God, Sexuality, and the Self An Essay 'On the Trinity' [Hardcover]

A creative new venture in systematic theology which tackles the intrinsic relation of God and 'sexuality'.This new and creative venture in systematic theology unearths the profound relation of God, prayer and 'sexuality' and ends up mapping a new landscape of theological endeavour. Accessible, clear and challenging, it will be of great interest to all scholars and students of theology.This new and creative venture in systematic theology unearths the profound relation of God, prayer and 'sexuality' and ends up mapping a new landscape of theological endeavour. Accessible, clear and challenging, it will be of great interest to all scholars and students of theology.God, Sexuality and the Self is a new venture in systematic theology. Sarah Coakley invites the reader to re-conceive the relation of sexual desire and the desire for God and  through the lens of prayer practice  to chart the intrinsic connection of this relation to a theology of the Trinity. The goal is to integrate the demanding ascetical undertaking of prayer with the recovery of lost and neglected materials from the tradition and thus to reanimate doctrinal reflection both imaginatively and spiritually. What emerges is a vision of human longing for the triune God which is both edgy and compelling: Coakley's th?ologie totale questions standard shibboleths on 'sexuality' and 'gender' and thereby suggests a way beyond current destructive impasses in the churches. The book is clearly and accessibly written and will be of great interest to all scholars and students of theology.Preface; Prelude: God, sexuality and the self; The arguments of this book; 1. Recasting 'systematic theology': gender, desire and th?ologie totale; 2. Doing theology 'on Wigan Pier': why feminism and the social sciences matter to theology; 3. Praying the Trinity: a neglected patristic tradition; 4. The charismatic constituency: embarrassment or riches?; 5. Seeing God: Trinitarian thought through iconography; 6. 'Batter my heart': reorielc+