identified the uneasy tension in Catholicism between having an otherworldly outlook and being an Incarnational faith. Most interesting were the connections between liturgical norms and sexuality, with the elaborate liturgical choreography and vesture of both Catholic and Anglican "High Church" as an expression or sublimation of sexual energies. Overall the book is interesting for its stories and implications--and if the book offends, readers must sort out if offense is caused 1) by the text with unwarranted assumptions or 2) the tension existant in Christian life about whether to best express sexuality through ascetism or an artistic appreciation of the senses.

Rating:
Summary: Decadence or Incarnational Reality?
Review: As the editorial reviews state, those of orthodox stripes will likely dismiss this book out of hand, especially those uneasy with homo/sexuality. After re-reading the text, to me the author appears to have unwittingly identified the uneasy tension in Catholicism between having an otherworldly outlook and being an Incarnational faith. Most interesting were the connections between liturgical norms and sexuality, with the elaborate liturgical choreography and vesture of both Catholic and Anglican "High Church" as an expression or sublimation of sexual energies. Overall the book is interesting for its stories and implications--and if the book offends, readers must sort out if offense is caused 1) by the text with unwarranted assumptions or 2) the tension existant in Christian life about whether to best express sexuality through ascetism or an artistic appreciation of the senses.