Josh McDowell - 'The Bare Facts'

By Nico Bougas 
Special to ASSIST News Service

ATLANTA, GA (ANS) -- Josh McDowell may have exceeded his allotted three score and ten, but on the evidence of his appearance at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) recently, he is still very much alive and energized to continue his prolific ministry that is approaching the 50 year mark.

Josh McDowell

His razor-sharp mind is as active as ever and I rarely got to complete a question before he rattled off his answer.

The bestselling author and famed apologist was attending the show in Atlanta to promote his latest book. "The Bare Facts: 39 Questions Your Parents Hope You Never Ask About Sex" (Moody Publishers).

When it comes to the Bible's view of sex, many young people, including Christians, have mistaken God's serious approach as negativity toward the subject. God does take sex very seriously, says McDowell, who has spoken to more than 10 million young people during his years of ministry. "But the picture Scripture gives us of sexuality is more intense, vibrant, and well.sexy.than the view taught by the culture."

"As our culture increasingly promotes sex without boundaries, God's view of sex seems more and more radical," he admits. "But sticking to God's plan for sexuality leads to sex that is far more fulfilling than the sexual experiences supported by the world."

Co-authored with Erin Davis, founder of Graffiti Ministries, "The Bare Facts" offers frank answers to top questions students are asking on everything from sex and relationships to pornography and sex addiction.

Book and DVD, which answers even more questions

Teenagers may be physically ready for sex, McDowell argues, but their "most powerful sex organ" isn't fully developed. "Your most powerful sex organ isn't covered by your swimsuit. It's between your ears," he says unabashedly. "Biologically speaking, the average teenager isn't quite ready to take on the role of 'brain CEO', but young people in this stage of development are making decisions about sex that will have consequences for the rest of their lives."

I suggested to him that some people would consider it naïve to think that adolescents in today's world will wait until marriage to have sex. He immediately countered that, "The notion that young people can't wait is flawed logic because it ignores one important point. As human beings, we are created with the God-given ability to think and to make moral choices."

Some of the tough questions tackled in "The Bare Facts" include: "Can I have oral sex and still keep my virginity?" "Isn't premarital sex really great preparation for good sex in marriage?" "Is sexting wrong?" "How will pornography affect my sex life?" and "isn't it unrealistic to wait?"

McDowell points out that the word "sex" receives 338 million Google searches a month - more than four billion searches a year. With teenagers making up such a large portion of internet users, this trend reveals that many may be looking for answers in the wrong places.

He concludes, "In a culture where sex is everywhere and purity has lost its meaning, young people including those in the church, are left to face tremendous sexual temptation. God isn't silent on the subject of sex, and neither is the culture. We want young people to explore God's truth on this subject."

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Nico Bougas is the International Coordinator of Hellenic Ministries (www.hellenicministries.com). He has a master's degree in communication from Wheaton Graduate School and M. Div and D. Min degrees from Trinity Theological Seminary. He is the author or co-author of four books. He previously worked for Youth for Christ in South Africa and was Editor of In Magazine and Christian Living TODAY and now serves as Consulting Editor to JOY Magazine. For further, information contact: nico@bougas.info