A Conversation with Shannon Ethridge,
co-author of Every Young Woman’s Battle
Shannon, you call yourself
an “advocate for sexual integrity.” How
did you find yourself in this role?
When
I graduated from high school, I wanted to become a pathologist and perform
surgery on dead bodies to determine the cause of death. However, I couldn’t afford medical school,
so I decided to do what I considered the next best thing and enrolled in
mortuary college! While in school I was
shocked at how many people in their teens or twenties came into my embalming
room. The usual cause of death was
either complications from AIDS or suicide as a result of being diagnosed HIV
positive. In light of how promiscuous
I’d been, I couldn’t help but think, It’s
only by the grace of God that I’m standing over this embalming table instead of
lying on top of it. Years later God
has placed me in a position to share my own story and offer girls the
opportunity to make different choices than I did.
Is the content of Every Young Woman’s Battle too frank for
teenage girls?
If
a young woman regularly watches television, listens to pop music, or reads teen
magazines, nothing in this book will be too graphic or shocking for her. Our goal is to present a credible, helpful,
Christian perspective on the images a girl is exposed to every day. If, on the other hand, a young woman is
already committed to sexual purity, a parent should review the book before
passing it on to her. We’ve made every
effort to address sensitive issues with tact and respect, emphasizing God’s
desire that young women live with sexual integrity.
You share many “real life”
stories in this book. Who are these
young women, and why are they willing to share their personal stories with
readers?
Each
year I teach hundreds of teens and college-age women about how to overcome
their tendencies to “look for love in all the wrong places.” Some of these
young women have experimented with sexual relationships in the past. And as I share my own story of poor sexual choices,
they often open up about their own battles.
And, boy, it’s a different world than when I was their age! Those of us over thirty years of age have no
idea what the sexual climate is like for these young women. Those who gave permission to share their
stories have done so out of a desire to help others make good sexual
choices—and to let readers know they are not alone in the battle.
What is your hope for the
young women who read Every Young Woman’s
Battle?
My
desire is that young women will learn how to guard their minds, hearts, and
bodies against sexual compromise. I
hope that by understanding God’s plan for their sexual and emotional
fulfillment they will be able to maneuver through their teenage years with
grace . . . and without regrets.
You’ve already authored Every Woman’s Battle and co-authored Every Young Woman’s Battle (and
workbooks for each). Do you have a new
book in the works?
I’m
finishing up a book for mothers entitled Preparing
Your Daughter for Every Woman’s Battle, which will be available in 2005.
By Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn
Interviews and information available from McClure
Muntsinger Public Relations,
Pamela McClure, pamela@mmpublicrelations.com,
615.595.8321