Compare and contrast the Christian account of sexuality between the views of Brianne Jacobs and Herbert McCabe.
ANSWER
Christian account of sexuality according to Brianne Jacobs and Herbert McCabe
Sexuality means God's anthropological plan for a procreation affair between a man and a
woman and to the understanding of erotic aspirations within that plan. On the other hand, gender
means genetic distinctions in man and a woman personification and the various traditional ways
where the creational differences between men and women are apparent. The narrative of
creation, according to Christianity, provides people with foundational facts behind these
differences that God created both man and woman in his image and likeness. Thus, males and
females offer different accounts of sexuality among Christians and thus, this essay will compare
and contrast the Christian account of Christianity between Brianne Jacobs and Herbert McCabe.
McCabe was a well known theological person in the UK during the 19th century, and he
contributed to moral theology through placing his work in exchange with essential approaches,
for instance, situational ethics (McCabe 70). Herbert Jacobs, on the other hand, is well known for
his contribution to Catholic theology issues (Jacobs 329).
First, Brianne Jacobs commented on the Genesis that, Christians recognize that the nature
of women was created so that they can be helpmates to Men in reproduction, and this dynamic is
facilitated by sex (Jacobs 330). Jacobs state that women stand before men as mothers, and are
subjected to a new human life conceived and developed within them, and from them, new lives
(children) are brought into the earth. Similarly, Jacobs says that Christian's account of sexuality
believes in the masculinity of a man, which means the generative and fatherly implication of a
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man's body, and through this, a unique Aristotelian dynamic is seen. Further, Christians believe
that women were created to support men in procreation, potentially being mothers. Therefore,
Jacobs (333) stated that men's sexuality means that their bodies are to generate whereas, women's
body is for fulfillment and self-respect resulting from receptiveness to insemination and in this
case, fulfillment means receiving a husband and his child in their bodies.
On the other hand, Herbert McCabe claimed that Christian account of sexuality believes
that men were created to rule the world and to be heads of their respective families and that,
women must subject to their husbands (McCabe 71). Besides, Christians believe that men can
take roles of both the father and mother in their families because, from the beginning, man and
woman were all equally created by God. McCabe insists on this because different researchers
consider women as supervisors, which was not planned by God during the creation; however,
women are creatures who could not succeed like men. Therefore, since creation, McCabe (74)
contended that Christian teachings on sexuality places men as creatures linked with God's
likeness and, this is the beginning and entire account of creation. Thus, based on Christian
sexuality in terms of male and female in production, it is the essential image on creation, but in
the production of new life. Further, Herbert stated that Christians believe that a man should not
depend on any other creature apart from God and, this is the root of his independence and
inspiring dignity, which should be maintained. Also, this is the reason why only human beings
(man and woman), among other creatures, will enter the kingdom of God.
Secondly, Brianne Jacobs stated that Christian believe that sexuality involves
contentment and not giving oneself. Jacobs claims that the dignity of an individual is not on what
one possesses, but what the sexual partner receives in a relationship, and thus, gender differences
between males and females makes them be gifts to each other (Jacobs 335). In the Christian
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narrative, women are considered to be gifts and helpers to their husbands. However, Brianne
states that Christians trust that both men and women in marriage are gifts to one another,
whereby they receive each other equally. For Christians, whatever a woman provides is
specifically personal and femininity, but a man, receiving this gift from a woman and giving his
gift to the woman shows the particular core of his masculinity (Jacobs 337). Therefore, it is
through good relationships and marriages that males and females become gifts to each other.
On the other hand, Herbert McCabe stated that Christians believe that sexual love and
marriage is the chance to holiness, but because that chance is susceptible to failure, human
beings must then be careful to find ways on how sex and marriage are impacted by the disarrays
subsequent upon the fall, and particularly when sex is dehumanized and loses its impact among
human beings (McCabe 77). Christian believes that sex is sacred in a strategic logic, and it
portrays how powerful God was during the creation, and in marriage, sex is more sacred because
it depicts that God's love has been redeemed. However, sacred implies that it is dangerous, and it
can mean much more, but Christians trust that anyone who looks upon God, regardless of
physical sexuality, he/she dies and, if human beings disrespect sex sacredness, they shall then be
destroyed (McCabe 79). Thus, this is a deeper meaning of Christian taboos that surround sex
and, they express respect or fear that is appropriate in holiness.
In conclusion, both Herbert McCabe and Brianne Jacobs outline the Christian account of
sexuality, and they argue that human body is not spiritually defined by binary sex, which means
gender virtual, but rather by the history. Although a lot of criticism has faced gender
essentialism, there have been insufficient attempts to provide an option using a physical
perspective in the Christian culture. The two authors argue that the physical body that defines
part of sexuality should be understood as an observational category, which means responsibility,
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disruption, hope, and sacredness. Lastly, Herbert and Jacobs believe that what people experience
in their bodies primarily controlled by the history in the Christian account of creation, aids the
liberty to be in good relations with one another and God.