SEMINARIES FAILING TO PREPARE CLERGY TO ADDRESS SEXUALITY ISSUES
New Study Reveals a Disturbing Lack of Sexuality Training in Seminary
Curricula
CHICAGO, January 8, 2009 - United States seminaries and rabbinical schools
are failing to prepare the next generation of clergy with the training they
need to address sexuality issues in ministry, according to a study released
today by the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing
and Union Theological Seminary.
The study, titled Sex and the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual
Health and Justice, reports that sexuality courses are largely absent from
most seminary curricula and degree requirements. At most institutions,
students can graduate without studying sexual ethics or taking a single
sexuality-based course.
"With so many congregations embroiled in controversy over sexual orientation
issues, or struggling to address teenage sexuality, or concerned about
sexual abuse, there is an urgent need for ordained clergy who understand the
connections between religion and sexuality," said the Rev. Debra W. Haffner,
director of the Religious Institute. "Seminaries must do more to prepare
students to minister to their congregants and be effective advocates for
sexual health and justice."
Sex and the Seminary is based on a survey of 36 leading seminaries and
rabbinical schools of diverse size and geographic location, representing a
range of Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist traditions. Each
institution was evaluated on criteria for a sexually healthy and responsible
seminary. These criteria measure sexuality content in the curriculum;
institutional commitment to sexuality and gender equity (e.g., the existence
of anti-discrimination, sexual harassment and full inclusion policies); and
advocacy and support for sexuality-related issues. The criteria were
developed by an advisory group of seminary deans, faculty and clergy with
expertise in sexuality. The survey and final report were authored by Dr.
Kate Ott, associate director of the Religious Institute.
The survey revealed that:
. More than 90% of the seminaries surveyed do not require full-semester,
sexuality-based courses for graduation.
. Two-thirds of the seminaries do not offer a course in sexuality issues for
religious professionals. Three-quarters do not offer a course in lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) studies.
. Seminaries offer three times as many courses in women's and feminist
studies as they do in LGBT studies or other sexuality-related issues.
. The next generation of scholars is not addressing sexuality issues.
Sexuality-based courses are taught by senior professors or adjunct faculty,
not by upcoming faculty seeking tenured positions.
The study also noted a "stained glass ceiling" in seminaries and a lack of
policies on full inclusion of women and gay, lesbian and transgender
persons. Two-thirds of the seminaries surveyed have fewer than 40% women
serving in faculty, senior administrative and trustee positions, in contrast
to student populations that are frequently more than 50% women.
"Religious leaders have a unique opportunity, and moral obligation, to help
congregations and communities wrestle with the complexities of sexual health
and justice," said Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological
Seminary in New York. "Is there any subject more important and more
on-the-ground crucial than sexual health and human flourishing? This study
challenges all of us who are charged with ministerial formation to look
closely at the institutional environment we create to prepare our students
to be active and informed - and hence to effect people from the pulpit and
in the public square."
Sex and the Seminary recommends that seminaries and religious denominations
develop and require competencies in sexuality for ordination to ministry.
Most denominations currently do not require ministerial candidates to be
competent in sexual health and education beyond sexual harassment
prevention, the study noted.
The study also recommends that the Association of Theological Schools, the
accrediting body for U.S. seminaries, integrate sexuality education into its
standards for ministerial formation. It calls on seminaries to strengthen
their curricular offerings and inclusion policies, invest in faculty
development and continuing education, and pursue collaboration with other
institutions and advocacy groups to expand educational opportunities for
seminarians regarding sexuality issues.
The Religious Institute will send copies of the Sex and the Seminary report
to every seminary and rabbinical school in the U.S. The report is available
online at http://www.religiousinstitute.org/SeminaryReport.html.
The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing, based in
Westport, CT, is a nonprofit, multifaith organization dedicated to
advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and
society. More than 4,400 clergy, seminary presidents and deans, religious
scholars and other religious leaders representing more than 50 faith
traditions are part of the Religious Institute's national network.
Union Theological Seminary, founded in 1836, is an independent, ecumenical
graduate school of theology with the mission to educate men and women for
ministries in the Christian faith, service in contemporary society and study
of the great issues of our time. Located in New York City--where the local
and the global intersect daily--the Seminary believes that the city remains
a critical training ground for facing such issues.
At the opening plenary here at the NGLTF's Creating Change conference, there was a free hardcover book waiting on every seat. I can't say everyone was looking for weighty reading material, but I picked it up and have been browsing through to it each day when I needed to get away from the crowds.
