#41: Sex, College, and the Good Life

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 sex
• Principles, or the successful pathway that most often leads to a good life
• Habit formation for life-long intimate relationships
• Hope for students who have already been sexually active
• Other benefits of waiting for sex until marriage
• The 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 interest
• How to swim against the alternative cultural narrative of “free sex,” which saturates all   media
• How his approach differs from most sex education programs
• The personal value and apologetic force of the biblical view of sex and marriage
• The biggest challenges students face to following the successful pathway to sex, marriage, and the good life
• The acceleration and shift in the cultural narrative about sex since the COVID pandemic
• How parents might tackle this topic with their children
• Simplifying the issue with one simple question
• Sex as fire in a firepit or as a forest fire
• Living together, sex, future marriage, and divorce

Resources mentioned during our conversation:

• Abstinence & Marriage Education Partnership
• Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
• Scott Phelps, Excel Curriculum and Workbook
• Glenn Stanton, The Ring Makes All The Difference: The Hidden Consequences of Cohabitation and the Strong Benefits of Marriage
• Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially
• Rick Mattson and Stan Wallace, “Finding the Middle Way in the LGBTQ+ Conversation,” a College Faith podcast
• Stan Wallace’s Summary of Virtue Ethics