Always the biggest take-up at house parties or conventions, the topic of relationships never seems to wane in its popularity among young people.
There are plenty of people around who want to tell us how to begin and sustain relationships. The magazine racks are full of material designed to help you find the right man or woman irrespective of your own gender. All is well as long as you love and respect your partner. Even secular health authorities produce literature for their youth service staff on how to advise young people.
The odd talk
In among this plethora of counsel, is the Christian view being heard? Our history is not good in this territory. Many of us have slipped an odd talk into our programmes, which, although helpful, tends to give the impression that we feel we ought to do it. I once heard a young person say: ‘The only reason they slip in a sex talk now and again is to keep us under control’. And this is compounded by the fact that we give the young people a series of things they must not do, then say that sex is a wonderful thing and they must wait until they’re married. All that is true and young people need boundaries, but I fear that we are teaching a narrow view of humanity.
