A Plea For Sexual Integrity. By Rob Furlong Pure Desire Thornlie, W.A. Australia. Presented to the Sexual Integrity Forum, Canberra, 8th & 9th August, 2005. If we are serious about calling our nation to sexual integrity, then we must be able to answer the question "why?" i.e. Is there sufficient evidence to suggest that there is a need for sexual integrity in our community? I believe the answer to this question is a resounding yes! * It has been estimated that 4% of our population is sexually active with multiple partners. * Studies have shown that condoms only provide protection from 3% of STD's. * 4% of the population is infected with STD's. *In 1981, 58.9% of teenagers who gave birth were unmarried. By 1990 this figure had risen to 82.5%. *In 1993 Brian Burdekin stated that the sexual abuse of girls in families where the father was not the natural father had risen between 500-600 percent. And our churches are not immune either. *It has been estimated that 10% of the clergy will involve themselves in inappropriate sexual behaviour at some point in their career. *Over 1 in every 5 Christian women have reported being abused at some time with 22% of the perpetrators regularly attending church and 14% were clergy/ church leaders. *Penthouse has stated that 35% of its subscribers describe themselves as "evangelical Christians". *One church in the U.S. cited a study which revealed that 55% of ministers surveyed accessed porn on the internet. *60-80% of men acknowledge they are fighting this battle and losing it. Finally, Melbourne Psychologist Meredith Fuller spoke recently about a BBC survey which showed what people regard today as being the "7 Deadly Sins." Fuller stated that adultery was on the list because around 11% of people believe that cheating on your partner is sinful. Given all of the above, I believe it is critical that we call people to a commitment to sexual integrity. 1.It must begin in our families. Sexual integrity is modelled and valued when Mum and Dad remain exclusively committed to each other mentally, spiritually, psychologically and physically for life.  The marriage relationship is both honoured and esteemed in this environment and held up to children as the ideal for society. A Youth Worker, Tim Stafford, puts it succinctly when he says: "Even the message of   "wait until you're older" is getting preached less and less.  Adults usually would rather their kids not be sexually involved, but they find it hard to preach what they don't practice.  Here's what one girl wrote to me: I am a fifteen-year-old girl who has a problem not many of my friends understand.  My mom and her boyfriend started dating about three years ago.  We soon started spending the night at his house.  This didn't bother me because my Mom and I slept in the front bedroom.  But then they started sleeping together.  This also didn't bother me much, until one night I went back there to ask my mother something and her boyfriend came out of the bathroom with his underwear on (and just his underwear).  Then I soon caught them having sex. Not so long ago, mothers wrote letters like that about their daughters.  But now, millions of kids whose parents are divorced have the tables turned.  They see their parents getting involved in immorality.  They see their parents shattered and hardened by the breakups and disappointments that inevitably follow.  Naturally, these parents are not giving their children much encouragement to wait for marriage." 2.It is modelled by our leaders. I am especially thinking here of Church leaders, Pastors and Priests.  It is way beyond time that we got our act together in the Church.  For too long we have sent an inconsistent message to the larger community about sexuality.  Our Churches must become places of healing and hope for the sexually broken;  there must be a greater willingness on the part of Churches to openly discuss  the sexual issued that people are struggling with today and the lifestyle of the Church's leaders and people must be consistent with what we preach.  For too long we have allowed people to justify their own behaviour based upon what they have seen practiced and perpetuated in the Church. Sexual Integrity *Recognises that I am responsible for my feelings, thoughts and actions. *Respects the rights of others. *Understands that there are inevitable consequences for the choices I make and that these will  impact other people. *Acknowledges  that sexual brokenness is a real problem and that many people in our society are struggling with it or hurt by it.  However, it also acknowledges that there is real hope and healing available. *Commits itself to the model of one man and one woman committed to each other exclusively for life as the best model for building strong, healthy communities.  Study after study shows that this is demonstrably true. In closing, I passionately believe that a commitment to sexual integrity as described above and which is embraced by our families and community leaders, will radically alter the face of our nation and bring us to a place of real hope, healing and health. References: 1"Statistics and Facts" - article produced by Liberty Ministries, Qld. Aust. 2."Why Marriage Matters" - produced by National Marriage Coalition, Aust. 2004. 3."Worth the Wait" - Tim Stafford, U.S.A. 1988. 4."Sin City" - article in Sunday Times, W.A. 24/7/2005.