Come join in on a very important topic, the Theology of the Body.
Pope John Paul II delivered a series of 129 talks about what he called the “Theology of the Body”. This message from JPII attempts to explain what role the body plays in reflecting the mystery of God and in discovering life’s purpose. JPII drew these talks from his book Man and Woman He Created Them. The pope’s thesis is that “the body, in fact, and only …the body is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it.”(TOB 19:4) During the course of the Theology of the Body debates, we will take a look at some of the hot button issues in the light of the theology of the body in hopes to gain perspective. The course will take place six times during the spring semester. During the first class, we will take a look at what JPII means when he says that we are living in a culture of death. The middle four classes will be debates on chastity, abortion, contraceptives, and gay marriage. Finally, we will wrap up with the theme of “incarnating the Gospel message”. The format will be panel debates with 2 or 3 on either side and time for students to ask questions. It will be held on Thursdays at 8:30pm in Holt Chapel.
1. The Culture of Death – February 10th (30 min)
2. Debate: Chastity – February 24th (1 hour)
3. Debate: Abortion – March 10th (1 hour)
4. Debate: Contraceptives – April 7th (1 hour)
5. Debate: Gay Marriage – April 14th (1 hour)
6. Incarnating the Gospel Message – May 5th (30 min)
The discussions will be lead by Matthew Merry, the Peer Ministry Coordinator for Catholic Campus Ministry. A recent graduate of Belmont Abbey College, Matthew earned a degree in Theology and while being far from a professional speaker, Matthew has a desire to spread the Truth of the Gospel and a young perspective on the topic.
Any and all people are welcome for this event! The more people that come, the more diverse the perspectives are.