Experts Warn Parents of 'Christian Sex'
Teens are at risk of being more promiscuous as the Food and Drug Administration has decided to ease limits on the morning-after pill, giving girls easy access to nonprescription pills despite an age limit.
The good news is a lot of teens are showing a great deal of maturity and wisdom these days by committing themselves to sexual purity, said author Dr. Bill Maier in a Focus on the Family broadcast last week. The bad news, however, is that a whole lot of teens are being duped by the culture by thinking that everybody's doing it and if you don't, there's something wrong with you.
Over-the-counter sales of the “emergency contraceptive,” called Plan B, to women 18 and older was approved Thursday. The pill is supposed to be taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex.
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Meanwhile, faith groups are highly concerned over the rate of teens having sex and how little parents know about the pressures their children face and the sexual activity they may already be engaging in. And the problems are not only within the confines of an unreligious home. Even Christian teens who may have pledged abstinence are pushing too close to the edge.
According to Dannah Gresh, bestselling author of And the Bride Wore White and co-founder of Pure Freedom ministry, at least 50 percent of 11-to-15-year-olds are engaging in oral sex. Since it technically is not intercourse, some communities have labeled it "Christian sex," Gresh pointed out during the Focus on the Family broadcast last Wednesday.
"What a tragedy," responded Maier. "Christian parents should be very concerned."
While parents may be sending children off to Christian schools, those schools are not excluded from the list of venues where sexual pressure is high.
Gresh brought attention to the lack of response and proactiveness in the churches. "A lot of churches are afraid to talk about it," she said.
But even when pastors and youth leaders are preaching abstinence, many emphasized physical purity, but omit the "emotional side of guarding your heart," as Leslie Ludy, author of Teaching True Love to a Sex-at-Thirteen Generation, stated.
"How far is too far?" Ludy posed as the "famous question" youths have. Many teens think "as long as I don't cross that line" then they are still technically committed to abstinence and purity.
One of the number one risk reducers of sexual activity is the mother or a parent, Gresh noted. Many parents, however, are not being open with their kids about sex.
"Christian parents shouldn't just have 'the talk,' but a series of talks that evolves into a relationship," said Dr. Juliana Slattery, special co-host the Focus on the Family broadcast.
The teen experts stressed that girls are hitting puberty younger and boys are being awakened to sexual desires and awareness far too young with media being a major influence. The average kid spends 39 hours a week consuming media and the average parent spends 39 minutes a week in meaningful conversation with their kid, Maier reported.
"Who is shaping our kids' values?" he posed. "It's very clear."
One of the reasons teens may be sexually active is they see a culture of divorce, heartache and bitterness that leads them to think there is nothing worth waiting for, said Ludy.
"We need to give them that clear vision of what they're waiting for," she added.
When teens were asked where they want to hear about sexuality, the number one answer was "mom and dad," said Gresh.
And when speaking with teens, parents cannot just say "no sex," as Gresh pointed out, but they must tell their children the benefits and beauty of waiting for the person they marry.
"When we do things God's way, He blesses it," she added.
"God's version of love and romance blows away anything Hollywood could come up with," said Ludy.
