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We rarely give thought to our bodies until we're faced with a physical challenge or crisis. Somehow we've internalized the unbiblical idea that the immaterial aspect of our being--the soul or spirit--is inherently good, while the material aspect--the body--is at worst inherently evil and at best neutral. We think of the body as little more than a vehicle for the soul, so we end up neglecting or disparaging our bodies. We see them as holding us back from spiritual growth, and we long for the day when we will be free of them.
But the truth is, we don't have bodies; we are bodies.
And God created us that way for a reason.
With Scripture as his guide, theologian Gregg Allison presents a holistic theology of the human body from conception through eternity and equips us to address pressing contemporary issues related to our bodies, including how we express our sexuality, whether gender is inherent or constructed, body image, the meaning of suffering, end-of-life questions, and ultimately how we can live as whole people in a fractured world.
About the author
Gregg R. Allison (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including
50 Core Truths of the Christian Faith,
The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms,
Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, and
Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church. He serves as secretary of the Evangelical Theological Society and is a book review editor for the
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Gregg is also a pastor of Sojourn Community Church.
Summary
This biblically grounded theology of the human body equips us to live faithfully not just in our bodies but as bodies, and answers pressing questions about human sexuality, gender, body image, rest, death, resurrection, and more.
