|
The Cave
|
|
Written by Editor
|
|
Tuesday, 17 May 2011 13:27
|
|
IVP has released a new book called The End of Sexual Identity. The book challenges the idols of categories like “gay” and “straight,” social constructs that do not take into account complex postmodern realities—themselves social constructs developed by professors who spent too much time in junior high huffing model airplane glue out of brown paper lunch bags.
Where was I? Ah . . . here is the Amazon product description.
Product Description
Sexual identity has become an idol in both the culture at large and in the Christian subculture. And yet concepts like "gay" or "straight" are relatively recent developments in human history. We let ourselves be defined by socially constructed notions of sexual identity and sexual orientation--even though these may not be the only or best ways to think about sexuality. Anthropologist Jenell Williams Paris offers a Christian framework for sexual holiness that accounts for complex postmodern realities. She assesses problems with popular cultural and Christian understandings of heterosexuality and homosexuality alike. The End of Sexual Identity moves beyond culture-war impasses to open up new space for conversations in diverse communities both inside and outside the church.
But here is the concern that we all have here in the editorial department of the Cave (located in the back, where it is particularly dark, and kind of damp), which is that we are prioritizing this all wrong. Before we can topple the idols of sexual identity, we must first throw down the idol of Amazon’s quote unquote product descriptions. Ya know? This is an idol which has maimed more souls, isolated more egos, and marginalized more people than any other idol in the history of North America. Think about it! It is beyond ironic that IVP failed to come to grips with this idolatry before listing their new book with Amazon. Physician, heal thyself! And not only did they allow a product description, they also allowed the book to be categorized—given an identity, forsooth!—under Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Gender & Sexuality. But before the Enlightenment, there were no such Amazon categories. Is this not obvious, people? Before Oscar Wilde, there were no gender & sexuality books. So why do we put up with them now? Hmmm?
|
