My guest in this episode is Scott Phelps, Executive Director of the Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership. For many years now Scott has spoken to students about the great, long-term benefits of saving sex for marriage, and so I’ve invited him onto the show to share some of what he has learned, and how others have found his insights helpful.
In this podcast we discuss:
How he got interested in the relationship between living life well, flourishing, and sexPrinciples, or the successful pathway that most often leads to a good lifeHabit formation for life-long intimate relationshipsHope for students who have already been sexually activeOther benefits of waiting for sex until marriageThe example of Joseph, Potiphar’s wife, and Joseph’s future wife (Genesis 37-50)The disbelief some have about the possibility of abstinence until marriage, yet their interestHow to swim against the alternative cultural narrative of “free sex,” which saturates all mediaHow his approach differs from most sex education programsThe personal value and apologetic force of the biblical view of sex and marriageThe biggest challenges students face to following the successful pathway to sex, marriage, and the good lifeThe acceleration and shift in the cultural narrative about sex since the COVID pandemicHow parents might tackle this topic with their childrenSimplifying the issue with one simple questionSex as fire in a firepit or as a forest fireLiving together, sex, future marriage, and divorceResources mentioned during our conversation:
Abstinence & Marriage Education PartnershipDallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes LivesScott Phelps, Excel Curriculum and WorkbookGlenn Stanton, The Ring Makes All The Difference: The Hidden Consequences of Cohabitation and the Strong Benefits of MarriageLinda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off FinanciallyRick Mattson and Stan Wallace, “Finding the Middle Way in the LGBTQ+ Conversation,” a College Faith podcastStan Wallace’s Summary of Virtue Ethics