Reading Our Times What has religion to do with sex? In conversation with Diarmaid MacCulloch
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Jun 3, 2025 
Diarmaid MacCulloch, a renowned church historian and author of 'Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity', recounts the complex relationship between Christianity and sexuality. He discusses the legacy of the sexual revolution as a reaction to Christian sexual ethics. The conversation navigates historical shifts in perspectives on sex, the tension between early Christianity and Gnosticism, and the evolution of marriage. MacCulloch emphasizes diverse interpretations of sexual ethics, underscoring love and respect as central to Christian relationships.
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Complexity of Christian Sexual Ethic
- The sexual revolution can be seen as society moving away from a Christian sexual ethic, though that ethic is neither unified nor fully left behind.
- Christianity's conversation about sex is complex and not monolithic over centuries.
Sex Beyond Procreation
- Sex historically wrapped with procreation is also an act of enjoyment and mutual comfort between partners.
- The Anglican church recognized contraception as potentially enriching marriage earlier than the Roman Catholic Church.
Early Christian Sexual Heritage
- Early Christianity inherited a Jewish emphasis on marriage as a procreative covenant and regarded any sexual activity outside marriage as impure.
- Celibacy had no precedent in Jewish scripture and was not part of early Christian teaching.
