‘eXtremely Radical’ Youth Group - Just a Make-out Den

"Do you know where your children are?" is a popular question used as a public service announcement for parents on American television.  It's a good reminder to parents not only to know where their kids are, but to know what they are involved in, Christian or not!  Question:  Where is the youth pastor, teen counselors or adult supervision while this is going on?

1 Peter 5:8

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

ALBANY — A youth group that advertises itself as “eXtremely Radical” is actually one of the best places in town to make out, according to local teens.

“I go there every time they have meetings,” says Jack Lufkin, 16, who is not a Christian but goes church to church “looking for skirt.” He had struck out at other youth groups in town before stumbling on what he calls a gold mine of romantic opportunities at Living Way Baptist Church. “It’s action central. Those chicks really are radical, as advertised,” he says.

Living Way had re-named its group in hopes of sparking young people’s interest in godly things, says the pastor. But a recent visit to the mid-week service showed little spiritual hunger. Teenagers in a darkened chapel mumbled the words to songs during a lackluster time of worship, which the youth leader had dubbed “Thirty Minutes of Passionate Praise.” Then the youths broke into smaller groups to have discussions, but the lights remained off and few groups stayed on topic. Several met in nearby rooms, one of which was outfitted with a black light. Soon, a number of youths were playing “spin the bottle,” “two minutes in the closet,” and were lying in each others’ arms imitating the kind of making out they had seen on television.

Parents were shocked when a local youth-run website dubbed the church the number one spot in town to find easy girls and stir up parties, ahead of several notorious bars and lovers’ lanes.

“I thought they were going verse-by-verse through Galatians,” said Gladys Smith, 44, who marched into the youth room and yanked her daughter Stephanie out of a dark corner when she got news of what was happening at the group.

Out on the street, Lufkin and several other teens said they were disappointed that eXtremely Radical has been shut down and will look for “adventurous females” at other churches.

“We’re going to check out the On Fire group at First Methodist, and Teens-4-Christ at the Nazarene place,” he said. “Those sound promising.”