Richard W. McCarty

Dr. Richard W. McCarty is Professor of Religious Studies at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. McCarty writes at the intersections of religion, ethics, sexuality, and popular culture. His first book, Sexual Virtue (SUNY Press, 2015) considers how people might pursue the unique goods of recreation, relational intimacy, and/or procreation, drawing on Christian scripture, virtue ethics, natural law, and church teachings. His second book, Under the Bed of Heaven (SUNY Press, 2021), investigates why Christianity failed to develop visions of sex in heaven. This book then turns to name sexual metaphors that express the qualities of heaven, which can inform (and reform) Christian codes of sexual ethics in the here and now. As an ethicist, McCarty navigates away from both authoritarian traditionalism and postmodern forms of moral relativism. McCarty's books on sexual ethics have been described as compassionate, engaging, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and meaningful to a wide audience. McCarty's third book project is forthcoming through Fortress Academic/Lexington Press. A new line of scholarship for McCarty, this book project will analyze paranormal narratives in U.S. popular culture, uncovering how theological and moral convictions are increasingly shaped by various paranormal beliefs.