A SURPRISING NEW STUDY SHOWS CHRISTIANS ARE HAVING PREMARITAL SEX AND ABORTIONS

AS MUCH (OR MORE) THAN NON-CHRISTIANS.

Two-thirds have been sexually active in the last year. Even though, according to a recent Gallup poll, 76 percent of evangelicals believe sex outside of marriage is morally wrong. source

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“What used to be happening in high school is now happening in eighth grade,” DiMarco said.

Even Christian teens are not immune to the rampant sexual temptations bombarding their generation.

“I found no difference between Christian girls and non-Christian girls,” DiMarco said. “No difference, except that they talked a good show and acted really nice in front of me.”

When she probed deeper she found that Christian teens were engaging in the same sexual behaviors as their non-Christian friends. source

The problem that she has found with abstinence pledges is that teens have misconceptions about what it means to be a virgin. “Teen girls don’t understand what virginity is,” DiMarco says, “so everything except intercourse is considered okay even by Christian girls.”

“…parents do not fully understand how commonplace these sexual behaviors have become in their children’s generation.

The teens have been desensitized by the sexual messages on television, in movies, in magazines, and from their friends. But parents would never imagine that these things are taking place.

Quick facts regarding STDs and adolescent pregnancy

• Approximately 18.9 million new cases of STDs occur each year.
• Forty-eight percent of new STD cases in 2000 were among 15- to 24-year-olds.
• There are currently more than 25 types of STDs; some are curable, others are not.
• In 2000, approximately 822,000 pregnancies occurred among 15- to 19-year-olds.
• Seven out of ten adolescent mothers drop out of high school.

Quick ideas about setting boundaries

Children and teens need boundaries for their safety. Children should understand the consequences of breaking family rules and boundaries. Consequences should fit the severity of the rule. The following are a few boundaries to discuss with your teen:

• Curfew
• Transporting other teens: who or how many people ride in one car together
• Drinking alcohol or using drugs
• Drinking alcohol or using drugs and driving
• Lying to parents or adults in authority
• Allowing opposite-sex company in bedrooms
• Having friends over while parents are absent
• Age at which dating can begin
• Dating vs. courting: discuss family values and guidelines

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Many fine organizations provide help, books, materials, counseling, prayer and the love of Christ in getting parents through TRYING to raise godly Christian children. It is NOT an easy job, but the Lord calls on Christian parents to take responsibility for the children we raise – that INCLUDES our teens.

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Start early. As you can see by the startling statistics, you had better think about SEX in your children’s lives BEFORE they do.

• IF you didn’t start early, it’s still NOT too late.

Your son (yes, don’t forget them, even though they don’t get pregnant) or your daughter will bless you for your Biblical guidance in later life when they discover how much damage the sex life of theirs or their friends has caused.

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One of the fine organizations I can recommend for marriage or various family challenges is Family Life Today.

Here is just one article on this topic:

Establishing Dating Guidelines for Your Teen

Full Article

In light of our reformatted definition of dating, we have the following very general age guidelines for spending time with a friend of the opposite sex (these are for our children still living at home).

• Doing things together with an approved mixed group of teens away from our home: We have allowed this to begin sometime after age 15.
• Double dates or group dates: Usually at age 17, maybe earlier.
• Single dates: These are generally discouraged but allowed in certain circumstances.

More Beautiful You – Jonny Diaz

[Song with lyrics]

Proverbs 30

English Standard Version (ESV)

11 There are those [There is a generation] who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
12 There are those who are clean in their own eyes
but are not washed of their filth.