Rock veterans Petra join Josh McDowell on UK tour.

THE "WHY WAIT" events will be staged in the UK in 1991 when author and apologist Josh McDowell and Christian rock band Petra visit. They are currently on tour in America. The collaboration began three years ago when McDowell was looking for a recognised Christian band to endorse his hard-hitting material, aimed at encouraging young people to wait for sex until after marriage. From an initial contact made then has grown a full-scale tour of the USA and much mutual respect.

"In 25 years of ministry I've worked with people all over the world, and I've never worked with people more godly than the guys in Petra," McDowell told CCM magazine, "I flew my daughter in for the last three days of this leg of the tour just to be around them. It makes it easier for me as a Christian Dad to raise kids in a way that's honouring to God." For the group, vocalist John Schlitt said, "I've never been on a more exciting tour - especially in terms of seeing spiritual commitment in kids." The shows feature a full-blown rock performance from Petra and a no-holds-barred presentation by McDowell on the dangers of illicit sex. "Five years ago there were five known sexually transmitted diseases, (STDs)," he tells his audience of American teenagers.

"Three years ago there were 38. There are 51 known today. One out of seven of you teenagers is now getting an STD. More kids were born with an STD last year than were affected by the entire polio epidemic in the 50's." McDowell and Petra will be touring Britain in October/ November 1991. McDowell will be visiting the UK in January and Petra are doing a series of dates in their own right in March.