Was Jesus sexual? The book’s section on Jesus and sexuality ably puts into context the furor generated by such products of imaginative literature as “The Last Temptation of Christ” or “Da Vinci Code” – works that tend to challenge the validity of what seems to be taken-for-granted in the public mind. The authors acknowledge that the New Testament is a product of its time and therefore, it is possible to think that it might have left out details about Jesus’ marital status or his most human experiences throughout his life. I shall not dwell too much into this but just to give prospective readers a peek into what the authors have to say about Jesus as a sexual being, here are some lines from Tender Fires: “If sexuality is a God-given energy that draws all of us into relationships of love and care, then Jesus is among the most sexual beings who ever lived. The story of his life is filled with intimate encounters with other people, and he made loving the primary mark of discipleship.” (p. 203)
“If someday we were to learn that Jesus was married that he made love with the same sensitivity, intensity, and passion that energized his ministry, would it make a difference for our faith? If such a discovery would trouble us, perhaps this says more about our attitudes toward sexuality than it does about Jesus. In the end, his marital status is not the real question. Was he faithful in his commitment? Did he love with whole-hearted passion? Did his relationships with people make their lives a little less burdened?” (pp. 205, 208)
The sacred erotic
Engaging is how I would describe Tender Fires’ take on the erotic. In discussing this, the authors subvert the artificial dichotomy created by such ideas that what is erotic is mundane while the “love of God” or what is called “agape” is divine. In fact, the authors’ use of the following epigraph from lesbian Caribbean-American poet and activist Audre Lorde as a spin off point for discussion says a lot about the authors’ illuminating reflections:
“The very word ‘erotic’ comes from the Greek word eros, the pe
rsonification of love in all its aspects – born of Chaos, and personifying creative power and harmony. When I speak of the erotic, then I speak of it as an assertion of the life-force of women; of that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and use of which we are now reclaiming in our language, our history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives.” (p. 96)
To Ferder and Heagle, “Authentic eros… is not only hungry but also creative and generous. It wants to receive and give.”
‘The future of human loving’ (pp. 229-246)
Towards the end of the book, the authors call for a movement, a shift in perspective, in ways of viewing sexuality in the light of the evolving human consciousness. They articulate the following vision statements that, expressed in “contemporary terminology” not in “creedal statements or ethical mandates from the past,” they (the authors) hope to lend credibility to the truly timeless, enduring values of their faith tradition.
- From a static to a developmental understanding of psychosexuality
- From an emphasis on biological procreation to the more inclusive understanding of generativity as the goal of giving life
- From speaking of sexuality as primarily as sexual behavior to expanding it to include energy for relationships
- From suspicion of sexuality to its reverence and celebration as sacred energy
- From sex education for youth to psychosexual formation for lifelong partners
- From dualism to integration as the framework for a spirituality of human sexuality
- From identifying sexual sin as illicit genital pleasure to recognizing it as the violation of persons
- From patriarchy to partnership as the philosophical mindset for determining sexual and gender ethics
- From sexual abstinence to reverence in relationships as the hallmark of psychosexual wholeness and holiness
These statements, I believe, are important to our contemporary debates that include among others the passage of a reproductive health bill, the integration of “sex education” in the school curricula or even the marriage of persons of the same gender (e.g., Can we truly say that marriage is the only legitimate space or, to borrow a line from the authors, “holy ground” for genital expression or sharing?)
I leave future readers to engage in a dialogue with the articulations of these statements in the final pages of Tender Fires, but I would like to leave at least a line or two on one of the vision statements mentioned above – particularly the one on generativity.
I remember being told by a friend several years ago that most gay people particularly those who do not have or bear children of their flesh and blood are actually “genetically selfish” since they do not contribute to the genetic pool. This is of course a myopic view of life-giving. The concept of generativity expands what it means to “give life.” It acknowledges that life-giving happens even beyond the genital aspects of our sexuality. As my playwright friend would tell me, “There are many ways of giving birth; one could give birth to a book, an art work, or even an institution” (One could very well interpret that of course as a resort to Freudian sublimation!)
But generativity is actually much more than accomplishing feats that undeniably have impact on other people’s lives. Quite relevant to our changing times, this broader understanding of life-giving, the 
authors suggest, impact even “our approach to the rainforests and rivers, the air and soil.”
At the risk of sounding redundant, I say that this beautifully written book is a must read for those who want to reaffirm the Christian faith tradition but who at the same time would like to critically engage in a dialogue on issues on sexuality that continue to confront our human existence. I would like to end this two-part series with the epigraph from which the authors Fran Ferder and John Heagle drew their inspiration for Tender Fires. They are the prophetic words of mystic and Jesuit philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:
“Some day after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we will harness for God the energies of love, and then, for the second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire.”
Photo of Audre Lorde from http://cache.eb.com
