No doubt now you have heard about or maybe even seen the movie "American Pie." And, if you haven’t seen it yet, somebody you know somewhere will either buy it or rent it when it comes out on video this Winter or Spring. May I suggest that you pass on this dessert?

Now before you get all crazy thinking that God has some kind of problem with sex and sexuality, you need to crack open your Bible and read the "Song of Solomon," sometimes called the "Song of Songs." In it, God uses big, giant imagery to talk about the joy of married sexuality. So, hey- God is on your side when it comes to this side of your life. Never fear.

A problem in "American Pie" is the message that virginity is some kind of thing you gotta get rid of. Now, if you are already sexually active, I’m not beating you up or trying to make you feel bad. You gotta know that God is always ready to help you wherever you are in your life. All I can say about God’s love and forgiveness (called "grace") is , "Thank God!," ‘cuz in my own life I’ve got lots to work on. So wherever you are is okay with God as long as you are working on making your life better.

The movie implies that keeping yourself chaste (sexually pure) until you get married, and beyond, is some kind of freaky, "what’s-wrong-with-you?" type of thing. Here’s the real truth: Being a virgin isn’t a disease. It is a gift- for guys and gals both.

One of the other dangers of the movie is trying to tell you that if you use a condom, sex is now safe and ok. Hey- the failure rate of condoms in teens runs 10-20%. Yeouch! That is like saying that every 5 times you get in a car, you will have a serious accident once. Sounds like bad odds! There is a "no failure rate" way to protect yourself from pregnancy, disease and thoroughly messed up emotions- it’s called abstinence. And it works, too.

The movie also suggests (actually crams down your throat) that having sex is just something to do to "get it over with." No way- when you give yourself away in such an intimate manner- it is a true gift- and one that should be celebrated. When you’re spending your time thinking about "getting caught," pregnancy, STD’s and the other emotional issues- what are you celebrating? Nada.