Tiffany and Kyle grew up in church. Their youth pastor warned against premarital sex, but they knew what was best for them; after all, their movies, television and music advocated it. So one night after youth group, they had sex for the first time. It was satisfying for neither; Tiffany felt horrible and Kyle was mad because she let it happen. In the years that followed, both turned away from Christ, Tiffany to drugs and prostitution, Kyle to atheism and promiscuity.
Tiffany and Kyle's tragic story is told by Randy Alcorn in The Purity Principle (Multnomah, 2003). It's another winner in this publisher's LifeChange series. Alcorn doesn't use kid gloves to tackle the tough issue. The book is filled with clear biblical principles to challenge the reader. Likewise, he articulates many practical ways to apply those principles in life.
In a nutshell, he says the principle is this: “Purity is right. Impurity is wrong. Purity is always smart; impurity is always stupid.”
Alcorn is one of the most talented and articulate Christian writers of our day. In this small volume, he again proves himself master of using the parable to make a point. Drawing on Scriptures and three decades as pastor, writer and ministry leader, he recalls incidents and situations that perfectly reflect the fallen nature of man and the holiness of God.
First, he establishes the fact that there are consequences for immorality, narrating more stories similar to Tiffany and Kyle's. “Many have given up on purity,” he writes. “Others have never tried. We all need foresight to see where today's choices will leave us tomorrow.”
In a meaty chapter titled “Wise Strategies,” he says, “Don't stay and try to 'resist' temptation when you can run from it. If you're on a diet, stay away from doughnuts.” He adds, “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of drawing on the indwelling power of the risen Christ. Self-reformation is not enough.”
But, he writes, “Scripture commands us to do and not to do certain things that are within our power …. Ultimately, the battle for purity is won or lost in quietness, on our knees with God and in collaboration with our fellow soldiers.”
In another chapter, “Getting Radical,” he takes on entertainment media and its increasing levels of sexual content and sexual behaviors. Alcorn's solution? If television programs cause you to lust, get rid of the TV. He's right — that's “getting radical.” He offers less radical ways to control TV in the home, but he's still direct about its insidious influence.
“Parents who wouldn't dream of letting a dirty-minded adult baby-sit their children do it every time they let their kids surf the channels,” says Alcorn. “Why are we surprised when our son gets a girl pregnant if we've allowed him to watch hundreds of immoral acts and hear thousands of sexual innuendos?”
Other sections give guidelines for singles, parents and couples. For Alcorn, the big question is, how much are you willing to pay for a short season of sexual impurity? To destroy a marriage? To lead your kids into sexual immorality? To lose your job? To destroy your self-respect? There is a cost and there are eternal consequences.
In just 93 pages — less than two hours of reading — Alcorn hits the issue head-on and gives his readers motivation to change, reason to hope. It's a great contribution to Christian literature on this issue — a practical personal handbook and a valuable tool for those who counsel and minister.
Alcorn's previous titles in the LifeChange Series are The Treasure Principle and The Grace and Truth Paradox. He writes on a wide range of moral issues. He sometimes uses fiction as a vehicle to address moral issues, as in the riveting novel Safely Home which won a 2002 Gold Medallion award for its revealing look at Christian persecution in China. Alcorn is founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries in Gresham, Oregon.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
