At the Chicago Theological Seminary, professor Laurel Schneider challenges her students bluntly: “Sex and sexuality is of course a very significant part of our experience,” she said.
“And I put the question up here, is sex divine?”
The Chicago seminary is one of the few clergy-training institutes where human sexuality, in all its facets, is openly discussed. The Connecticut-based Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing recently studied 36 seminaries across denominational lines and found an “overwhelming need” to better educate and prepare future religious leaders in the area of human sexuality.
The survey found that fewer than 10 percent of U.S. seminaries require a semester-length class in sexuality before graduation. In addition, three-quarters of seminaries lack classes on lesbian/gay studies even though they do offer a full range of women’s studies.
