Many fundamental evangelical churches behave as though sex is a four-letter word. Seldom spoken of except in terms of David's grievous sin with Bathsheba, most congregations are content to leave all talk of sex outside the inner sanctum of their worship services. [ continue ]
Many fundamental evangelical churches behave as though sex is a four-letter word. Seldom spoken of except in terms of David's grievous sin with Bathsheba, most congregations are content to leave all talk of sex outside the inner sanctum of their worship services. Everyone seems to know where the lines are drawn regarding appropriate sexual behavior, but for whatever reason, it is deemed to be an inappropriate topic for church. Forget that God created sex. Forget that God has a plan for sex. Don't ask. Don't tell. And for Pete's sake, don't talk about it in mixed company!
Some brave pastors and church leaders will broach the subject on rare occasions, usually amid vehement objections from at least a few highly verbal members. If the topic actually does make it to the Sunday morning sermon, some listeners will be focused intently on the pastor's every word. Others will shift uncomfortably in their seats glancing nervously at their watches waiting impatiently for the approach of twelve o'clock. And still others, usually the younger set, will giggle and snicker while passing scribbled notes back and forth among their peers.
The problem is, whether they are focused intently or shifting uncomfortably or giggling childishly, far too many people have issues with sex. Pornography addiction is at an all-time high - even among Christians. Homosexuality becomes increasingly more commonplace and acceptable within the mainstream, even as the numbers of HIV and AIDS cases skyrocket. Marital infidelity is a common cause of divorce - with as many as half of all marriages (even Christian marriages) ending in divorce. Sexual dissatisfaction between married couples grows as husbands complain that they seldom have their physical needs met while their wives continue to feel unloved and unappreciated. Singles have their own issues with sex. Young adults and teens are inundated with sexual messages from every angle on any given day. Raging hormones fuel visual and auditory stimulation in a culture that appears to be (by all evidences) sex-crazed. Sexually transmitted diseases have reached epidemic proportions and teen pregnancy and abortion continue to be entirely too frequent. Even pre-pubescent elementary aged children are beginning to experiment with sexual activities on a more frequent basis.
While issues pertaining to sex remain prevalent in most age brackets, the church remains, for the most part, silent. As with abortion, if we the church are not part of the solution we cannot escape bearing responsibility for the problems and their results. Frankly, too many generations of Christians have shrugged off that responsibility, pointing an accusatory finger toward the easy targets of Hollywood and the liberal media instead of taking up the mantles of sexual purity programs, abstinence education, and straight talk about sex from the point of view of its Creator. It is time for us to shelve our misplaced shame and take back the topic of sex from those who have perverted it. Sex as God intended it to be within the healthy boundaries of a monogamous marital relationship can be a wonderful, beautiful, exciting and fulfilling part of life - without shame and without painful consequences. More than merely for procreation, sex is one of the most incredible gifts given the human race in the physical realm. But as with many of the beautiful things God created, Satan has deceived us and our sin has distorted it. It's time to take it back and allow God to restore it to us as He meant it to be.
God cares about us. It's just that simple. He created us and He loves us. He desires the very best for us - that's why He sent Jesus. Once we trust Jesus Christ for our salvation we belong to Him, which means we have been bought with a price - the high price of the shed blood of Christ as He died on the cross for our sins. [ continue ]
God cares about us. It's just that simple. He created us and He loves us. He desires the very best for us - that's why He sent Jesus. Once we trust Jesus Christ for our salvation we belong to Him, which means we have been bought with a price - the high price of the shed blood of Christ as He died on the cross for our sins.
Because God loves us so much, He set up a system by which we would:
God's way is always best! Why? Because God is good; He is loving; He is compassionate and patient and longsuffering - and we are the objects of His affection! [ continue ]
His ways are best because His ways are perfect. Because there is no sin in Him, everything He does is perfect.
Consider for example what sex produces within God's perfect plan: a monogamous marriage where both parties are seeking to live in accordance with God's plan:
Now consider what sex produces outside God's perfect plan: any sexual relations outside of a monogamous marriage relationship:
God's way always brings about good results, rewards, blessings, joy, harmony, peace, fulfillment, etc.
Deviating from God's way always brings about painful consequences, discipline, sorrow, disharmony, strife, emptiness, longing, etc.
Abstinence until marriage is God's way.
Benefactors of abortion have undermined abstinence and its effectiveness. In their desire for more money from teen abortions, institutions such as Planned Parenthood have argued and attempted to prove that abstinence is worse than ineffective, they have insinuated that it is dangerous. [ continue ]
Quote from <="http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/teensexualhealth/fact-abstinence-education.xml">Planned Parenthood's title="Planned Parenthood" web site: "Abstinence-only education is one of the religious right's greatest victories. But it is only one tactic in a broader, longer-term strategy. Since the early 1980s, the "family values" movement has won the collaboration of governments and public institutions, from Congress to local school boards, in abridging students' constitutional rights. Schools now block student access to sexual health information in class, at the school library, and through the public library's Internet portals. They violate students' free speech rights by censoring student publications of articles referring to sexuality. Abstinence-only programs force-feed students religious ideology that condemns homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, and contraception. In doing so, they endanger students' sexual health."
