Image and Imago: A Rational Defense of a Theological Anthropology of Gender

Abstract

Modern and Post-Modern discourse espouses a subjective understanding of gender. As a result, confusing new problems erupt in discussions as practical as marriage and as theoretical as questions of human meaning and purpose. Catholic theology, drawing primarily from the personalistic approach to gender contained in Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, provides a consistent account of gender that is also compatible with the best evidence available in support of a purely rational approach. A defense of this approach could lead to a better understanding of ourselves and our relationships, to the betterment of culture as a whole.