Sex Talk

I'm amazed at how many opportunities to influence my kids come up on a regular basis, and during non-Bible lessons.  In my Junior 3 writing classes (equivalent of 9th grade), all the students wrote a story.  I was surprised at how many students chose to write about a couple who was living together before they were married.  So I sat them down and we had a sex talk.  I asked them why they wrote about boyfriends and girlfriends living together, since it's not common in Taiwan, and we concluded that it was the influence of Western movies, music, and other media (or perhaps just pop culture).  I was able to tell them that just because it's in every American movie, it doesn't mean it's right, or even that every "modern" person lives like that.  We talked about what God says about sex and why He tells us that it's only for marriage.  The kids were open to talking about it and were able to give me good reasons why God gives us the rules He gives us.  I think it was important for them to see the difference between American culture and a life led by faith.  Many times, students think learning the Bible is just a "cultural" thing or that praying before class starts is learning "American culture".  But no, it's not a matter of culture, it's a matter of faith.  And suddenly, during our sex talk, the "Bible culture" that they've been learning at Concordia clashes with "popular Western culture", and they see that they have to make a judgment call based on some standard of morality.  It's not about culture anymore; it's about morals, values, and ethics.  I'm not hear to teach students about American culture; I'm here to teach them about the Truth of who God is, who we are, the condition of this fallen world and the hope we have through faith in Christ Jesus.  As a class, we were able to put culture aside and talk about right and wrong, using God's Word as the ultimate authority.  I pray that this is a good model for them to follow the rest of their life.  I pray that they know what we learn in class is more than just learning to appreciate a different culture.