Washington D.C., Jun 15, 2010 / 02:52 am
Critically examining Christopher West’s presentation of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, chastity speaker Dawn Eden has said that West conveys “elements of truth.” However, West’s demand that couples have perfect chastity before marriage promotes a kind of “Puritanism” that discourages Catholics from dating, courtship and continence.
Eden, the author of the book “The Thrill of the Chaste,” gave her critique in a master’s thesis at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. She delivered a speech on her thesis there on May 19, posting the speech’s text on her blog “The Dawn Patrol.”
The chastity speaker explained that she chose the topic because it involves the promotion of the Catholic vision of marriage and family, issues “close to my heart.” She said the subject was also “highly topical” because of recent public debate about West’s work conducted by Catholic theologians and scholars.
Her thesis tried to view the Theology of the Body through the “hermeneutic of continuity,” a view that sees the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council as continuous with the pre-Vatican II Church.