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Frank Answers About Embodied Theology

A few years ago I was contacted by a European Catholic priest who is a member of a religious order and a writer on spirituality. His email included questions to me, and my answer may be of interest to other religious people, particularly those whose religious upbringing may have had a negative affect on their ability to develop a positive attitude toward their body, and therefore affected their relationship with God. My correspondent writes:

I want to congratulate you for your blog and perhaps to enter into discussion with you about your theology of the body and nakedness. It’s quite rare among us priests, and I’m so happy to find a colleague on the internet who writes about these topics. I myself have practiced silent prayer naked for about 25 or 30 years and it’s a part of my spiritual life.

[In my writing] I tried to invite priests and monks to more freedom with their body and pleasure, in a serious respect of their vows, but I didn’t dare to develop nakedness in it. I don’t agree with what is called today “sexual identity.” I don’t believe that our desire is the definition of our identity. So I want to be very careful to avoid any identification of nakedness practice or theology with gay practice or theology. A lot of men have huge problems with their body, both “gay” and “straight.” We can try to offer them a new theological point of view which is a basis for more freedom, for a rehabilitation of the body, whatever is their sexual desire.

Nowadays, I know quite clearly what could be said from a Christian point of view about the body and nakedness. I know, from theology and by experience, what is interesting to promote about naked prayer. The big issue is: “How can I communicate about that?” Most of the people who need to hear that will run away if I propose some experience, or retreat on the topic; and I think that they will never read a text on it either… I would like to preach to my brothers in religious life and the priesthood who are so suffering on the topic. My purpose is to be suggestive. I offer some ideas on the body within a comment on prayer or on chastity, without explicitly mentioning the body in the title of the article or the book so as not to scare away those who have the most need to hear about it.

Do you have some experience with how to speak about body to Christian people…?

Frank Answers: Dear brother in Christ, I am honored that you have noticed my work on a body spirituality and shared yours. I have indeed had experience speaking about the body to Christian people. When I was going through cancer treatment in 2006/2007 while serving as pastor of a congregation, I did not hesitate to share what I was experiencing in my body from the chemotherapy and my congregation appreciated it. Since I continued to preside during a year of chemotherapy they saw with their own eyes its effects on my body. That experience made me more attuned to the role of the body in the Bible and in the liturgy and I have since brought out this dimension of our life before God into my sermons and writings.

I took up the practice of yoga and that helped me to connect more deeply with my body. My book, Embodied Liturgy (Fortress Press, 2016), is based on a course I offered in Satya Wacana Christian University in Central Java, Indonesia in 2014 to church music students and Reformed pastors who were invited to participate in the course. I included yoga sequences in the course to help the participants get in touch with their body. I don’t expect everyone to get into yoga. It happens to be a way in which I reconnected with my bodily self after cancer treatment, and so I’ve used it to help others get in touch with their body.

Pastor Frank leading students in a yoga exercise in his Embodied Liturgy course at Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia in June 2014. I was only 71 at the time!

I agree with you that our identity as Christians should not be based on our sexual desires. Our identity is our common baptism into Christ, whether we are male or female, gay or straight (see Galatians 3:28). On the other hand, we can’t ignore the body we have with its physical experiences and sexual desires. In articles I’ve written recently I make use of Mark Johnson’s proposal in The Meaning of the Body (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007) that the meaning of the body is simultaneously biological, ecological, phenomenological, social, and cultural (pp. 274—78). This includes our sexuality, as I analyzed it in “The Body in Protestant Spirituality,” in Frank C. Senn, ed., Protestant Spiritual Traditions, Volume 2 (Eugene, Or: Cascade Books, 2020), pp. 194—95. See also my essay on “Ritual and Sacrament as Bodily Practice” in the T & T Clark Handbook of Sacraments and Sacramentality, edited by Martha Moore-Keish & James W. Farwell (London: Bloomsbury, 2023), 9–22.  

