| Summary: | This dissertation applies H. Richard Niebuhr's ethical theory to homosexual relationships for the benefit of American religious communities and interested others. === Chapter 1 argues that the Biblical passages which condemn homosexuality are of limited value because they view homosexuality in terms of rape, prostitution, and pederasty; there is never in mind a mutual, covenanted relationship, which is the subject of current debate. === Chapter 2 explicates Niebuhr's theory, particularly the concepts of radical monotheism and human responsibility and its ability to reach specific conclusions on issues of war and sexuality. === Chapter 3 analyzes the tradition in Christian ethics rejecting all same-sex relations, criticizing its dualistic understandings of human nature and sex-role stereotyped interpretive and valuational categories. === Chapter 4 analyzes gay liberation, criticizing its divorcement of sex from its humanly fitting context and meaning, either undervaluing sex as an act of mere pleasure or overvaluing it as necessary for human fulfillment. === Chapter 5 interprets homosexuality and sexual intercourse monotheistically. Sexual attraction stems from the complex matrix of forces beyond individual control which form human selves. Radical monotheism sees all of these as part of the creative activity of God, the "One beyond the many." The personal relationship and social role serve to define the context in which sexual intercourse is humanly fitting: a union of lives (which is both expressed and nurtured by sexual intercourse) into a social unit providing order and stability to the larger community, serving to guide and order the natural human desire for intimacy and sexual expression. Some selves are created so this union must be with a member of the same sex. The most fitting response on the part of the Christian community is to bless and support such homosexual unions, urging as well their legal acceptance by the state. === Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-08, Section: A, page: 2960. === Major Professor: Leo Sandon, Jr. === Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.
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