Really? Are there hard numbers somewhere to support that? Or is that supposition? If the latter, it is defamatory to say such things without proof. I know people sin sexually, but unless you include lust of the heart adultery, actually crossing the line physically is probably less common than imagined for traditional, Christian couples, of any denomination. I am willing to reconsider this position if credible statistics are available to the contrary, but not on a wisp of supposition.
When I first read the statement my mind jumped to being married, and having sex outside of that marriage. But looking at it again, it is worded such that it probably includes premarital sex. Trying to come up with an estimate led me to the following:
From one site:
“...a general estimate of the nation’s evangelicals could safely be said to range somewhere between 30-35% of the population, or about 90-100 million Americans.”
Some other graph showed 10% U.S. population is between 18-24 years old. So say 15% between 18-29 or so. Not sure what average marriage age is, but I would guess that most of the 18-29 are unmarried - so say 10% of any population, so perhaps about 10 million Evangelicals.
How many of these 10 million, single, young people are sexually active? I know that I would have considered myself “evangelical” if the term had been around back when. And had sex with two girlfriends prior to my marriage at the age of 29. Not proud of it now (although I did hold out until I was 24).
Anyway - say 50%??? of them have had pre-marital sex, so that is 5 million. I would hope that the percentage is less, but I have no idea.
Jesus instructed that if we lust after a woman in our heart (simply desire her sexually), it is the same to God as if we slept with her, since God sees what is in our hearts, and judges us accordingly.
Jesus went on to say that, if we so much as call our brother "stupid," it is the same to God as if we murdered them.
"You are either for me, or against me."
There is no "luke-warm." No "middle-ground." No "gray areas."
Such sanctuaries of convenience exist only in the hearts of excuse-making, unrepentant sinners who haven't bothered to inform themselves of Jesus' teachings in The Bible. How can you claim to "love" someone, but then not care to learn about those things which they insist are most important to our relationship?
Like the rest of The Bible, it actually makes alot of sense if you really think about it... and approach it with a sincere love for God and desire to know Christ. Which is not to say that it's easy. In fact, without Christ, it's plainly humanly impossible.
;-\
What we do see is that evangelicals are overall by far the most evangelical survey group, as seen here , and who see fornication as sin even in a "fornination" (or "condomnation") which affirms abomination and is under condemnation and headed for damnation. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. " (Psalms 9:17)
But as foretold of the latter days, we are becoming too conformed to it. See here for lots of data on that.
21twelve, the question is not how many have had pre-marital sex but how many are sleeping with partners to whom they are not married now.
As for the # of evans, your source was the same as mine in a post above, but see here as regards how surveys determine "evangelical," which usually is lumped together with those who claim a born again Christian experience, but can include many who hardly fit the term "evangelical" after its historical ethos as a movement.
Some surveys classify people according to the denomination they belong to, while Barna uses a basic theological criteria , which finds only 8% of US adults doctrinally qualify as “Evangelicals” (2004 survey), while 38% of US adults classify as born again, but not Evangelical in these basic beliefs.
If there are 100 million Christians in the country, are you really going to argue that less than 1% of them are living in sin?
50% of marriages end in divorce, with infidelity being one of the bigger reasons.