It is unfortunate that nakedness, especially for men, has come to be associated with homosexuality. Before ca. 1970 millions of American boys swam naked in schools and the YMCA and Boys Clubs and this was considered normal. But by the 1980s—1990s, as the gay liberation movement was gaining traction in our society (1969 was the year of the Stonewall Inn Riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village), homophobia was also increasing. The evangelical men’s ministry Promise Keepers that flourished in the 1990s was very homophobic. If men got emotional and hugged in small group experiences, this had to be defined in familial terms as “brotherly bonding,” and that made it okay; it wasn’t gay.  But homophobia has had an impact on male connections and touch (except among athletes).

Gay lovers or straight buddies horsing around?

The late 19th century distinction between “homosexual” and “heterosexual” was a mixed blessing for so-called homosexuals. As Michel Foucault wrote in A History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction, trans. by Robert Hurley (New York: Vintage Books, 1990), “As defined by ancient or canonical code, sodomy was a category of forbidden acts; their perpetrator was nothing more than the juridical subject of them. The nineteenth century homosexual became a personage, a past, a case history, and a childhood, in addition to being a type of life, a life form, and a morphology, with an indiscreet anatomy and possibly a mysterious physiology. Nothing that went into his total composition was unaffected by his sexuality” (p. 43).

But then heterosexuals felt that homosexuality had to be suppressed in society lest it infect everyone. Men had to suppress homoerotic urges in themselves. They emphasized their heterosexuality by bashing homos verbally or physically. In spite of the advances in LGBTQ rights in Western societies, there is still a latent (one should say an embodied) homophobia and a fear of being perceived as gay. This dynamic exacerbates the issue of gay or LGBTQ) identity.

This is the “problematic” (as Foucault would say) for men today. At least in America it is considered “gay” to be focused on one’s body, to enjoy being nude, to desire to hug or even kiss another man out of friendship. So we eschew focus on the body, experiences of naked camaraderie, and physical contact with another man (other than aggressively in sports). But this homophobia also gets in the way of our relationship with God, because that relationship is based on the body.

Consider that we are created as bodies from earthly material. God redeemed us by the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in his body, which was naked in his flogging, his crucifixion, and his resurrection from the dead (with grave clothes left behind). By our Baptism we are joined to the death and resurrection of Christ. We receive the Holy Spirit who dwells in the temple of our bodies. We receive the body of Christ in bread and wine into our bodies for forgiveness of sins, reconciliation between us and God and one another, and healing of body and spirit. (Holy Communion is administered to the sick.) We look for the promised resurrection of our bodies when Christ comes again in glory. Our life before God in Christ through the Spirit is all about the body.

Michelangelo’s nude masterpiece, “David.”

But we have issues with our bodies, including our sexuality. Dissatisfaction with our bodies and body shame is pervasive among both men and women. It affects our living of life, our relationships with others, and our relationship with God, because we live as less than God created, redeemed, and sanctified us to be. Most people, including body builders, are dissatisfied with their bodies. It’s inspiring to look at the idealized form of the nude created by artists.

I also believe that there is an increasing interest in our bodies in the Western world. We are a body-obsessed culture, although not in the best sense. People are becoming more aware of their physical body due to traumas of abuse or illness. They are becoming more aware of their emotional body due to sexual confusions in our feelings, in our fast-changing social norms, and in our cultural expectations. They are becoming more interested in health and wellness. The popularity of modern postural yoga fits into this interest in both physical and mental health.

Books are being written about these issues, including theological and spiritual books. Perhaps Pope John Paul II set a trend with his theology of the body, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, Translation, Introduction, and Index by Michael Waldstein (Boston: Pauline, 1997, 2006). More recently see also John W. Kleinig, Wonderfully Made: A Protestant Theology of the Body Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2021). A group of Christians could read and discuss a book. But I believe that it would be more effective to have an embodied experience of a theology of the body.

How can we get Christians to appreciate their bodies wonderfully made in God’s image? I think by immersing it in our theology of the body.

