Rev. Cari’s third Stump the Preacher sermon is in response to a pointed question about the Christian tradition’s betrayal of the body. The follow-up question asks whether there are any resources in Scripture that move toward recovery of embodiment, and integration.

So she addresses parts of Genesis 1, and John 1 (the prologue to the Gospel) and reflected – not so much on the culpability of the tradition regarding the body – but how these two scripture texts point to healing.

In the process she quotes Dominican theologian Matthew Fox, refers to St. Augustine’s “trash-talking of sexuality” while unpacking the two Greek words for “body,” gratefully quotes from Cynthia Rigby’s beautiful book Holding Faith as well as Gregory of Nazainzus’ ringing affirmation of the connection between Jesus’ full humanity and the salvation of humans. In other words, this Stump the Preacher sermon is quite a ride.

Have a listen!