By SUSAN HERENDEEN
BEE STAFF WRITER

Teens should not have sex, but they should have enough information to develop healthy relationships.

That's the message the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency and several churches will deliver during five "Good Sex" classes that begin Monday night.

Toben Barnum, director of student ministries at the Church of the Cross in Modesto, said straight talk can help youth deal with raging hormones.

He and other youth pastors, who will teach the classes, think teens should question permissive attitudes they see in many television shows and movies.

"We can't arm these kids enough," Barnum said. "We can't give them too much information."

A $1,000 grant from the county will pay for the program. Other co-sponsors include the Modesto Covenant Church and the Stanislaus County chapter of Youth for Christ.

High school students are welcome at any or all of the meetings. Parents may preview the videos and workbooks that will be used.

Teens can ask anonymous questions at the end of each class. Barnum said the pastors will answer all questions, but from a Christian perspective.

Barnum said the pastors will:

Tell teens who have been sexually active that they can have a "secondary virginity" if they make a new commitment to abstinence.

Tell teens that homosexuality is wrong, but they should not condemn people who practice it.

And tell teens that abortion is wrong, but only if a student asks for their opinion.

Samantha Phillips-Bland, director of family planning and teen pregnancy prevention for the Health Services Agency, said she approved the grant after the churches promised to remove a chapter on Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.

She also reviewed the "Good Sex" curriculum to see that it was medically accurate.

And she asked the pastors to talk about the dangers of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease that can cause infertility in women.

Seven of every 10 sexually active teens in Stanislaus County are carriers, Phillips-Bland said. Many have no symptoms.

Phillips-Bland said her agency would work with any community group willing to tackle teen sexuality, whether it is faith-based or not.

She said she likes the pastors' message.

"Abstinence is absolutely best for young people," Phillips-Bland said.

Classes will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday evenings in October at the Modesto Covenant Church at 913 Floyd Road. Call 545-1992 for more information.

Community groups can get grants to sponsor sex education classes by calling the Health Services Agency at 558-5322.