Singled
  Out

Singled
Out

Why Celibacy Must Be
Reinvented in Today’s Church

CHRISTINE A. COLÓN
& BONNIE E. FIELD

© 2009 by Christine A. Colón and Bonnie E. Field

Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.brazospress.com

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording— without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Colón, Christine A., 1968–
         Singled out : why celibacy must be reinvented in today’s church / Christine A. Colón
    and Bonnie E. Field.

                   p. cm.

          Includes bibliographical references (p.  ).
          ISBN 978-1-58743-237-8 (pbk.)
          1. Single people—Religious life. 2. Celibacy—Christianity. 3. Evangelicalism. I. Field,
      Bonnie E., 1969– II. Title.

      BV4596.S5C655 2009
      248.47—dc22                                           2009007341

Scripture is taken from the New America Standard Bible ®, Copyright © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971,
1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lckman Foundation. Used by permission.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Our Journey

Part 1: Navigating Our Path

1. Repression & Neuroses: Negative Secular Views of Celibacy

2. Power & Freedom: Positive Secular Views of Celibacy

3. Chastity & Holiness: Positive Christian Views of Celibacy

4. Sin & Selfishness: Negative Christian Views of Celibacy

Part 2: Encountering Dangerous Messages along the Way

5. Lust & Avoidance: Dangerous Messages about Sexual Temptation

6. Happiness & Maturity: Dangerous Messages about Sex and Marriage

Part 3: Searching for a New Direction

7. Covenant & Inclusion: Views of Celibacy in Scripture

8. Monks & Martyrs: Views of Celibacy in the Church’s Past

9. Discipline & Community: Views of Celibacy in Contemporary Christian Thought

Afterword: Where Do We Go from Here?

Bibliography

Notes

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the friends and family who encouraged us on our journey, read early drafts of chapters, and put up with seemingly endless discussions about celibacy.

We would also like to offer special thanks to Jane Beal, Bill Gentrup, and Joy Wooddell for reading our entire manuscript and offering their invaluable insights and suggestions. And to Laura Miguelez and Ruth Anne Reese for keeping us theologically and biblically sound.

Most of all, we would like to thank our Lord Jesus Christ who did not deliver us from the difficult times but showed us why we had to go through them.