Within Reason #106 Diarmaid MacCulloch - Sex and Christianity: a Tumultuous History
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May 29, 2025 
Diarmaid MacCulloch is a renowned historian and fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, specializing in the history of Christianity. He discusses the historical roots of marriage, emphasizing its origins as a contractual arrangement over romantic ideals. MacCulloch sheds light on evolving interpretations of biblical narratives around sexuality, including homosexuality and the story of Sodom. He critiques media biases influencing public perceptions and explores shifts within the Catholic Church's stance on progressive issues like same-sex unions, providing a thought-provoking look at sex and Christianity.
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Marriage as Family Contract
- Historically, marriage was primarily a contract between two men representing families, not a union based on love.
- This contrasts sharply with modern Western views of marriage centered on love and individual consent.
Paul's Radical Marital Equality
- Paul's writings reveal an unusual idea of mutual sexual rights within marriage in antiquity.
- Western canon law later embraced this equality, unlike the Eastern church which largely ignored it.
Sex Beyond the Fall
- Augustine believed sex was part of God's original purpose and not a result of the Fall.
- This contrasts with Eastern Church views that saw all sexual activity as connected to sin.
