'Holy in a Hookup World': CBN'S MUST SEE Valentine's Special on Sex and Dating

The "hookup" culture of today has severely impacted millennials as well as Generation Z. Many younger Americans live their lives surrounded by lust, pornography, non-committed relationships, and premarital sex. But now some students are getting tired of this sex saturation and they're taking a stand for purity.

One report indicates at least 66 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 30 engage in premarital sex at least twice a month, and statistics for pornography are even more alarming with over 70 percent viewing it at least once a month. 

With millennials leaving the church in staggering numbers, citing the church's silence on controversial topics as one of their reasons, CBN held a panel entitled "Unhooked: Holy in a Hookup World" on the campus of Regent University to address the issues. 

The discussion engaged Christian millennials with a message of remaining pure, offering ways to stay holy in today's culture and answering their questions about difficult issues. 

One of the common topics of the night was chastity, an ideal which Arleen Spenceley, speaker and author of Chastity Is For Lovers: Single, Happy and Still a Virgin highlighted as very important in a culture centered around hooking up. 

"Chastity is awesome, and one of the things I think is paramount to practicing it in a culture that calls it crazy is community," said Spenceley. 

Spenceley and the other panelists, who are successful pastors and authors, also encouraged attendees to engage in right thinking when it comes to staying abstinent. 

"Think critically about whether this activity you want to engage in is actually helping you get closer to Christ, or is it hurting your relationship with Him?" said Spenceley.
 
Other notable topics included the importance of dating with purpose and staying committed. Pew Research indicates millennials are struggling with commitment with over 60 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds still being single. 

Pastor Jamal Miller, speaker and co-founder of Married and Young, a ministry focused on establishing and maintaining successful relationships at a young age, spoke to CBN News about the issue. He feels social media is a danger to the right perspective of relationships. 

"Social media presents relationships as goals versus as it being purpose. When you look at something as 'goals' you look at it as a way of imagination, of perfection, of 'that is what it could be'," said Miller. "'Oh wow, that is what I want' versus 'what am I going to do to create that and to actually have it. What am I doing' versus looking at everyone else and what they have to have. What am I doing to actually begin to have what I believe the perfect relationship is and what the Lord has called me to do."

CBN News spoke to a few millennials after the event to hear their thoughts. Many left feeling inspired and challenged to stay obedient to biblical principles. "I love how there was a mix of guys and girls, different ethnicities, different perspectives, single, married. Yeah, I think this was really beneficial for young adults, for people still in college. It was amazing!" Abigail Baldridge said.

The television special, "Unhooked: Holy in a Hookup World", will air in primetime Thursday night on the CBN News Channel. For more information, you can check out the event's page HERE.