GAO, Yuan2019-09-252019-09-252018-08-072017http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/169183This paper presents a survey of Augustine’s views on sexuality and marriage,inquiring whether there is an alignment of human merits on the basis of their distance from sexuality. Attending to modern theologica ldiscussions, this paper argues that Augustine shifts the issue of lifestyles into the field of moral improvement ofpassions and stresses the gradual ascent of there newed passions as a realistic scenario of the aspired perfectionism in the City of God. In this sense, human virtuous lifestyles such as secular conjugal chastity,monastic asceticism and martyrdom are not human merits,but various improving gifts from God.engAll rights reservedAugustinesexualityconjugal chastitycontinencehuman meritsIntercultural and contextual theologiesAsian theologiesArticle