Defending discipline

We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. - C.S Lewis

The link through which I discovered this story had a snarky comment to the effect that "even if I were a traditional values guy, I'd think this goes too far." I find it encouraging, however, to hear more of these stories. The examples being set by these young people and by others, like the Duggar family, are a long overdue counterpoint to the social pressure that says "you're young, we expect you to be irresponsible and hormone driven."

December 13th was Katy Kruger's wedding day. It was also the day she had her first kiss.

The 22-year-old woman, who was married at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Brentwood, admits to being nervous and a bit self-conscious about having her first kiss in front of 200 people.

"I wasn't sure what to do," said Kruger, who is model-beautiful. "I thought I would mess up."

But after that initial smooch — which was met with spirited applause and cheers — Kruger quickly recovered. "It was so natural that I went back for another," she said.

In a culture where casual sex is the norm, some Tennesseans have taken the purity pledge to a whole new level, through a practice that some teens refer to as the "Virgin Lips Movement."

Religious leaders say these examples of super-abstinence deserve admiration, not derision. Especially in a time when the only social taboo seems to be violating the "third-date rule." (For those unfamiliar with it, that means waiting until the third date to have sex).

The growing dysfunctionality of our society stems directly from a lack of individual discipline. It affects everything... the economy ("buy now, pay later!!"), the family ("working it out is just too hard"), even the church (hey, I'm there Sunday morning... what more do you want?"). It's time we started applauding those who can put off self-gratification for something more important. Such efforts are difficult, but anything worth doing well usually is.