Date: May 27, 2026

Location: First Church in Boston, MA

Respondent: Rev. Devlin Scott

Like the Hebrew Bible, the books of the Christian Scriptures feature sex workers, eunuchs, women with multiple husbands, nonmonogamy, and adults living in more than a dozen forms of intimate relationships. Rather than presenting a single model of sexual morality, these texts portray a wide range of relationships that still challenge our social, religious, and sexual norms.

In this lecture, Haffner will begin with the transgressive women named in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. She will then explore Jesus’s encounters with sexual and social outsiders, including the Samaritan woman at the well (John), the woman accused of adultery (John), and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts). The lecture will also examine the central role of women in Jesus’s life and ministry, as well as the women who helped lead and spread the movement after his death. Haffner will present Paul’s often-surprisingly positive teachings about sexuality in his letters to the communities of Corinth, Galatia, and Thessalonica.

She will conclude by affirming that the overriding message about sexuality in the Christian Scriptures is one of love and full inclusion—messages we need more than ever in today’s world.

Rev. Dr. Debra W. Haffner is a Unitarian Universalist minister, sexologist, and author whose fifty year career bridges faith, sexuality, and social justice. She serves as Senior Co-Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, Massachusetts, and is nationally recognized for her leadership at the intersection of religion and sexuality.

She is the President Emerita and co-founder of the Religious Institute, a multifaith organization dedicated to sexual health, education and justice,  and has written numerous books, including Beyond the Big Talk, From Diapers to Dating, and What Every 21st-Century Parent Needs to Know. She is the creator of the Sexually Safer Best Practices Initiative adapted by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).  She has advised clergy, congregations, and  leaders from more than 15 denominations on creating sexually healthy and responsible faith communities.  A widely published author and sought-after speaker, she brings both pastoral wisdom and professional expertise as a sexologist to her writing, teaching, and preaching—helping people of all ages integrate their spiritual and sexual lives with integrity, joy, and compassion.

Rev. Devlin Scott is a relational leader dedicated to Christianity, committed to diversity and

inclusion, and passionate about people. Devlin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Trinity International University, a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Midwest Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Master of Arts in Bioethics from Trinity Graduate School.

With over 20 years of ministerial experience, Devlin serves as the Senior Pastor of NewCity Church, a church plant outside of Boston. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of NewCommunity Inc, a community development corporation that supports and enhances local organizations and initiatives. Additionally, he serves as the Managing Director of UniteBoston, an organization that fosters unity among diverse Christians for the flourishing of the city of Boston.

Watch the full lecture here