Encyclopedia of Christianity Online

Get access Subject: Religious Studies
Editors: Erwin Fahlbusch, Jan Milič Lochman, John Mbiti, Jaroslav Pelikan and Lukas Vischer

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The Encyclopedia of Christianity Online describes modern-day Christian beliefs and communities in the context of 2000 years of apostolic tradition and Christian history. Based on the third, revised edition of the critically acclaimed German work Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon. The Encyclopedia of Christianity Online includes all 5 volumes of the print edition of 1999-2008 which has become a standard reference work for the study of Christianity past and present. Comprehensive, reflecting the highest standards in scholarship yet intended for a wide range of readers, the The Encyclopedia of Christianity Online also looks outward beyond Christianity, considering other world religions and philosophies as it paints the overall religious and socio-cultural picture in which the Christianity finds itself.

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Sexuality

(5,331 words)

Author(s): Looy, Heather
1. Definitions Sexuality refers to a dimension of human nature and experience that is intimately related to, but not identical with, sex and gender. Sex refers to a distinction based on reproductive function: individuals in a species who produce large, nutrient-rich gametes (eggs) are called female, while those who produce small, mobile gametes (sperm) are called male. Gender refers to psychological and behavioral differences associated with females and males. Gender identity reflects one’s internal sense of being male or female, while gender role refers to cultural expectati…
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