Contact: Pamela McClure,
615.595.8321
Girls Just Wanna Have . . . Sexual Integrity?
Authors Empower Girls To Live
Purely In Sex-Saturated Society
Authors
Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn are empowering young women to live with
integrity in a sex-saturated society—to make positive sexual choices at a time
when their futures are on the line. These
best-selling authors’ new book, entitled Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your
Mind, Heart and Body in a Sex-Saturated World (WaterBrook Press, August
2004), educates and challenges young women to choose lives of sexual and
emotional integrity. The book presents teenaged
and college-aged women with a biblical perspective on sexuality, offering
readers a new paradigm that often contradicts current cultural images of female
sexuality.
“Being a
person of sexual integrity doesn’t mean you are a boring, frigid young woman
who never has any fun with a guy,” explains co-author Shannon Ethridge, a
writer, speaker and advocate for sexual integrity. “Nothing could be further from the truth. A young woman of sexual integrity is free to
enjoy the excitement and fun of romantic relationships without all the worry
that compromise brings into life.”
Sexual
integrity, according to the authors of Every Young Woman’s Battle, is an
undivided devotion to sexual purity, a refusal to be controlled by one’s sexual
passions. The promised result is the
ability to enjoy a passionate sexual relationship inside marriage—without the
scars and emotional baggage that come with sexual compromise. Such thinking and living may seem old
fashioned, but Every Young Woman’s Battle is the latest book in a series that
addresses sexuality from a biblical perspective. More than one million books in the “Every Man” series (which
began with Every Man’s Battle, also
co-authored by Arterburn) have been snapped
up by consumers in just four years.
As a lay
counselor and a speaker at Teen Mania’s headquarters, Shannon Ethridge has the
opportunity to build relationships with young women and hear about their
struggles with sexual and emotional integrity.
As a result, real life stories fill the pages of Every Young Woman’s Battle—some
are success stories and some are from girls who wish they had made different
life choices. Ethridge also shares
practical guidance (seven myths that intensify the struggle, tips for showing
appropriate affection to guys, the facts about sexually transmitted diseases,
character traits of “Mr. Right”) alongside scripture to help young readers
develop a plan for sexual integrity.
The result is a solid resource, both compassionate and hard-hitting,
that tells young women what they won’t hear from MTV, fashion magazines or
reality TV.
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Every Young Woman’s Battle/page two
The seven
sections of Every Young Woman’s Battle are designed to help young readers
(both virgins and non-virgins) better understand healthy sexuality and to
dispel myths that lead to sexual compromise.
1) Understanding
Our Battle: explains the complexity of sexuality and the myths about sexuality that dominate
our culture
2) Avoiding
Self-Destruction: honest talk about body image, masturbation, sexual abuse
and more
3) Avoiding
the Destruction of Others: why flirting, dressing to impress boys and using
sex to feel powerful will lead to broken hearts and relationships
4) Guarding
Your Mind: how to deal with sexual media messages, your own thought
life and those steamy romance novels
5) Guarding
Your Heart: how to protect your
emotional integrity, since “where your heart goes, your body soon follows”
6) Guarding
Your Body: straight talk
about “technical” virginity, oral sex, and “how far is far enough”
7) Looking for
Love in the Right Places: how to build healthy, satisfying relationships with
yourself, God and others
Co-author
Stephen Arterburn wants young women to know that a healthy sexual relationship is
worth fighting for. “The Internet,
television, movies and advertising have made women seem more like sexual objects
than ever before. But I hear from lots
of young men who want to pursue lives of sexual integrity and want to spend
time with young women that share their values.” Arterburn writes that he wants young women to enjoy “sexually
integrated” lives, so that they can be the same person on Friday night that
they are on Sunday at church—since a segmented life brings confusion, guilt and
often despair.
Josh
McDowell, in the book’s foreword, urges parents to get involved in the battle
as well, “I want to encourage you not just to give this book to your daughter
but to read through it with her and talk with her about this traditionally
taboo topic. Don’t wait for her bring
up the topic. It may never happen. Be proactive in helping her develop strong
personal convictions about guarding her sexuality and give her a reliable moral
compass”
Also
available from WaterBrook Press this summer is Every Young Woman’s Battle Workbook ($7.99, 128 pages, ISBN
1-57856-855-2), a slim paperback volume designed as a companion to the
book and a guide for small group study.
For older women, married or single, Ethridge has previously penned the
best-selling Every Woman’s Battle and
its companion workbook. Releasing in
2005 will be Ethridge’s next contribution to the Every Man series, a book for
mothers of girls entitled Preparing Your
Daughter for Every Woman’s Battle.
All titles, plus books for men including the best-selling Every Man’s Battle and Every Young Man’s Battle, are available
from WaterBrook Press.
The
introduction of Every Young Woman’s Battle to retail shelves is enhanced by a
broad consumer marketing campaign.
WaterBrook Press will offer in-store merchandising materials to
retailers and will purchase advertising in numerous consumer magazines. The co-authors are already being scheduled
for national radio and television interviews this summer, including a
month-long product feature on the nationally syndicated radio program, “New
Life Live.”
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Every Young Woman’s Battle/page three
Shannon Ethridge is the best-selling author
of Every Woman’s Battle, as well as a
wife, mother, conference speaker and lay counselor. Shannon’s passion is to equip young people to “look for love in
all the right places.” She speaks regularly at Teen Mania Ministries where she
teaches others how to become advocates for sexual integrity across the nation
and abroad. Shannon lives with her
family near Dallas, Texas.
Stephen Arterburn is founder and chairman of
New Life Clinics, host of the daily “New Life Live!” national radio program,
creator of the Women of Faith Conferences, a nationally known speaker, and the
best-selling author of more than two dozen books, including the award-winning
and best-selling Every Young Man’s Battle
with co-author Fred Stoeker. Stephen
lives in Laguna Beach, California.
WaterBrook
Press (www.waterbrookpress.com) was
launched in September 1996 as an autonomous religious publishing division of
Random House Inc., the largest publisher in the world. Since the release of its
first books in February 1998, WaterBrook’s publishing program has grown
dramatically and now includes such best-selling and well-respected authors as
Dr. Dan Allender, Steve Arterburn, Kay Arthur, Jerry Bridges, T. Davis Bunn,
Dr. Larry Crabb, Nicky Cruz, Os Guinness, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Jane
Kirkpatrick. WaterBrook Press is committed to publishing a broad spectrum of
books that provide Christians encouragement, support, and challenge in every
aspect of life.
# # #
May 2004
By Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn
Published by WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House
Release date: August 2004
ISBN: 1-57856-856-0
Format: trade paper
Page Count: 208
Category: Youth Interests/Christian Living/Sex Price: $13.99
Also available:
Every Young
Woman’s Battle Workbook ($7.99, 128 pages, ISBN 1-57856-855-2)
Interviews and information available from McClure Muntsinger
Public Relations,
Pamela McClure, pamela@mmpublicrelations.com,
615.595.8321