Dawn Jacobs, a Good Hope resident with a 7-year-old son, said the public nature of Lawson’s sex-education campaign bothers her.

“It is ultimately a parent’s decision to teach their children about sex,” she said. “The first time I saw the sign I was like, ‘Who put this up?’”

Lawson said parents often wait too late to discuss sex, after an unwanted pregnancy or an illicit affair leads to divorce.

“It’s embarrassing and it’s awkward,” said Lawson. “Families aren’t doing it enough, so we are.”

Some 2,000 people from the area attend Lawson's nondenominational church weekly. That's equal to the population of New Hope, which some locals describe as the Bible Belt's buckle.

"Absolutely, we wanted to shock people," said Lawson. "Talking about the issue proactively is the key."

God, he added, "is the authority on sex, and He is being squeezed out by everyone's opinion."