Published Book Reviews
I.
Nudity & Christianity
2006,
edited by Jim C. Cunningham
Publ.
AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana
Soft
Cover, 596 pages
Nudity & Christianity is Jim. C. Cunningham's magnum opus. I know the man personally, have had one-on-one talks
with him, and can honestly say he is one of the great philosophical thinkers
alive today. The fact that that philosophical thinking comes from a
Christian-based worldview makes him all the more of a treasure. At a time when
philosophers pride themselves on being iconoclasts--gleefully taking pot shots
at Christianity--Jim starts with the Bible as his base and argues from there.
His mission is, as I see it, to strip away the misconceptions and incorrect
thinking regarding nudity extant today in Christian circles and to cause us to
look at the body the way God intended. That he does this as an avowed Catholic
makes it even more remarkable. Jim is not some freethinking, pseudo-Christian,
who takes snippets from Christianity, mixes it with a bit of Eastern mysticism,
and throws in some New Age thought for good measure. He makes no bones about
his strong, Catholic faith and clearly writes how and why he came to view his
Christian-based ideas regarding nudity as eminently logical. This dovetails
with the Theology of the Body, introduced by Pope John Paul II.
Along
the way, Jim founded Naturist LIFE International, the Mt. Carmel Academy, and
the Cunningham Family Retreat. It's a shame Catholics in general don't give
their faith the same honest and forthright examination--we'd all be better off
for it. Just as the title implies, Nudity and Christianity is not a Catholic handbook on nudity but a handbook all Christians can use, regardless of persuasion. Not all the
pieces are by Catholic authors. Nudity and Christianity is a compendium of
Christian thinking on the subject of nudity, gleaned from Jim's writings, and
the writings of others. The table of contents alone is the size of a small
pamphlet. In the back of the book, Jim has provided a Scriptural Index and a Topical
Index--great tools in using a book of this size as a handy reference. The text
is fully annotated throughout. For a book that appears to be on one subject,
the sheer scope of its many treatises is amazing. Of the 105 separate articles,
Jim wrote 41 of them himself (and one with another writer)--and they're not
cursory musings either. Each article, whether long or short, is a concise
distillation of Christian thought bent to the task of showing that simple,
human nudity is not the odd, or sinful thing, most Christians think. Jim's
sources are eclectic, ranging from lay friends, to the Pope himself (John Paul
II).
In
a book of this size and scope, it's hard to pick any particular piece (or
pieces) as an example but two in particular do it for me: “Dialog of
Conscience: Nudism & Scandal” and “Dialog of Conscience: The Cannes
Principle” (pgs. 152-165). In the first of these pieces, Jim dialogs with a
woman named Tina. They discuss the issues of an innocent practice (i.e.
offering wine at a family gathering) leading to someone else's sinning. In
discussing this with Tina, Jim introduces the [moral] "principle of double
effect," and its four conditions. In the second piece, they discuss the
issue of a social practice that was once considered wrong, becoming common
practice through a change in social mores (i.e. swimsuit size). Again, the
"principle of double effect" with its four conditions is invoked.
Good stuff--whether you're talking about nudity, or moral living in general.
While the irreverent might think it just so much moral nit-picking, these
dialogs are illustrations of how any moral person can come to grips with his
faith, and mode of living, and not tie himself into moral knots.
Another
piece of must-reading is Paul M. Bowman's “Open Letter to Evangelicals” (pgs.
166-169). It's essentially a letter to a pastor who decried Paul's view of
nudity and it pulls no punches. Every Christian should have this piece copied
and inserted under the front cover of his Bible.
If
you call yourself a Christian and have an open mind, N&C is a must in your library. Buy it, read the
articles thoughtfully and carefully (you could incorporate it into your daily
quiet time reading--an article at a time each day), and keep it on your
reference shelf. It's as indispensable as the dictionary.
I
awaited this book with great anticipation and, now that it's out, I'm not
disappointed. It will remain one of my essential reference guides, right next
to Strong's Concordance and Unger's Bible Handbook.
Note
to all pastors (and laypersons), of all denominations: Get a copy of Nudity & Christianity and read it
cover to cover. By performing this simple act, you will educate yourself on the
theology of the human body, nudity, and how the body is integral to a complete
faith. You will also insulate yourself from the urge to grab a picket sign and
harass the naturists at the local clothing-optional beach.
Tom
Pine
For
Inter-Naturally magazine
II.
Nudity & Christianity
edited
by Jim C. Cunningham
“Sexual
modesty cannot then in any simple way be identified with the use of clothing,
nor shamelessness with the absence of clothing and total or partial nakedness.
There are circumstances in which nakedness is not immodest… nakedness as such
is not to be equated with physical shamelessness. Immodesty is present only
when nakedness plays a negative role
with regard to the value of the person, when its aim is to arouse concupiscence,
as a result of which the person is put in the position of an object of
enjoyment. The human body is not in itself shameful... Dress is always a social
question, a function of… social customs. In this matter there is no exact
similarity in the behavior of particular people, even if they live in the same
age and the same society. The principle of what is truly immodest is simple and
obvious... If someone takes advantage of such an occasion to treat the person
as an object of enjoyment (even if his action is purely internal) it is only he
who is guilty of shamelessness… not the other.”
--Karol
Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II), Love
and Responsibility, trans. H. T. Willetts (New York: Farrar, Strauss &
Giroux, 1981), pp. 176-192.
We
don't know if John Paul II went skinny-dipping as a young priest on his hikes
in the Polish countryside, but the excerpt quoted above [found on p. 1 of Nudity & Christianity], almost
indistinguishable from arguments made by naturist writers, makes one wonder.
The Christian justification of naturism is based on several premises: that
nudity is an Edenic ideal of innocence (either never lost, or restored by
Christ's death on the cross); that while the Bible condemns promiscuity and
lust (acts of man) it does not condemn the nude body (God's good creation);
that a refusal to honor all physical creation is essentially Manichean heresy;
that dress norms are ephemeral and cultural; and that nudity was common and
unexceptional in the Biblical and early Christian eras.
Jim
C. Cunningham is a devout Roman Catholic who attends Mass daily, and the
founder of Naturist Life International (www.naturistlife.com). Most of the 509
un-illustrated pages (not including introduction and indices) in this book are
Cunningham's own writings, those of his wife, and apparently of fellow nudists.
(Unfortunately, many contributors are identified only by name). Quotations from
known writers--John Paul II, John Bunyan, Mark Twain, C. S. Lewis, a few early
Christian church notables--make up a relatively small portion of the whole
volume.
Cunningham
is not merely a "recreational" nudist, and eloquently argues for
naturism and body acceptance as antidotes both to demeaning pornography and
equally to life-denying Puritanism, in accordance with John Paul II's Theology
of the Body.
A
very useful feature is a 23 page Scriptural Index that allows one to look up
chapter and verse often used to condemn nudity, and then to read the various
essayists' contrary interpretations.
Several
years ago, Paul Bowman published What the
Holy Bible Really Says About Nakedness. Bowman's conclusion--buttressed by
scriptural citations--was that neither Old nor New Testament condemned nudity,
and he offered many examples where nudity was presented in a neutral context,
or even showed God's overt blessing and approval. Bowman's shorter work (177
pages) offers a more straightforward, linear approach. Cunningham's covers much
of the same ground, with additional scriptural arguments, in a more discursive and
often more impassioned style, and it's good to have the quotes from the various
saints, clerics, and one "sinner" (Twain) in one volume.
Michael Kush
Editor, Sundial
South Florida Free Beaches: http://www.sffb.com
[Bowman's
book can be purchased at the above SFFB web site.]
Back
to About My New Book