FROM THE HEART
JULY 25, 2025
WE ARE NOT AFRAID
RESPONDING TO THE GUARDIAN
For the last 20 years, Generation Life has brought young adult volunteers down to the Jersey Shore to talk about chastity. Our volunteers go out on mission twice a day, asking young people to define true love. Most often, this opener sparks hope-filled conversations about love, relationships, sexuality, and chastity.
This summer, Carter Sherman from the Guardian asked to join us on one of our days of Outreach. She was a “fly on the wall,” but also asked our volunteers and the people we spoke to on the boardwalk some questions.
She published an article on July 19 about her experience on Beach Outreach, in which she portrayed Generation Life and our mentality toward chastity as being driven out of fear.
The Guardian also posted the article on Facebook. Many of the comments on Facebook express support for Generation Life and disdain for The Guardian’s leftist agenda. In their attempt to discredit our missionary work, they only managed to draw attention to the goodness and desirability of the chastity and pro-life messages.
“We are not afraid,” responded Generation Life’s Executive Director Anthony Yetzer, “We simply care about the men and women around us: our brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, colleagues, and even strangers on the beach. And we would not have them sleepwalked into lives of emptiness because they were misled into believing that enslavement to the passions and using and being used is actually freedom and love. God has called us to so much more, the mastery of our passions and the pursuit of self-sacrifical love. And we want to give our generation the opportunity to do just that.”
The article even motivated Billy Kangas, a writer from a Christian blog on the website Patheos, to produce his own article in response.
“I’m truly encouraged by the witness of this group-their work offers a critical lens into how love and dignity can be reclaimed in a culture often confused about both.” – Billy Kangas, “Reclaiming Love on the Jersey Shore.”
He clarified the definitions of chastity, abstinence, and celibacy, while defending and encouraging us in our mission. We are very grateful for the way this opportunity has encouraged a deeper conversation about meaningful relationships and the messages of pro-life and chastity and their relevance in today’s society.
