Can Sex Be Just a Little Bit Sinful?
At The Atlantic, Elizabeth Tenety reports, “Within the Church, this idea isn’t new, but some see it as radical: It’s theological concept known as graduality, or gradualism, which since most people develop in their moral behavior gradually over time, the church should engage individuals where they are, rather than reject them outright for not meeting an ideal.” Gradualism may be a more realistic approach to preaching church doctrine on sex and marriage, especially birth control. However, it runs the risk of acting as moral relativism in disguise. “The danger would always be that people perceive that you sacrifice the ideal, but that need not be the case,” William Mattison, an associate professor of moral theology at the Catholic University of America, said.