Dawn Eden's Thesis

Yesterday I purchased an eBook (PDF format) of Dawn Eden's masters thesis entitled Towards a "Climate of Chastity": Bringing Catechesis on the Theology of the Body into the Hermeneutic of Continuity. You can buy it here for $9.95. [Note: no longer available―see below.]

I read it in a couple sittings,although I haven't read all the footnotes yet―there are a lot. It's very well written and I highly recommend it. It's a very respectful and measured critique of Christopher West's presentation of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Eden deals with the controversies arising from West's style, but also uncovers errors in subject matter and points at which he departs from church teaching. Interestingly enough, at least half of the references she uses to demonstrate this are from John Paul II himself. If nothing else, a reader comes away realizing that many of the things West proclaims are definitely his own ideas and may or may not reflect the thinking of our previous Holy Father.

The problem I've always seen with West is that of many in my generation―namely overreaction against those who hold views closest to their own. Example: everyone is prudish about sex, especially Catholics, right? So let's talk about how the Easter candle is really phallic and when it's dipped into the baptismal font on Holy Saturday to bless the water it's like a penis going into a vagina. Or let's call the Song of Songs the "centerfold" of the Bible because it can be said to contain erotic language. Or let's state that Hefner and Ensler are really on to something, barely noting that their beliefs and lifestyles are much farther away ideologically from Catholics than that pious Puritan guy who guards his eyes around the attractive women at a wedding reception.

The Easter candle example seems to be the exact opposite of preaching that the human body has a theological dimension, and it feels more like a manifestation of what JP2 called sexualism, and it amounts to an insistence upon a necessary sexual dimension for the experience of God. But what I just said and how I phrased it is about as crude as stating "West fails the Rorshach test", and that's why I advise everyone to read this thesis if they are interested in JP2's Theology of the Body. Because I could go on a great deal about the topic, yet she does a much more thorough job of it.

The release of the critique could not be more timely, arriving on the heels of West's newly-announced 6-month teaching sabbatical, the stated intention of which is "to reflect more deeply on fraternal and spiritual guidance he has received in order to continue developing his methodology and praxis as it relates to the promulgation of the Theology of the Body." I hope he considers her critique in his reflection.

H/T Mark Shea.

Update: Just received this email from Ms. Eden in response to my investigation:

I'm very happy you liked my thesis--thank you! The statement below explains why it's unavailable, I would be grateful for your feedback as I work on the second edition. You are of course free to blog about the thesis as you see fit.

God bless,
Dawn

When BridegroomPress.com made the eBook available for purchase, I offered at the same time to send a free copy to anyone who worked for a parish or diocese. The response to the free offer was truly overwhelming―over 100 requests in two and a half days, from priests, seminarians, and catechists throughout the United States and Canada, and even one in New Zealand.

I asked readers to send me their feedback, and have already heard from several of them. Some wrote that they found my work helpful, but wanted to see some of my arguments articulated in greater depth than I was able to provide within the confines of a 70-page thesis. As a result, I have made the decision to temporarily remove Towards a "Climate of Chastity" from circulation while I work on a revised and expanded version, which will be made available during the week of May 24. At that point, I will make it available for free once more to those who work for the Church, while others may purchase it from BridegroomPress.com.

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