Why Wait?

by Josh McDowell

A 450-page resource book on teen sexual attitudes and behavior, with advice on helping teens say "no" to premarital sex. Also, what to do if they are sexually active.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Parenting

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Josh McDowell is a bestselling Christian apologist, evangelist, and author of over 150 books, including Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. Once an agnostic, he converted to Christianity while investigating its historical claims. He went on to earn degrees from Wheaton College and Talbot Theological Seminary. For decades, McDowell has been a prominent speaker with Campus Crusade for Christ, addressing issues of faith, character, and youth culture worldwide. His work emphasizes historical and legal evidence for Christianity and tackles challenges posed by skepticism and non-Christian beliefs. He lives in California with his wife, Dottie, and is the father of four children, including fellow apologist Sean McDowell.

Reviews

[Anete Ābola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am all for waiting for marriage.
The reason I dislike the book, is - it seems to be meant for nominal Christians. So it should talk more about are you a Christian, or are you not, and to help one press on in fight for holiness and purity, not the ins and outs of already raging hormones.

So, if You are reading it for sociological/anthropological reasons, would be best to read together with Ken Ham's "Already Gone" (to understand that sexually compromising teenagers are not really Christians most of the time, or are very weak ones for different reasons) and perhaps J.C.Ryle's "Holiness" (to see what real Christian life is all about).

And, if you are reading this as a teenager, you should start listening to Paul Washer's sermons on Youtube, or books by AnekoPress on youtube. There are plenty that will help you grow and mature as a christian and that will strengthen your resolve to wait.

[Abigail G · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely informative book that contains enough personal testimonies to make it personable. The informationation was useful and not repeditory but it was a very long book. In many ways was not written for teens but for the adults in their lives, as expressed by the title, but there was much of the information that I wished was condensed into a smaller teen version that I could suggest to young people. I understood that his point was to prove why waiting is worth it but it did get very discouraging towards the end if you are person who hasn't waited. The last chapter did cover the redemptive hope of forgiveness but it did only a little to provide comfort vs. the 400 previous pages of very blunt facts.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attended a Josh McDowell outreach on this and read this book the year after it came out.

[Andulire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Nichi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disagreed with the point Josh wants to make going in but thought he might have some insight I hadn't come across. 200 pages in I tossed the book into my "to get rid of" bin as it is devoid of much reason. The entirety of this doorstopper could be summarized by the sentence "God doesn't like pre-marital sex."

The beginning focuses on why teenagers are much more likely to have sex now (or the 1970s, when he wrote the book) and does have some interesting statistics. However, his reasons for teenage sex (or indeed adult sex prior to marriage) come down to:

1. STDs (wear a condom, follow some basic safety procedures)

2. Pregnancy (use birth control)

3. God/people feeling guilty because they've been conditioned to think sex is Satan 2.0.

If you're a devout Christian then you already agree with Josh and need no convincing. If not then his point is moot. The terrible content is really a shame as his writing style is spectacular. The words went down easily and he broke up the content into chunks that the mind can wrap around quickly. He integrated quotes and statistics to back up his points, and if it weren't for the fact that the content falls flat, I'd say he did so gracefully based on his style.

In sum, don't bother reading this. The most it's good for is a glance into the past, but even then it's outclassed.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

All young teenagers should read. Talk about helping a teen have self esteem! It is not at all "preachy." Letters from actual teenagers tell all.