Conference Preçis

The religious traditions are nearly at one in their recognition that their teachings on the dignity of the person have to include homosexuals and not ostracize them.  Dignity of the person is the most fundamental common theme.  On the conclusions they draw from that point they are very divided and largely rather confused.  Various religious bodies, both Jewish and Christian, have been at this discussion for years and many still find themselves stalemated.  With this conference, we do not intend to be prescriptive, but to give people of the various traditions a forum in which to explore these issues within the context of covenant and community. 

The Event

In late spring/early summer 2008 the Boston Theological Institute (BTI) and the Interreligious Center on Public Life, together with two of their constituting schools, Andover Newton Theological School and Hebrew College, will sponsor a two-day conference to assess the aspects of sexuality as they affect public discourse, religious education, and ecclesial life. Over the last several years, faculty and administrators of the BTI schools and Hebrew College have convened a Task Force on Sexuality for the purpose of designing a dialogue on this topic for their constituencies that would be welcoming of all persons, perspectives, and religious denominations on these crucial issues for church, synagogue, and society.  The event will take place on the neighboring hilltop campuses of Andover Newton Theological School and Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Massachusetts.

The Issues

Issues of sexuality are fracturing our communities and religious bodies across denominational lines. From political debates over family values and same-sex marriage, to ecclesial struggles over the ordination and blessing of the unions of gays and lesbians, sexuality remains a force that can unite us in covenant and community—or one which can tear us apart.  While legally recognized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, same-sex relationships remain controversial. Our young people are engaging in a wider range of sexual activities than ever before, and at younger ages.  Widespread exposure to sex in advertising, on the internet, and in other media is increasingly commodifying sexuality into something that can be bought and sold and cheapening sexual relationships in the process.  In this conference, we shall explore these and other issues, such as same-sex relationships, in ways that affirm the dignity of sexuality.  At the same time we call ourselves to a higher level of understanding and discourse about the ways in which responsible sexuality within a covenant framework is the fundamental relationship linking us to one another, to our communities, and ultimately to God.

The Schedule

The purpose of this conference is to take stock of these developments in marriage and family under the more general rubric of sexuality and how it is organized in law, religion, and society.  The first day of the conference will explore the history of sexuality and its shaping in American history and law, in religion and psychology, in key branches of Judaism and Christianity, and in contemporary society and ecclesial life. 

The second day of the conference will focus on the practical implications of sexuality for congregational and denominational life and how religious bodies should respond to these developments in a way that promotes concord over schism. Massachusetts has been the locus of many recent sexuality debates-- particularly around same-sex marriage, clergy and Episcopal ordination, and clergy sexual abuse--that have had profound impact on law and politics, as well as the life of religious denominations and congregations. We will be inviting key religious leaders from the Boston area’s Jewish and Christian communities to participate in panel discussions and break-out conversations.

The Invitees

The list of who should come to this conference includes clergy, lay leaders, and religious educators congregations; faculty and students of local seminaries; political leaders and members of the press.  We welcome members of Mainline and Evangelical Protestant churches, Catholic and Orthodox churches, and all branches of Judaism, as well as people of other churches and faiths who seek both a better understanding of issues of sexuality in religion and community and an opportunity to be in dialogue with fellow people of faith in addressing the challenges that sexuality represents in our time.

The Organizers

The Task Force on Sexuality of the Inter-Religious Center on Public Life (ICPL) and the BTI has been headed by Sandy Seltzer (Hebrew College) and Rodney Petersen (Executive Director, BTI), and includes Raymond Helmick, S.J. (Boston College), Alan Katzoff (Hebrew College, 1999-2007), Nancy Nienhuis (Andover Newton Theological Seminary), John Jefferson Davis (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), John Chirban (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology), and M. Christian Green (Harvard Divinity School 2004-07; Emory University).

For more information, please contact: 

Rev. Dr. Rodney Petersen at petersen at bostontheological .org, 617.527.4880, or Rabbi Sandy Seltzer at sseltzer at hebrewcollege .edu, 617.559.8639