The News
A ministry leader has published a candid reflection on how church teaching about sex during youth group years is now negatively affecting marriages and relationships in adulthood. The piece traces messaging from summer camps and youth events that emphasized purity culture back to current marital struggles.
Why It Matters
If your church runs a youth ministry, it's worth asking: What message are we sending about sex, bodies, and marriage? Purity culture—while well-intentioned—often left a generation of Christians with shame, guilt, and fractured views of sexuality that they're now bringing into their marriages. This isn't a denominational issue; it's widespread across evangelical churches. The adults struggling in your church today were likely in your youth group 15 years ago hearing these messages.
The Takeaway
Audit your youth ministry curriculum and messaging on sexuality to ensure you're building healthy theology, not shame.