On November 19th, the Religious Institute will host a panel on addressing sexuality in graduate theological education at this year’s meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in San Antonio, TX. In the past seven years, since the publication of Sex and the Seminary, graduate theological schools have made enormous strides toward addressing sexuality issues in their curricula, campus cultures, and institutional policies.
This panel, entitled “From the Seminary to the Sanctuary: A Conversation About Sexuality in Theological Education,” will begin with a brief presentation of the findings from the Religious Institute’s latest study on sexuality and graduate theological education. This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion structured around four topics: creating schools as sexually healthy spaces, preparing students to address sexuality in ministry, forming students as advocates for sexual justice, and responding to shifting institutional landscapes. Coming from a broad range of contexts—scholars of religion, theologians, activists, religious leaders, and seminary administrators—our panel includes:
- Ellen Armour, Vanderbilt University
- Trina Armstrong, Garrett-Evangelical Theological School
- Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Pacific School of Religion
- Naomi Christine Leapheart, National LGBTQ Task Force
- Pamela Lightsey, Boston University
If you’re attending AAR, please join us for what it sure to be a rich conversation. The panel will be held on November 19th, from 9:30am-11:00am in El Mirado B West room at the Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel. Click here for a link to the AAR Program Book.