Twenty Seminaries Now Meet Standards of Sexual Health and Responsibility

The Religious Institute, a multi-faith organization
dedicated to sexual health, education and justice, has doubled the
number of United States seminaries, divinity and rabbinical schools that
are preparing the next generation of clergy with the training they need
to address sexuality issues in ministry. Twenty seminaries now meet a
majority of the criteria for a sexually healthy and responsible
seminary, compared to just ten in 2009.

“When I was in seminary, there was virtually nothing mentioned about
sexuality in my courses,” said the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, Executive
Director of the Religious Institute. “Through the Religious Institute’s
hard work in partnership with these institutions, we are proud to say
that the landscape at U.S. seminaries, divinity and rabbinical schools
is shifting towards increased sexuality education. These twenty
seminaries are the vanguard in ensuring that tomorrow’s clergy are
prepared to minister to their congregants, and to be effective advocates
for sexual health and justice.”

Progress made as a result of the Religious Institute Seminary Project includes:

• Brite Divinity School now offers a full-semester
course on sexuality and pastoral care issues; has revised their
community inclusion statement to be inclusive of sex, gender identity,
and orientation; and requires all field education supervisors, students,
and lay committees to address sexuality-related training needs.
Additionally, Brite has developed a model for seminary-wide
conversations on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
ordination within Christian denominations.

• Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York
now includes gender identity and gender expression in its
non-discrimination policy, and will display a groundbreaking collection
of Jewish art that addresses gender and sexuality issues at its museum
in Fall 2012, the first ever at a Jewish museum.

• The Jewish Theological Seminary developed two
full-semester courses on sexuality issues, and now requires at least one
full-semester sexuality-related course as well as clergy sexual
misconduct training for all rabbinical students prior to graduation.
Going forward, almost all Conservative rabbis in the U.S. will have at
least one full course on sexuality issues, including education on sexual
orientation and gender identity, as well as a professional sexual
misconduct training—all as a direct result of this project.

• Union Theological Seminary dedicated its alumni days
to “Sex and the Church,” instituted a required sexual misconduct class,
and greatly increased its curricular offerings on sexuality issues.

• Yale Divinity School now requires students take at
least one of sexuality-related course prior to graduation. With the
direct support of the Religious Institute, YDS revised their Master’s of
Divinity required ministerial misconduct workshop to include broader
sexuality topics, including LGBT issues and sexual health.

A full list of these institutions, designated as Sexually Healthy and
Responsible Seminaries, follows. This list updates a 2009 study, which
found sexuality courses largely absent from most seminary curricula and
degree requirements.

“There is an urgent need for ordained clergy who understand the
connections between religion and sexuality, particularly given so many
denominations concerned about sexual abuse or embroiled in controversies
over sexual orientation issues,” added Rev. Haffner. “This work makes
significant strides towards combating future clergy sexual abuse, while
helping all future clergy become sexually healthy and responsible.“

Additional information on this project is available at http://www.religiousinstitute.org/Seminary.

The Religious Institute, 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 5,400
clergy, seminary presidents and deans, religious scholars and other
religious leaders representing more than 70 faith traditions are part of
the Religious Institute’s national network.

The following institutions meet the criteria set forth by the
Religious Institute to designate them a Sexually Healthy and Responsible
Seminary. They are on the vanguard of addressing sexuality issues in
the formation of religious professionals.

Andover Newton Theological School
Newton Centre, MA
www.ants.edu

Bangor Theological Seminary
Bangor, ME
www.bts.edu

Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, TX
www.brite.edu

Candler School of Theology,
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA
www.candler.emory.edu

Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago, IL
www.ctschicago.edu

Claremont School of TheologyClaremont, CA
www.cst.edu

Drew Theological School,
Drew University
Madison, NJ
www.drew.edu/theological

Episcopal Divinity School
Cambridge, MA
www.eds.edu

Harvard Divinity School
Cambridge, MA
www.hds.harvard.edu

Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of ReligionNew York, NY
www.huc.edu

The Jewish Theological Seminary
New York, NY
www.jtsa.edu

Meadville Lombard Theological SchoolChicago, IL
www.meadville.edu

Pacific School of Religion
Berkeley, CA
www.psr.edu

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Wyncote, PA
www.rrc.edu

Starr King School for the Ministry
Berkeley, CA
www.sksm.edu

Union Theological Seminary
New York, NY
www.utsnyc.edu

University of Chicago Divinity SchoolChicago, IL
divinity.uchicago.edu

Vanderbilt University Divinity School
Nashville, TN
divinity.vanderbilt.edu

Wake Forest University Divinity School
Winston-Salem, NC
divinity.wfu.edu

Yale University Divinity School
New Haven, CT
www.divinity.yale.edu

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