Sex Before Marriage Not Part of God's Plan, Says Leader of Sexual Abstinence Rally

Everybody's not doing it, says Terry Kemple, executive director of STAND (Students Taking A New Direction) which recently sponsored a rally promoting sexual abstinence at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, USA.

"To buy into that lie leads people down the wrong path," told Kemple in a recent interview.

That's where STAND rallies come in. The free rallies aim to educate youths in why they should make a God-honouring commitment toward sexual abstinence before marriage.

Perhaps the STAND rallies are effective in sending the message of sexual abstinence to teenagers, according to Kemple, because it is delivered by influential names in Christian music and top name speakers who able to communicate the message. He added that the rally also featured testimonies from students who are committed to remain sexually abstinent until marriage and a drama act that highlights both spiritual and secular reasons for being sexually abstinent, which further emphasised the rally's main point.

Rebecca St. James, renown Christian music singer, headlined the line-up of Christian figures which included actor Stephen Baldwin and True Love Waits' founder Richard Ross.

St. James is able to have an impact on young people because "she models what she speaks of. She's committed to Christ and she is also committed to sexual purity," said Kemple. "She brings the heart that is really devoted to the Lord. I think that is the most important thing not only to the people who are giving the message but the people receiving the message."

The message STAND sends is clear: stay sexually abstinent before marriage. But the age-old question is, Why?

"God created the perfect plan for man," said Kemple, who co-founded STAND along with Bob Touchston, "and that perfect plan does specificy the union of one man and one woman for life."

Citing Genesis 2, Kemple said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."

"That's God's plan," he continued. "Our desire is to do all that we can to understand that it's God's plan. All the secular reasons that go along with that - the psychological trauma, depression, drug and alcohol abuse that people get - all have to do with the fact that God planned it a different way."

According to Kemple, who is a member of Bell Shoals Baptist Church Florida, USA, the fact that teenagers are sexually active before marriage is a reflection of the direction of our culture.

He explained how young people these days are left home alone either because both parents work or because of the effect of "no-fault divorce" law, which allows married couples to divorce for any reason even with only the consent of one party.

As a result, "a lot of young people are feeling that emotional void because they are not connecting with their parents," said Kemple. "The parents are not there or kids are not comfortable with talking to them."

Wrong sexual propoganda from the media is one of the key factors to teenagers breaking sexual purity, according to Kemple.

"Turn on the T.V., look at the internet, bill boards. Sex outside of marriage is normalised," he said.

Before a teenager turns 18, he would have been exposed to at least 90,000 scenes that depict marriage relations without any consequences, reports Kemple.

"Young people who are going through physical hormonal changes as they mature, who have questions are not getting answers from their parents but from T.V. shows and sitcoms," Kemple concluded.

He suggests that parents, the community, and churches need to become involved in children's lives.

"I think there is a need for a greater focus on activities for young people who are home alone and fend for themselves," he said.

Kemple suggests that young people can also do their part in protecting themselves from sexual temptation by participating in bible studies, being more involved in church or doing wholesome activities such as reading good books.

Ultimately, Southern Baptist believes the problem can only be solved when people turn to God.

"God is the perfect father. The more that we seek God, the more people search for that filling in their lives, then the more likely it is that they will find the filling that will be positive rather than negative," he said.




Katherine T. Phan
Ecumenical Press