Celebrating abstinence

NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Jeiel Ballard and his girlfriend, both 16, are dressed up in their best attire, ready for a night of dancing and fun. But there will be no close embraces or risque moves to test chaperones. The “purity ball” sponsored by their Seventh-day Adventist Church will feature a vow to abstain from sex until marriage and offer tips on “appropriate” touching between the sexes.

“It’s tough, but when you have sex at an early age it can become addictive,” Jeiel said. “And when you get addicted … it can lead you down the wrong path.”

Expect to see more events like this now that abstinence-only sex-education programs have lost their federal government support, and churches and other religious groups step in to keep the message alive.

“With funding being cut from the government, you’re going to see more responsibility placed on churches in the community to carry this banner,” said Michael Polite, assistant pastor at Riverside Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nashville, which collaborated with several other local Adventist churches for the ball on a recent weekend.

“And I think when we do our job, it will show the government this type of education is still necessary,” he said.

There’s a measure in the U.S. Senate to restore about $50 million to abstinence education, but its passage is uncertain and it would restore funding to less than half of what it had been under the Bush administration.

One advantage of not using federal funds is more freedom and creativity. At the purity ball, Mr. Polite uses ballroom dancing as the platform to teach teenagers how to interact without being tempted.

A dance instructor at the ball showed “how a woman should be touched, how a man should be touched” without being sexual, Mr. Polite said.

“It doesn’t have to be any of the dirty bumping and grinding,” said James Brothers, an instructor at Dance World of Nashville. “It’s just a great way to express yourself and really enjoy it, while still being classy at the same time.”

Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, which for the past five years has promoted a national Day of Purity for teenagers, said depending on private money could actually benefit the abstinence message.

“I think people are able to participate and understand the importance, and then you don’t have the government purse strings attached where it’s on today and off tomorrow,” Mr. Staver said. “People … will take ownership of it.”

Gianna Snell organized a purity ball for teenagers at her church in Lexington, Ky. Mrs. Snell said she and her husband are proof individuals can wait until marriage because they abstained from sex during their two-year courtship.

“At times, it was tough,” she chuckled. “I had someone who had the same goal, and we both made that commitment to each other once we started dating.”

Jason Burtt directs the nondenominational group Silver Ring Thing, based just outside Pittsburgh, that uses comedy, drama, music videos and testimonies to promote abstinence in live events each year around the country.

“We try to relate to students on the level and the forms of communication they deal with every day, and just talk to them about the realities of sexual activity,” said Mr. Burtt, who estimates the group reached about 60,000 students and parents in 2009.

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