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Between Babel and Beast
(America and Empires in Biblical Perspective)
The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Drawing from John Paul II’s Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body
Shame means hiding, withdrawal from visibility, withdrawal from communion (Genesis 3:7).
God created us with bodies so we can share ourselves with one another – with touch, with speech, with mutual regard. Shame means loss of confidence in the ability of the body to serve as the instrument of personal communion.
Shame reduces sex from a personal communion to mere sensation. Because of shame, people engage in sex without self-giving, they “give” and withhold themselves simultaneously.
Shame creates schizophrenic humans, splitting us between bodily “appearance” and reality. It destroys the sacramentality of the body. It makes it difficult for us to identify ourselves with our bodies.
Shame shatters mutual trust, between God and man, between man and man.
The state of concupiscence is not merely a state of unruly desire, but, because it arises from shame, a reduction of humanity. Since we are made for communion, our withdrawal in shame is a withdrawal from human fullness.
Conversely, the covering and cancellation of shame in justification restores human fullness. Because justification stand before God and one another without shame, it is the source and foundation for the renewal of human life. Justification brings us out of hiding; justification renews our bodies as vehicles of communion; justification regains sex as personal union; justification repairs the divided self; justification is the basis for the renewal of mutual trust.
Shame produces a disordered society; justification is the basis of social and political renewal. Proclamation of justification by faith is a social gospel.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 5:19 am
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