Quote from SIECUS's web site: "While recognizing that religious groups have diverging views on how sexuality is expressed, professional guidance can assist religious leaders in how best to minister to their constituents regarding their sexual needs. It is important for religious institutions to minister and allow full religious participation to individuals who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual."
They have also stated the following on their site: "To date,
six studies of abstinence-only programs have been published. None
of these studies found consistent and significant program effects
on delaying the onset of intercourse, and at least one study provided
strong evidence that the program did not delay the onset of intercourse.
Thus, the weight of evidence indicates that these abstinence-only
programs do not delay the onset of intercourse." [http://www.siecus.org/pubs/fact/fact0001.html title="SIECUS"]
Others who oppose abstinence-only education do so in an effort to further an agenda based on the removal of consequences for actions. For example, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is lobbying to "increase federal funding for the development of HIV-prevention substances that could be used in addition, or as an alternative to, condoms," and "policies that grant individuals access to sterile syringes as a strategy to reduce HIV transmission among injection drug users, their partners and children."
While we are sympathetic to those suffering from AIDS and HIV, facts have shown that AIDS and HIV are spread through the use of contaminated syringes used in illegal IV drug use and through homosexual and promiscuous heterosexual activities. AFC would have us believe that AIDS is an indiscriminant epidemic that our government should spend billions to treat and prevent even while attempts are made to further the homosexual agenda in this country. "... an AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) survey opposes increased funding for "abstinence-only" sex education..."
Others, like the ACLU believes abortion on demand is beneficial to the populace. Their web site states: "... the American Civil Liberties Union today said that abstinence-only sexuality education dangerously limits students' access to information about human sexuality and results in widespread government-sponsored censorship. "Abstinence-only sexuality education programs deny students much-needed information about contraception, safer sex practices, abortion and sexuality," said Catherine Weiss, Director of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project."
The ACLU supports abortion on demand and homosexual marriage, and opposes abstinence-only education and public display of the Ten Commandments based on a false interpretation of the intent behind "the separation of church and state."
The liberal media of the U.S. in conjunction with the above referenced organizations have convinced many Americans that young people are unable to abstain until marriage because of the powerful sexual feelings associated with adolescence, and why should they anyway, since sex is a natural human behavior...
In all honesty, abstinence pledges are only as good as those who make them and the support system(s) they have (such as parental involvement, positive peer support, encouragement from youth leaders, etc.).
The fact is that abstinence is the only 100% effective preventative measure against sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, and all the other consequences of sex outside of marriage. While opponents of abstinence-only education will rave about "safe sex" through use of condoms and detailed, explicit sex education, the only truly effective safeguard against the perils of teen and extramarital sex is abstinence.
The motivation behind making the pledge is crucial. If the pledge is made for appearances or to please someone else, chances are it will not stand. [ continue ]
While it is important for teens to be aware of the risks involved in pre-marital sex, the parents also play a vital role in safeguarding the sexual purity of their children. Following are some suggestions for helping your teen to remain sexually pure: [ continue ]
*We recommend no touching or kissing during the teen years.
"Condoms are not particularly effective when used to prevent pregnancy. In fact, condoms have failure rates of approximately 14 percent during the first year of typical use.6 And these failure rates are even higher in younger users." [ continue ]
"Some claim that condoms will cut down on the spread of many sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. However, a July 20, 2001 report from the National Institutes of Health, Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, concluded that scientific evidence does not support condom use as a means to prevent infections of genital herpes (HSV), human papillomavirus, chlamydia, syphilis, chanchroid, and trichomonas (pages 20, 26, 17, 23, 21, 18 respectively). There is evidence of protection for men against gonorrhea, but not women (p.16)."
"The NIH report did say that consistent condom use decreased the
risk of HIV/AIDS transmission by about 85 percent (p.14). But that is
not very good for a uniformly fatal disease. Keep in mind that the other
diseases listed above may also be fatal. For instance, HPV can lead to
cervical cancer which kills more American women each year than HIV disease.2
The NIH study did not address other potentially fatal diseases such as
Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C."
American Life League
"Condoms are not particularly effective when used to prevent pregnancy. In fact, condoms have failure rates of approximately 14 percent during the first year of typical use.6 And these failure rates are even higher in younger users."
"In addition, the scientific evidence shows that condoms may not prevent the transmission of most STDs. Consistent condom use (100%) reduces HIV risk by about 85%. For gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes and syphilis, consistent use reduces risk by 50% at most. Almost no risk reduction is provided for HPV infection;7,8 however, some data suggest that HPV-related conditions occur less commonly in condom users.9 Even in the best of situations, condoms cannot eliminate the risk of STD transmission."
"Delaying sexual activity until marriage with an uninfected spouse
is the only way for teens and single adults to avoid the risk of an STD
infection or a nonmarital pregnancy."
The
Medical Institute for Sexual Health