Paul Washer, thought by many to be one of the greater prophetic voices of our generation, has been and continues to be used to impact the world for the Gospel. You may have already come across Washer’s video below. This sermon, which initially took the internet by storm, has come to be known as his “Shocking Youth Message.” It doesn’t take the listener long to understand why. I don’t want to present this video as a blanket judgment of the Western church, since there are good and Gospel-centered churches and student ministries to be found in America. However, I do think that a large percentage of churches, pastors, student pastors, and students would be benefited if they would take heed to the message presented here.

Washer has received a great deal of criticism for this message. In the following video, he provides some helpful context for the environment in which it was delivered.

“Jesus is a great prophet….I just have a problem with people calling him God.” Heard this one before? I have. In our increasingly post-modern, post-Christian, secular, all-inclusive, pluralistic society, expect to hear it a lot more. Out here on the west coast, it’s become imperative when sharing the gospel that you know how to address this objection to Christianity. The vast contradictions created in this belief system in which Jesus’ words and life don’t match-up must be addressed. This includes, but is not limited to, Jesus’ own claims of divinity. It’s profoundly important to realize that if Jesus isn’t God, it naturally follows that he actually isn’t a good prophet either. Throughout the Gospels Jesus preaches a message continually pointing towards the afterlife. Heavenly rewards were a prominent motivation. His own life, however, would be considered “unsuccessful” by the world’s standards. He practiced what he preached and the Gospels show where this led. [...]

Enthusiastic Nevada County residents commemorated the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., crowding into the auditorium at the miner’s foundry Monday to partake in what resembled a typical Gospel Church service in the south. Soulful voices resonating and accompanied by the swaying of an eager, genial crowd made one feel they were every bit a part of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. [...]

In a culture where sex is flaunted and success and money are the primary means for which people live their lives, it is only plausible that marriage would be placed on the back burner until later on in life.

Opposing worldviews give us more than substantial reason and provide more than a solid foundation for why 2 people disagree.  With multiple languages, ethnicities, cultures, philosophies, and religions alive in the world today, there are multiple frameworks, sometimes countless frameworks, in which people might approach truth issues.  But for Christians the Bible is the source of truth.  The Bible’s claim that its story is ‘the’ story is the foundational approach that Christians should take in all the decisions they make. 

Even about marriage.  Even about sex.  Even about being a husband, father, and leader.  Even about being a wife, mother, and nurturer.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 

• The median age at first intercourse is 16.9 years for boys and 17.4 years for girls.
• Over half of males (55%) and females (54%) ages 15 to 19 report having had oral sex with someone of the opposite sex.  Approximately one in 10 (11%) males and females ages 15 to 19 had engaged in anal sex with someone of the opposite sex; 3% of males ages 15 to 19 have had anal sex with a male.
• The percentage of high school students who report having had four or more sexual partners declined in recent years from 18% in 1995 to 14% in 2005. Males (17%) are more likely than females (12%) to report having had four or more sexual partners.
• Among those ages 20 to 24, males have a higher average number of partners (3.8) than females (2.8). Men in this age group are also more likely (30%) than women (21%) to report having had seven or more sexual partners.
• Approximately nine out of 10 men (89%) and women (92%) ages 22 to 24 have had sexual intercourse. 

• The average age of first marriage has risen by over a year for both men and women since 1990, reaching 26 for women and 27 for men in 2003, suggesting that many young people have sex before they are married.

In letting the statistics above speak for themselves, I am a strong advocate for young men and women dating intentionally for short periods of time and getting married early rather than later in life.

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