There is a Sexual Revolution happening right before our eyes in America. A moral evolution of significant shift. A values reset. In alarming speed, the world is changing. Things are not the way they used to be. Just look at the generational process in media freedom on television as issues were pushing the limits on language (newscasts and appropriate language used), sexual conduct (Happy Days, Three's Company, Friends, and Reality Television), and even the definition of family (Partridge Family, Brady Bunch, The Cosby Show, and Modern Family). What next? And how can this generation of Youth in The Teen Decade impact this Sexual Revolution?
The Sexual Revolution.
THE OUTBURST IN CULTURE HAS BEEN
THE BEGINNING OF IT…
THE GRAMMY’S ONLY PUBLICIZED IT…
STATISTICS ARE ONLY THE DATA OF
IT…
BROKEN LIVES ARE THE OUTCOME OF
IT…
OUR SILENCE IN THE CHURCH MAY BE
THE RISE OF IT…
The Sexual Revolution has been a distortion of biblical love and the dysfunction of new cultural forms of sexuality that have stunned a
nation and taken captive our impulses and thoughts and actions. Why? Because we have been shaped by Social Forms for decades that now dictate thinking and behavior. Social Forms such as television, radio, Hollywood, pop culture, peer influence, music, and even family. What used to be
wrong is now right. What used to be unacceptable is now accepted. Although this pertains to just about every issue in
culture, I want to address the Sexual Revolution.
*Although
many of the statistics in the current youth culture are seeing positive swings in
almost every category (alcohol use, drug abuse, school drop-outs, grades
rising, cussing, etc.), I want you to listen to some of these stats of the
spiritual life of American young people today as it relates to their sexual
lives:
-According to a survey of
adults, women have an average of four sex partners during their
lifetime; men have an average of seven.
-And 80 % of teen births
are from non-marital relationships. In comparison, 40 years ago that number was
about 30% teen non-marital births. *750,000 teens will get pregnant each year
(200,000 will have abortions).
-Look at the rise of High School students who have had sex by grade (9th 30%, 10th 40%, 11th
grade 50%, 12th grade 65 %)
-Finally, 70% High School students have had oral sex, and, 80% of college students have had oral sex
One of the current topics in Teen & Young Adult sexual behavior is what is called 'The Hook Up'. These are casual relationships with no strings attached.
A few years back the hook-up meant something entirely different than
what it means today. My grandpa
would HOOK-UP the trailer and
haul a load of something. My dad
would HOOK-UP the antenna on the rooftop so we could watch TV. I used to HOOK-UP with my
friends and go out for pizza after a football game on Friday night. Today, you will HOOK-UP with someone
and assume a high-risk, flirting, no strings attached, NBD evening of sex, and
no obligation afterwards. We’ve come a long way from HOOKING UP trailers, cable
TV, and with friends for pizza after a game.
Because we are careless in our communication and jump right to physical attraction rather than conversation - Our instant society and social media patterns have turned our relationships into one-stop shallow flings. We have lost the desire to get to know people and now merely respond to each other externally and not on a deeper level. Our relationships have become increasingly surface level.
Because distance in our relationships has created a selfish attitude toward each other and a “I’ll get what I want” behavior - Selfishness is always at the root of our behavior. The revolution of anything begins deep in the heart of people as a strongly held opinion that turns into behavior. Service and selflessness must be restored to our relations with others. Instead of thinking what I can get OUT of a relationship, try asking yourself what you can put INTO a relationship.
Because our behavioral freedom has re-written the rules and we have lost the absolutes that would not allow us to justify about almost anything in our lives - Every generation has had to deal with the Bible. However, the further we get from the biblical narratives, the further we get from truth in our culture. Social Forms have set the moral code and not the bible. When one generation loses its absolutes, where will the next generation get theirs?
Because the media freedoms (such as the process explained above in news and television) have mirrored culture in their loss of morality and decency - You might say that media has driven the cultural change, or, you might say that the cultural change has driven media. Either way, there is an equal responsibility in the 'pop' culture setting we are living in today. Where is the church? Could we have a greater effect upon culture? What would that take?
If we are going to make a statement to this generation about Sexual standards and a return to the Biblical framework, we must make a statement clearly and consistently. It does sound idealistic to expect a revolution back to a 'theology of firsts', but, because I am willing to even tackle this subject, I am idealist.
Here are a few scriptures that could be the foundation of our creed.
Genesis 1-3 - The Theology of Firsts
Galatians 5.19-22 - The 'Lists' of the flesh and the Spirit
1 Thessalonians 4.4 - How to possess your vessel in purity
1 Timothy 1.9-11 - The natural and un-natural sexual behavior
1 Corinthians 6.9-11 - The natural and un-natural sexual behavior
Romans 1-3 - A process of deception and a clear definition of sexual behavior
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