In this sermon, Rev. Rich Tafel discusses ways in which the church can constructively and compassionately engage the subject of human sexuality and sexual ethics.
Click below for a printable PDF version of Rev. Rich’s message:
Rev. Rich Tafel, an ordained minister in the Swedenborgian Church of North America, is pastor at the Church of the Holy City and Swedenborg Center for Spiritual Entrepreneurship in Washington, D.C.
His proudest achievements are taking a lead in the 1980’s as a leader in the battle against AIDS, and for LGBT rights and the effort to support developing countries suffering through the AIDS epidemic.
Tafel has spent the last four years leading conclaves to address the growing hyper-partisanship in American culture. He is a frequent commentator on politics on TV.
On page 6 you say that Abraham kicked out his slave and her son Isaac.My Bible states that the son was Ishmael.Isaac was his son by his wife Sarah.Have I missed something?
I appreciate your candid approach to discussing the holy scripture relative to human sexuality. Issues such as masturbation, sexual fantasy, and “coveting”, either consciously or not, an attractive person, have long been automatic guilt inducers to young men and women raised in Christian churches. I understand that your characterization of Swedenborg’s attitude toward sexual relations was that it was rather conservative and traditional, i.e. heterosexual monogamy for life. How does a modern person who does not naturally fall into this traditional view by nature or inclination reconcile this potential source of cognitive dissonance and confusion?