The No-Guilt, No-STD Sexual Freedom Guarantee<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
By Brannon Howse
This is one reading from Brannon's new book, Christian Worldview For Students, A Priceless Gift in 30 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Readings. This hardcover book makes a great graduation gift. Pre-order your personally signed copies now by going to this link: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=237
 
Americans revel in the notion of political freedom, and we love to summon the feel of freedom into our personal lives as well. I sometimes feel the most free on a warm day when I roll down my truck window, hang an arm in the wind, head west on the interstate, and breath in the sweet smells of summer, and as long as I keep my freedom to 70 miles per hour or so, no one else minds a bit. If I ratchet up the speed too much, though, freedom shuts down quickly. Press its limits, and freedom on the road will land you in jail, in the hospital, or in an early grave.
No one denies that freedom on our highways must happen within reasonable, healthy constraints. And while the same applies across the board in life, many folks would like to think freedom should be limitless in our personal relationships. It might be titillating to think you should be able to do whatever you want with any girl or guy you choose. The more socially liberal among us make the promise of "Sex all around!" sound great, but the reality is that sex with whomever and whenever is just as suicidal-and ultimately un-freeing-as driving 125 miles an hour in traffic.
The Bible says clearly that we have very real freedom to enjoy sex, but it has to happen within limits that-like the wind in your hair at 70 mph-make the experience glorious without landing you in a prison of serious trouble. The Bible describes any sexual relationship outside a husband and wife (married to each other) as immoral, one that results in some serious enslavement to consequences you don't want to face. 
 
Outside of marriage, sexual activity is a prescription for fear, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, hostility, and devastation. Not just maybe. The bad stuff-emotional, physical, medical, social-will happen. Consider the facts below, and tell me if this is how to experience a life of freedom.
• More than 1 in 4 Americans between the ages of 15 and 55 has a sexually transmitted disease.
• Chlamydia variously infects 20 to 40% of sexually active groups, including teenagers. In men, chlamydia can cause infertile sperm although it is treatable with antibiotics. In women, however, acute chlamydia causes pain, fever, and irreversible damage to female organs. The chance of infertility after even just one episode of chlamydia PID is 25%. With a second infection, the rate rises to 50%, and in women, treatment with antibiotics is not always successful. As many as 14% of teenagers do not respond and require a hysterectomy. It is devastating for an 18- or 19-year-old girl to realize she will never be able to bear a child.1
• A University of California, Berkeley, study reported that 46% of sexually active coeds were infected with human papilloma virus (HPV). Another study reported that 38% of the sexually active females between the ages of 13 and 21 were infected.2 HPV is the major cause of venereal warts which are extremely difficult to treat and may require expensive procedures such as laser surgery. Cancers associated with this virus kill more women in the United States than AIDS. HPV also can result in painful intercourse for years after infection even though visible signs of the disease have disappeared.3
• And of course there is the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. The first few cases of AIDS were discovered in 1981. Now in the U.S., there are between 1 and 2 million people infected with the disease. As far as we know, all of these people will die in the next ten to fifteen years.4
• At Rutgers University, 35 to 44% of sexually active students were infected with one or more STDs, no matter what form of contraception they used. Condoms-hero of the safe sex message-provided virtually no protection from STDs.5 A study from Florida looked at couples in which one partner was HIV positive and the other was negative. They used condoms as protection during intercourse, but after 18 months, 17% of the previously uninfected partners were HIV positive. That is a one-in-six chance of death-the same as in Russian roulette.6
 
A non-biblical "sexual freedom" worldview has serious consequences that lead to anything but freedom. On the other hand, following the Bible guarantees truly exhilarating results (for a summary of scriptural teaching, see Hebrews 13:4). Studies show that men and women who are sexually abstinent until marriage have a more rewarding and satisfying sex life and a deeper trust of one another. What's more, no one practicing abstinence ever contracted a sexually transmitted disease or faced an unwanted pregnancy. You see, the real sexual freedom of marriage makes even the wind in your hair while doing 70 feel pretty tame. 
 
This is one reading from Brannon's new book, Christian Worldview For Students, A Priceless Gift in 30 Readings. This hardcover book makes a great graduation gift. Pre-order your personally signed copies now by going to this link: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=237
 
 
 

[1] Safe Sex and the Facts by Dr. Ray Bohlin, posted at probe.org

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] The Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Diseases by Dr. Ray Bohlin, found at probe.org

[6] Safe Sex and the Facts by Dr. Ray Bohlin, posted at probe.org