Connecting theology of the body to daily life
Until I read Emily Stimpson Chapman’s book, “These Beautiful Bones,” I did not know there was such a thing as the Bone Church.
Chapman uses the example of this crypt in Rome, ornamented with skulls of Capuchin friars long gone, as an arresting image to introduce the point of her book: that the way we use our bodies — and not just surrounding matters of reproduction — has implications for how we live our life on earth as we seek the hereafter.
I first read this book shortly after it came out in 2013. Her central thesis — that the theology of the body has implications for life in the real world far beyond sex and marriage — echoed a conviction I had been coming to myself. Re-reading it 10 years later, it occurs to me that she helped crystallize these ideas for me, and thus helped spur my own writing ministry.
Chapman’s introduction alone is worth the purchase price, grounded as it is in the Bone Church and an extremely accessible summary of the theology of the body. The best thing that could happen to the world in general and the Catholic Church in particular would be for all of us to recognize that faith in Christ is intricately and inextricably bound to the way we use our bodies in the mundane minutiae of everyday life.
The book’s chapters address questions of work; interpersonal relationships and loneliness; manners; what we wear; what and how we eat; the importance of worship; and what she calls “the culture of distraction,” that is, the online world.
In short, “These Beautiful Bones” is a reflection on some — not all, but some — of the ways the theology of the body illuminates life in a real, concrete world. I say “some” because no book that takes on such a mission could ever possibly be exhaustive. But her reflections, read thoughtfully and prayerfully, should open our awareness of the topic in other areas of life, and invite us to discern further, as it did for me.
10 years later
At times, Chapman’s writing displays a nostalgia for a time when Church and culture were one and the same. There’s value to this, but there’s also danger if we extol the virtues of those times without acknowledging the deep flaws. Our culture has never been good at following the Gospel. We’d like to think it used to be, but an honest look at the past tells us that a lot of Christian culture was a veneer rather than a reality.
We also have to be careful not to mistake secular cultural norms of times gone by with Godly values. One of Chapman’s concerns is that we’ve lost the value of dressing up. I have some sympathy with this, but also hesitation. The trouble is that norms surrounding dress are inherently a human construction, a product of a secular culture, not a faith one. Christian faith has implications for modesty, for sure, but we have to make sure we don’t confuse styles and norms of times gone by for what God wants.
In many ways, Chapman’s book remains as relevant now as when it was published. There are places, however, where the reality of the world has moved on. A noticeable absence from the book is questions of theology of the body as it relates to environment and climate change. And when she was writing about the dangers of social media 10-plus years ago, she could not envision the harm we have now experienced in the U.S. due to mis- and dis-information, of foreign bots and anonymous conspiracy mongers. Chapman’s concerns about pornography and online bullying, while still 100 percent relevant, have equally weighty companions in the shadowy forces that pose a daily threat to the entire stability of our society and government.
In short, “These Beautiful Bones” is well worth reading. It is not and cannot be exhaustive. But no one will escape this book without being challenged to examine his or her attitudes and habits in light of the theology of the body — and that is all to the good. Everything she outlines, even when I couldn’t entirely buy in, was valuable to consider, ponder and reflect upon.
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Editor’s Note: As I work to promote more interest in St. John Paul II’s theology of the body, it can be frustrating when people pigeonhole TOB as just about sex. To be sure, many have found that TOB provides a compelling argument for God’s design for marital love. But TOB is much more comprehensive, and my awakening on this also came from reading “These Beautiful Bones” 10 years ago. At its core, theology of the body is about our dignity, created in God’s image, and our call to mirror Him in the world by choosing to love like Him. Yes, husbands and wives do that in a very important and beautiful way in the bedroom, but every one of us makes decisions all day long — interacting with others or even when alone — that reflect how well we have chosen to mirror Him…or not. I heartily second Kathleen’s recommendation of this book. — Ann Gundlach