The "Open Letter to Religious Leaders about Sex Education" reinforces scriptural and theological commitments to truth-telling in calling for "full and honest education about sexual and reproductive health." This "Open Letter" was published in 2002, at about the midpoint of a decade-long federal government commitment to…

The issues of faith and religion are frequently avoided by instructors in training institutes for fear of inciting divisive conversations in the context of the classroom. Within secular training institutes, however, there is a growing momentum to incorporate an understanding of the spiritual aspects of individuals, families, and communities into…

"Sacred Choices: Adolescent Relationships and Sexual Ethics" is a sexual ethics curriculum for middle school and high school students developed by the Union for Reform Judaism. Sacred Choices strives to teach Reform Jewish teens that their bodies are gifts from God and that Judaism provides relevant guidance on how to use and care for that gift…

This article reviews the role of faith- and community-based organizations in providing comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents in the United States. To gather information about these organizations, a broad approach was used that included a formal literature review, systematic searches through organizational Web sites, and the convening…

Attitudes and beliefs about sexuality are informed by a variety of sources, including faith-based traditions. This lesson is designed for older adults to explore sexuality-related messages and values that are based on spiritual or faith perspectives. Participants will reflect upon their past learning, evaluate their present day attitudes about…

Religious traditions affirm that sexuality is God's life-giving and life-fulfilling gift. Every member of the clergy will be called upon to address the sexuality needs of the people they serve, yet only a handful of seminaries in the United States are actively preparing their students to assume this important role. In Phase I, 36 U.S. seminaries…

The author describes her development from being her religious congregation's sexuality educator to completing doctoral studies and finding her place in the professional sexuality education community. She equates sexuality education to a ministry that reaches out to those in need of knowledge.

Ambiguous definitions concerning which behaviors constitute sex, abstinence, and virginity may lead to arbitrary interpretations of meaning or miscommunication, which could be particularly problematic in health care, educational, and research contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare definitions of sex, abstinence, and…

There is scant research of adolescents' understanding of abstinence. We conducted interviews with a sample of 58 teens to find out their exposure to abstinence information from a range of sources. Most teens had received abstinence information or messages from school, family members, and friends. For many teens, information about abstinence, or…

Young people need to know that abstinence is a far more complex, difficult concept than it is often portrayed. Abstinence is a decision about sexual behaviors that a person may make throughout his or her life. It is a choice made at a specific time in a specific situation, for a specific period of time, whether one is in a partnered relationship…

It has long been noted that sexuality education curricula contain gender stereotypes and heterosexism that may be harmful to people of all genders. Many of the stereotypes and sources of heterosexism that have been discussed in the literature have to do with old-fashioned and restrictive roles for men and women and focus on heterosexual sex and…

Precise terminology is paramount in sexuality education. Most sexuality research focuses on the dichotomous concepts of sexual intercourse and virginity, yet there are many expressions of sexuality classified as neither. The purpose of this literature review is to identify and examine the various terms and definitions describing sexuality…

For young women, being "aggressive" is generally viewed as a negative identity and associated with bullying and interpersonal violence. Especially in a heteronormative context, sexually aggressive identities are not commonly associated with young women. Resulting negative perceptions or silences surrounding this possible sexual identity are…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify significant external and internal challenges that state organization leaders face in promoting science-based teen pregnancy prevention programs within their states. The state organization administrators were chosen because their organizations were funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

Seven focus groups were conducted with sexuality educators in Minnesota to explore ways that teaching sexuality education differs from teaching other health education content and to determine if additional supports or resources are needed for sexuality educators. Teachers described many specific additional responsibilities or concerns related to…