More than 800 attended this week's sessions, which have been held on this island for two decades. The week includes Bible studies, prayer time and sessions on subjects such as dating, college and coping with parents. The leaders know these teens were baptized in church as infants, but have been immersed in media ever since. And then there's the free time. It's about looking pretty at the pool.
Some people really get into that.
Youth pastors know this tension exists. They also know church kids have been touched by divorce, the hidden sins of parents and head-spinning church debates about sexual morality. In The Son also carry secret burdens. Polls in many denominations have yielded sobering results about premarital sex, abuse, abortion and broken hearts. Yet most churches seek safety in silence.