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Swimming Up Stream The "Safe Sex" Myth by Emily Limbaugh Pagan "Free condoms, free pizza" was the chant echoed through the hallway as I walked into a dorm at a local university. I was there to speak on the topic of STDs, but it was at that moment that I realized I really had no idea what I was up against. Over the last four weeks, this particular university had hosted forums about a myriad of topics related to sex. Each week the students are given free condoms and pizza as an incentive to participate. I had the fortune of speaking the week after a representative from a local abortion clinic presented on the importance of contraception. She was a big hit. This presenter made condom balloons and passed out truckloads of free contraception. How am I supposed to follow that? Great, I was about to tell them how ineffective their precious condoms are and how "safe sex" is truly a myth. I was about to be the "Debbie Downer" who was here to put a damper on their sex parade. It was inevitable. They were going to kill me. I just knew it. I have to be honest, it's been a long time since I've been afraid to present. I eat this stuff up! "Please don't let them laugh at me," became my prayer as I cried out to God. "There's not one person in this room who believes what I'm about to say. Please give me the strength to speak this message and not back down." I grew more discouraged as I listened to the organizers openly talk about their own sex lives and the importance of contraception, with no regard to marriage or the consequences of sex outside of marriage. They actually joked as students grabbed condoms by the fistful. "Oh, I didn't know Suzie was having sex." As I set up my laptop and Power-Point projector on a pool table, I had to gently move piles of condoms, spermicide and personal lubricants to make room for my equipment. The irony was incredible as I began to speak about a change in mind-set instead of an influx of contraception while my projector lay resting on a pile of piña colada flavored condoms. This was going to be an interesting night. To my surprise, the students actually seemed receptive. Some students looked slightly confused as I negated some theories that previous speakers presented to be truths. Still, the majority of the students appeared eager to know more. Following the talk, one girl approached me and shared that her friends had been pressuring her to go ahead and have sex with her boyfriend. "Emily, I'm not ready yet," was her plea to me. I reassured her that she was making an excellent decision to wait and she thanked me for coming. I honestly don't know what kind of impact I made that night, but that one comment was enough to make me feel that God had been glorified. As you can see, we, as Christians, have our work cut out for us when speaking to a generation who worships latex. Are we going to believe the lie that there is such a thing as "safe sex"? Are we going to step aside and let our friends believe this lie? It's time to start praying for this generation of young people who are hurting themselves by believing that sex is nothing more than recreation. God designed sex to be beautiful and sacred. We cheapen it when we strip it of its value and make it a casual thing. It's time we stood up for truth instead of giving in to a sex-absorbed culture. God desires so much more for us.