Ministers Learn from Comprehensive Sex Education

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of articles reporting from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality. See all the posts here.

I believe ministers should be sources of help for congregants on matters related to human sexuality, but there are few seminaries or bible colleges that offer comprehensive sexuality education as part of preparation for parish ministry. A study of accredited seminaries revealed that of 3,800 courses, only 14 contained the word "sexuality" in their titles -- although other courses that included the subject within the description. I have been teaching and studying in this area for over 15 years, and this week, I am leading workshops on sexuality and ministry at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC)'s National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality in Washington, DC. The workshop participants are mostly African American and they come from all over the country, from California to New York, from Washington State to Florida.

Clergy must be attuned to the needs of the parish -- religious needs, spiritual needs and sexuality needs; clergy cannot do this in a competent manner if they have not had some training. That is part of the reason I founded The Moriah Institute -- to provide comprehensive sexuality education for seminarians and other faith-based leaders. This week's session on ministry and human sexuality focuses on the sexuality courses I have taught at New York Theological Seminary, Drew University School of Theology and Howard University School of Divinity. Along with my associate Michael Elam, I have been talking about the issues that have arisen for clergy and seminarians over the years; among them are the "big five" that are almost always mentioned in a room were clergy gather: abstinence, premarital sex, masturbation, homosexuality, and adolescent sexuality. I feel compelled to add issues stemming from sexual abuse/violence and sexual health as well as the challenges thrust upon congregants because of clergy misconduct.

Our strategy at the Summit this week has been to begin with the concerns clergy wish to have addressed. We present data about the paltry opportunities for sexuality education in seminaries but also point out the availability of experts who might be able to provide training in the local community. We take time to look at the content as well as the context in which such a learning experience might occur. This means talking about creating courses that offer concrete information about the human body -- the basic stuff of life, the essence of our selves created in the image of God, historical issues about sexuality, biblical stories and teachings reflecting both traditional and contemporary interpretations of sacred texts, the impact of racism and sexism on Black self-image and relationships, and an examination of some of the dialogue between science and research and theology, among a number of other topics.

Responses to the "big five" change when people begin to understand the historic social and theological context in which many of the prohibitions regarding sexuality were made and the information we have today about the human body, general feelings about women as sexual property, and cultural differences between then and now (for example, in the time of the writers of the sacred text, arranged marriages were the norm).

Students who take courses in human sexuality respond with great appreciation for insights they have gained about their own life experience and observations and practices in their own faith community. They examine resources that can be helpful in their churches and are quite eager to begin implementing ideas they've explored. Some have even said the course was life-changing, making a great impact on their plans for ministry.

In terms of the over 2,000 years of church doctrine, preaching and teaching, we are at the beginning of a new conversation that impacts pulpit, pew and pavement. It is a time for refreshing candor, healing of wounds, and creating new frameworks for meaningful dialogue about sex and sexuality. It is a long time overdue but the good news is that it's not too late for change.