Original Research - Special Collection: Practical Theology

Cohabitation and premarital sex amongst Christian youth in South Africa today: A missional reflection

Thinandavha D. Mashau
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 67, No 2 | a899 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v67i2.899 | © 2011 Thinandavha D. Mashau | This work is licensed under Other
Submitted: 22 June 2010 | Published: 02 August 2011

About the author(s)

Thinandavha D. Mashau, Department of Missiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

Abstract

This article explored the rising trends of cohabitation and premarital sex amongst Christian and non-Christian youth in South Africa that is becoming more socially acceptable. Moving from a premise of engaging in these practices, which is not biblically justified, to what a missional Christian church can do, this article sought to bring the numbers of those who cohabit and engage in premarital sex down. The thesis of this article was that a missional church should view cohabitation and premarital sex as frontiers that need to be crossed to save the lives of our youth by minimising premarital pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (the Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] and Acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS] pandemic included). This will also go a long way in saving the sinking image of marriage. It is the presupposition of this article that cohabitation and premarital sex are great threats to the institution of marriage.

Keywords

cohabitation; premarital sex; marriage; Christian; youth; missional

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