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So is this the root of that part of church services when …

You mean the awkward moment where you kind of shake hands?

Yes.

Yep, that's exactly what it is. Within many Protestant traditions it has been replaced by other gestures or done away with entirely. Initially that term, "the peace," as in "the passing of the peace," referred to a kiss. But as you know, kissing has dropped out of favor among 21st-century Christians, at least in the worship service.

What is your interest in kissing, if I'm not being too forward?

When I was in graduate school, my friends had their own theories about that.

First, one of the things we've unfortunately inherited from the Reformation is a de-emphasis of ritual. We think of Christianity as a belief system. What does one believe? But early Christians thought it very important what one does.

When I think of my experience during a worship service, I have to admit I forget a lot of the sermon. And unless it was a really good hymn, I forget some of the words. The most powerful moments are those when I am fully participating, body and all, whether that be in the Eucharist or a baptism service, or a variety of other things. The kiss is like that—very body-centered and powerful.

Second, I was most interested in all the different ways the kiss defined the Christian community. Kissing someone shows that she is part of our family. That we're exchanging the Holy Spirit. That we're a reconciled, forgiven community.

But there is another side of that coin, for at the same time, it was also used as a ritual to exclude people: Non-Christians are people we don't kiss. There were arguments that Jews don't even have a kiss. There were questions of whether or not you should kiss a heretic. Later on, you only kiss certain Christians. That is, starting in the third and fourth century, you only kiss Christians of the same gender. Later on, only clergy kiss clergy and laity, laity.

The amazing thing is that something like the kiss, a great symbol of love and of family, also gets used as a symbol of anti-Judaism, as a way to divide men and women, to reinforce clerical hierarchies, and to label people as heretics. I think it's important for us to recognize both sides. I don't have the answer, but I'm trying to figure out one of the most difficult challenges to modern Christianity: How do we create a strong sense of community but do so in a way that isn't exclusive?

That is why the ritual kiss was so interesting to me. At first it seems so astoundingly trivial, yet for the early Christians it was far from trivial. They're writing about it all the time, connecting it with some of the most important theological arguments and debates going on in the early centuries. Even though it's only one aspect of Christian history, I think a lot can be learned from it.

Bethany Pledge is a writer living in Chicago.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Mount Holyoke College has more information about Penn and his book.

Kissing Christians received attention from The Boston Globe and The Springfield Republican.

Martin Marty reviewed the book for The Christian Century.

University of Pennsylvania Press has more information about the book.

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March (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50