Therefore, I have imagined a retreat (perhaps over a weekend, but at least a whole day) that would focus on the work of the Trinitarian God in our bodies for healing and spiritual empowerment. Such an experience could have a healing and liberating affect. The retreat would be for men only (there could also be a retreat for women only, but I think men are especially in need of such an experience) and it would feature an exploration of one’s life in the body under the theme of the embodiment of the Trinity in our bodily experiences as God’s creation, as redeemed by Christ in what he did in his body, and as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

I got the idea from workshops offered by The Body Electric. This organization was founded by the gay former Jesuit Joseph Kramer to help gay men deal with the experiences of the AIDS epidemic, as well as bullying and rape. The workshops were created to help these men explore their erotic energy and need for intimacy in a safe container. Called “Celebrating the Body Electric,” they were sponsored by the Body Electric School of Massage in Oakland California, which specialized in Taoist and Tantric modalities. The program continues today under the name of The New Body Electric and is offered for men, women, and couples. See www.bodyelectric.com. (The name “Body Electric comes from a poem by Walt Whitman.)

The model for what I propose came from actually experiencing a Circle of Men day workshop offered by a yoga teacher and physical trainer in Chicago who goes by the name Akal. In this workshop we shared our experiences of our sexuality at various ages along our life’s journey from early childhood to whatever age we were at the time.

This pile on at the end of Brandon Anthony’s naked men’s yoga class in Seattle is like the pile on at the end of Akal’s Circle of Men workshop.

Proposed Workshop/Retreat

I propose an all-day retreat, preferably in a secluded retreat center. Like the Body Electric and Circle of Men workshops I would be bold to suggest that a Christian retreat on the body be clothing optional in the sharing sessions. The discussions and sharing about one’s body could be done enclothed. But then it remains abstract because in these sessions we will be talking about our actual bodies – our physical sensations, our emotional feelings. Our bodies should be front and center without the social conventions and cultural overlay of our choice of clothing. (We purposely choose the clothing we wear to define our social identity.) While being naked might make participants apprehensive at first, they will eventually feel more comfortable with themselves. As they become less self-conscious, they will be open to share their life stories more freely and honestly since everyone is equally vulnerable.

“Clothing optional” means no one is required to be naked, but the option should be available. I also recommend that such a workshop be gender-specific, male or female, not only for the sake of modesty but also because men and women have different body issues dictated by biology, environment, experience, society. and culture.

Being naked with others in a safe, non-sexual environment provides a rare opportunity to quiet the negative voice within us about our bodies.  Nevertheless, I suggest that everyone wear a robe or sarong to the sessions, which may left on or removed if the participant feels self-prompted to do so. The facilitator should be similarly attired at the beginning of each session but remove the covering at the beginning of the sharing portion of the session to model permission for others to do so. There might be two leaders: a facilitator and a Bible study leader. Both would have to model nakedness.

The format would be small groups of 6 or 8 who will share stories about themselves. Rules: stories heard from participants are not to be interrupted or challenged by others or shared outside the group. Each group with have a facilitator of the same sex.

The workshop would begin by reciting the Apostles Creed and a prayer for openness to the Holy Spirit end and to one another. Each study/sharing session would be devoted to one article of the Creed.

Session 1: “Who told you that you were naked?”

Read and discuss Genesis 2:4b—3:24.

Adam and Eve by Peter Paul Rubens (after Titian’s painting). There are several provocative issues presented in this painting. Why is the tempting serpent a child? Note that Eve is already acquiring a genital covering while Adam is naked, and appears to be trying to restrain Eve. What purpose does the red parrot serve? A witness to the act of disobedience?

Focus on the bodies of Adam and Eve in these stories. Why did they cover their “private parts” with an apron made of fig leaves?  Hint: Was intimacy impaired between Adam and Eve and God? Did God have any problem with human nakedness? Why did God provide Adam and Eve with leather garments of animal skins when they were banished from the paradise garden?  Note: the text doesn’t say why God clothed them.

