Sex, booze and ... Jesus?

The other day, a reporter from the Gloucester County Times interviewed rock music critic and Catholic journalist Dawn Eden about her upcoming trip to Glassboro. While relaying their exchange to over 50 young adults at the Landmark Americana Bar & Grill tonight, she couldn't help but laugh recalling the reporter's words: "You guys are going to be talking about Jesus ... in a *bar*?"

We all laughed appreciatively at this, because just about all of us has had to deal with the same question in the weeks leading up to tonight.

The event at Landmark was the first official gathering of the South Jersey chapter of Theology on Tap, a national movement that brings discussions about faith and culture to unlikely places. Landmark was a perfect choice for our group because of its location in the center of the Camden Diocese, plus there's the bonus of it being right down the block from a major state university.

The goal of ToT is to engage young people who might not feel comfortable in church on "their own turf" -- bars, cafes, clubs, you name it. It's a chance to bond over food, booze, and our faith. I mean, how much more could you want out of life?

Tonight, Dawn Eden shared with us her experiences growing up in a liberal family that said sex and marriage weren't sacred. Her parents' divorce left her to spend most of her life feeling unwanted and alone, and following her family's advice, she sought to fill the void with men.

To make a long story short, she discovered the writings of Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton, and it was through him that she began to read Scripture, accept Christ, and finally convert to Catholicism in 2006. Since then, she's been traveling all over the country to speak not necessarily to pious virgins only, but also to those of us who are so stuck in this oversexed generation that we honestly don't know any other way to live.

The idea behind chastity, she said, was not to treat sexual things as some evil we have to fight so hard that it actually makes things worse. Instead, we focus on making communication, strong emotional affection, and quality time the priorities of our relationships. As Catholics, we ask, "How can I show this person the love of God?"

The answer is through mutual respect and dignity, not cheap sex. As Eden said, "God made sex. He WANTS you to have great sex. He just wants you to do it the right way." And for us, that means sharing ourselves completely with only one person: our (future) spouses.

Here's a video of Dawn talking about the chaste life on the Today Show: