Our whole selves

When I
was presenting my M.Div. thesis on Christian sex-ed curricula, one professor
asked, "Why should the churches be talking to kids about stuff like this?
Shouldn't we leave it to their parents and let the churches tackle things like
money and justice?"

It was
the one question that really threw me for a loop. I'm a pastor's kid now in
ministry--it has always seemed completely natural that the community of faith
should address every aspect of my life. Yet whether out of fear, uncertainty or
an unwillingness to be vulnerable, we clergy often avoid talking with our
congregations about sexuality. Then we find ourselves in damage-control
mode--we wind up counseling adulterers because we could never figure out how to
talk about temptation and infidelity.

In its
February issue, Marie Claire includes
an article called "Confessions of a Single, Female Pastor," an interview with a
pastor in her 20s whose calling impacts her sex life--in her denomination,
ordained people vow to uphold the highest ideals of Christian life, including
celibacy in singleness and fidelity in marriage. She's single, so she's
celibate.