Going around the circle share your experiences of your physical body as a child, as a teen, as a young adult, as a middle age adult, and as older adult. Suggestion: let each person in the group share the experiences of each stage of life before moving on to the next stage at the next go-around. These may be experiences of accidents, illness, performance (drama, music, sports, etc.), relationships, sex, sexuality issues, etc.

Do a group body scan meditation sitting or lying on the floor. Mention slowly each part of the body from head to toe, asking the participants to note any sensations without judgment.

Session 2: Stripped/Clothed

Read and discuss Mark 14—16:8.

The detail of the naked fugitive in Giovanni Correggio’s painting of “The Capture of Christ”

Focus on the body of Christ and other bodies in the story. When was Jesus stripped? When was he clothed or covered in his passion? Show a picture of Christ naked on the cross. Michelangelo’s wood carved crucifix might be the least provocative model. It hangs above a sacristy door. Could we envision a naked Christ displayed in our churches?

Where do we fit into this story?  What do you think is the symbolism of the young man running off naked into the night during the commotion in the garden? What’s the relationship between that naked young man and the clothed young man in the tomb on the third day announcing the resurrection? How are both nakedness and clothing spiritual values? Read Cyril of Jerusalem’s Mystagogical Homily 2. See Edward Yarnold, SJ, The Awe Inspiring Rites of Initiation: Baptismal Homilies of the Fourth Century (Slough, UK: St. Paul Publications, 1971), pp. 74—78. Discuss the symbolism of the stripping, anointing, and bathing offered by Cyril. What would be the value of nakedness in Christian initiation?

Going around the circle share your experiences of body shaming or personal dissatisfaction with your body as a child, as a teen, as a young adult, as a middle age adult, and as an older adult, one stage of life at a time. (This may take some time.)

Participants anoint one another’s body as a sacrament of healing with massage-like touch, wherever on the body the participant desires to be anointed except the genital area. A lot of oil should be used and wearing and laying on towels would be suggested.

Session 3: Naked to follow the naked Christ

Read and discuss Isaiah 20:2—4; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:12—20.

St. Francis’ renunciation of worldly goods and stripping naked in the presence of his father and bishop. Part of a series of painted scenes of the life of St. Francis by Giotto in the nave of the St. Francis Church in Assisi.

Why did God direct Isaiah to be naked for three years? For whom was nakedness an object lesson?  How do we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice? How do we glorify God in our bodies?  How do we understand the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit? What is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Hint: Source of spiritual energy.

Reference the story of St. Francis of Assisi appearing naked before the Bishop of Gubbio. See Arnaldo Fortini, Francis of Assisi, trans. Helen Moak (New York: Crossroad, 1981), pp. 227—30. How did Francis’ nakedness symbolize a radical change of life?  How would you interpret the Franciscan motto, “naked, I follow the naked Christ?”

Go around the circle sharing your experiences of using your body in the service of God, as a young person and as an adult. Discuss how we connect with and minister to others through our bodies.

Pair off as partners standing or kneeling and facing each other. Partners will hold each other’s hands and look into their eyes. After a couple of minutes can this session conclude by hugging each other.

Have some time for de-briefing the retreat experience. What is a major takeaway that each man is willing to share? Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer, holding hands in the circle. Share the greeting of peace with others in the group. Hugging each other while naked is permitted.

Obviously, the facilitators would have to be carefully chosen for their spiritual maturity, skill in facilitating group discussion and sharing, as well as willingness to model nudity. If anyone actually offers a retreat like this, I would love to hear about it.

Pastor Frank Senn

Frank Senn

I’m a retired Lutheran pastor. I was in parish ministry for forty years and taught at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for three years. I've been an adjunct professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Since my retirement in 2013 I've also taught courses at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia, and Carey Theological College in Vancouver. I have a Ph.D. in theology (liturgical studies) from the University of Notre Dame.