I was challenged to ask myself what I can do to lessen the chances of any other young person suffering as this young woman has. It became clear that I have had many opportunities to educate young people on the meaning of consent through 12 years of church-based youth work and have missed those opportunities by sticking to the one track record of abstinence.
I’m more or less a typical, mainstream Christian. I believe that sex should be practiced at its most sacred; within marriages. I think encouraging young people to consider that choice is a good thing. However, I think it’s time we in the Church pull our collective heads out of the sand and begin to teach our young people how to behave if they choose not to abstain from sex.