February 26, 2001

True Love Waits gains on Net
___NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Often a forum for racy exchanges, the Internet became a symbol of purity Feb. 14 for thousands of teens who logged on to take an electronic stand for sexual morality.
___In the 47 hours it took Valentine's Day to rise in New Zealand and set in Hawaii, 31,338 teenagers pledged to God and their future mates they would abstain from sex until marriage.
___"We were really pleased with the response from teens on this," said Paul Turner, spokesperson for True Love Waits. "On Valentine's Day 2001, 31,000-plus students made a commitment to live a life of purity. A lot of kids' lives will be spared much heartache because they have made that decision."
___LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention sponsors the international campaign, which urges teenagers to choose a sex-free lifestyle until they enter a biblical marriage relationship.
___Seize the Net, the latest incarnation among annual pushes to interest teens in sexual purity, called for young people to enter the True Love Waits webpage at www.truelovewaits.com and sign an online pledge card to remain abstinent until marriage.
___Those who did were able to see the results on Feb. 15 and download a participation certificate.
___Teens from South America to Asia and California to Maine took part in the Internet-based crusade, Turner said.
___LifeWay launched the sexual abstinence campaign in April 1993. In 1994, more than 211,000 True Love Waits cards covered the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; in 1996, more than 350,000 cards were stacked to the roof of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta; and in 1999, teens carried 100,000 pledge cards across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
___National True Love Waits leaders estimate more than 1 million teens have signed cards pledging sexual abstinence until marriage.

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