Hebrew Bible: Affirming Sexuality Through Sacred Stories
Wed, Apr 29
|Boston
Explore how the Hebrew Bible’s sacred stories offer a far more positive angle on sexuality than many expect. Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner
Time & Location
Apr 29, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Boston, 66 Marlborough St, Boston, MA 02116, USA
About the event
Hebrew Bible: Affirming Sexuality Through Sacred Stories
Lecture 1: The Bible and Sexuality
by Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner
Response by Rev. Carolyn Patierno
In 1996, at the beginning of her seminary studies, Rev. Dr. Debra W. Haffner published a widely disseminated article titled “The Good News: What the Bible Can Teach You About Sex.” Thirty years later, she returned to the Bible and rediscovered far more complex messages about sexuality in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Scriptures. The texts had not changed—but over those thirty years, she had, as had scientific and cultural understandings about sexuality.
In this lecture, Haffner will explore sacred stories including the creation of the earth and the creation of humanity (Genesis); sex and regulation in the Holiness Code (Leviticus); Jephthah’s daughter (Judges); sex, pleasure, and intimacy outside of marriage (Ruth, 1 Kings, and the Song of Songs); and the use of sexual imagery…