Nevertheless, it was somewhat shocking when a commercial popped up on my TV for a male sexual enhancement drug—coincidentally followed immediately by another commercial for a drug to ease the symptoms of herpes, one of the most common and painful sexually transmitted diseases afflicting the Western world.

The juxtaposition of those two TV commercials says a lot about our culture. Not getting enough satisfaction? Take a pill! Certainly we shouldn't be expected to miss out on sex! Got a pesky sexually transmitted disease? Again, take a pill—you certainly shouldn't let an annoying little thing like that interfere with your fun!

Shouldn't laws about false advertising come into play somewhere here? After all, the perky, hip, 20-something girl in the STD-treatment commercial seemed to be having the time of her life—riding horseback, sailing, enjoying a walk in a beautiful sunlit park with an equally attractive young man as they gently caressed each other, leaving little to the imagination as to what they'd be doing that night.

It all looked so appealing and wholesome that if some young person watching the commercial had no idea what herpes was, he or she might well wonder, "Wow! How can I get that so my life can become so interesting and exciting!?!"

The truth, of course, is far different. It's ironic that in an age when knowledge is exploding, we choose to remain so clueless about one of the basic functions of life—sex. Seldom have so many comprehended so little about something so common. In this issue we hope to shed some biblical light on a much-misunderstood subject.

At the same time, the whole subject of sex can't really be separated from another subject discussed in this issue—namely, are we here by accident or are we the product of a supreme and divine intelligence that put us here for a reason?

Belief that we are here by accident has led us to the sorry state of sexual relationships we see all around us—sex simply for one's self-gratification, regardless of consequences. The result is a growing epidemic of disease, divorce and degradation, of anguish and abortion, of broken dreams, broken hearts and broken men and women.

Some of the leading thinkers behind the sexual revolution of the last century openly admit that they embraced evolution and its denial of God because they didn't want anyone or anything to interfere with their fun. Now we look at the sad state of marriages, families and relationships and wonder how it all went so horribly wrong.

In spite of our many failures, God hasn't left us. He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to know Him, to know His ways, to receive His blessings. Yet so many don't know where to begin.

To help you grasp the kind of relationship God wants with you, and how to build that relationship, we're starting a series of articles titled "Tools for Spiritual Growth."

These will show you how you can begin to draw on the power of the greatest source of power in the universe to transform your life and reach the potential He planned for you. And that is truly good news! GN