Every time I read statistics like the ones you quote at the beginning of this excellent article I think, "that can't possibly be accurate!" Maybe it's because for all the things we hear preached about from the pulpits of today's churches, porn addiction is not one of them. If it is, it's little more than a glancing blow.
I'm trying not to believe that it is because those who are charged with the care and feeding of the flock are themselves enslaved, but I think I would be naive to not consider that it is at least a partial explanation.
Why do we spend so much time declaring the systematic attack on the church from without as evidenced by the various social and political issues of our day like abortion or freedom of assembly during a pandemic or the censoring of speech by those who cannot stand to hear truth, yet we ignore the cancer that is growing from within?
I am sure there are exceptions out there and for those churches and their pastors I am grateful. The testimony of this article and the writers behind it is encouraging. Perhaps others will be strengthened to address this scourge within the church with both clarity and compassion. We need to speak the truth, to ourselves and one another, and we need to do so in love.
Perhaps this is where we are getting stuck. How do we address such an evil without coming off as judgmental? Or A hypocrite? Or painting those enslaved to porn as somehow that much worse than we are because, after all, we only struggle with the occasional temper tantrum or little white lie. Which leads us to either rendering an overly harsh treatment or telling ourselves it's unloving to call it out. I would posit it is unloving not to - as unloving as not telling someone walking on the railroad tracks that a train is coming.
Speaking the truth in love is not a balancing act. It is unloving to not tell the truth about someone's sin just as much as it is not truthful to confront someone's sin without love.
I am not an expert in porn addiction, that is why I wrote the article but got someone else to review it and add to it. But even an amateur like me can see that all the %s available do seem awful. You are right that porn is not preached from the pulpit. However, we can all see with our own eyes that sex/ porn is everywhere, so it doesn't seem to be a big leap to accept that porn is in the church. The evidence does show that there is less porn in the church than outside so that is encouraging. My hope, and one of the reasons why I wrote the post is that our leadership can repent, renew their minds, and then they can lead the church away from the curse of pornography. One of the reasons why porn is not preached, is that we don't know the full extent of the problem, and secondly, it's hard to preach against when those who preach are guilty of committing the very sin they are preaching against.
Oh I totally believe the numbers, it's just my visceral reaction of "that can't be true in Christ's church!" It is not inconsistent with reports like those from hotels that have for years said that adult film purchases go up when there's a pastors' conference in town. I know some stats can be exaggerated and how they are collected can influence their reflection of reality, but I actually suspect if anything they are low given our human proclivity to lie, especially about something that is reflective of our character.
I, too, pray that this article and other resources like it will encourage pastors, lay leaders, and others to take up the battle against pornography in the church.
Your last statement I think is spot on and it goes back to my allusion to the "respectable sins" we admit to.
If I preach a sermon on anger, I can admit that I struggle with anger and then give encouragement on how I am fighting it. And I might reasonably expect people to appreciate my transparency. I might even get affirmation and encouragement afterward.
On the other hand, if I were to preach a sermon on pornography and admit that I struggle with it myself and then give encouragement on how I am fighting it, I might expect to be asked to resign.
To be honest, I can see why it would be a resignation issue. Pastors are meant to lead the way, not be mired in sin. Paul says that there should not even be a hint of sin in our lives. Now that is a very tall expectation, and I for one fall short of that, but I do understand why Paul said it.
Absolutely! Completely agree with your assessment. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that any pastor should say in a sermon "hey, pray for me as I struggle with porn". To address the issue with integrity I think would start minimally with a sabbatical. And that's the point and why I think we don't hear it from the pulpit. "If I preach on it while struggling with it myself, I'm a hypocrite. If I confess it, I'll lose my job."
And so it is both not preached, to the detriment of the congregation, and not dealt with in the pastor's own life, to the detriment of all.
While all sins separate us from God, some sins have farther reaching and more devastating consequences. And all the more for the under-shepherds of the church. It's the secret sins that do the most harm.
Perhaps if we took the command to confess our sins to one another more seriously, we would be in better shape.
Again, thanks for putting this out there. Clearly it has struck a chord for me. Maybe it's because i have seen the train wreck it causes, but those stats make me weep for the church - and they make me angry. We need pastors to preach on this. And we need pastors who can do so with integrity.
Amen Jim, amen. I would happily travel the length and breadth of the UK not only preaching the gospel but also making people aware of the dangers of porn. Robert
Hi Danny, thanks for your comment. The problem is that influential people actually say that porn is good!! And therefore, while these people minimize the damage being done nothing will be done to heal the open sores.
Many people do not realize how serious this issue is. The first step towards victory in a battle is to recognize the enemy. Thanks for this profound analysis of the porn problem and the practical recommendations. God bless you!
Although I am Muslim, I very much appreciate this article. This is a problem in the Muslim community as well. Otherwise good people struggling.
Hi there, As Porn Free Millennial has said, it is a universal issue, and hopefully the practical steps will be of use to you.
Robert
Thanks for sharing. This is a universal issue and something we can all fight together unified.
Every time I read statistics like the ones you quote at the beginning of this excellent article I think, "that can't possibly be accurate!" Maybe it's because for all the things we hear preached about from the pulpits of today's churches, porn addiction is not one of them. If it is, it's little more than a glancing blow.
I'm trying not to believe that it is because those who are charged with the care and feeding of the flock are themselves enslaved, but I think I would be naive to not consider that it is at least a partial explanation.
Why do we spend so much time declaring the systematic attack on the church from without as evidenced by the various social and political issues of our day like abortion or freedom of assembly during a pandemic or the censoring of speech by those who cannot stand to hear truth, yet we ignore the cancer that is growing from within?
I am sure there are exceptions out there and for those churches and their pastors I am grateful. The testimony of this article and the writers behind it is encouraging. Perhaps others will be strengthened to address this scourge within the church with both clarity and compassion. We need to speak the truth, to ourselves and one another, and we need to do so in love.
Perhaps this is where we are getting stuck. How do we address such an evil without coming off as judgmental? Or A hypocrite? Or painting those enslaved to porn as somehow that much worse than we are because, after all, we only struggle with the occasional temper tantrum or little white lie. Which leads us to either rendering an overly harsh treatment or telling ourselves it's unloving to call it out. I would posit it is unloving not to - as unloving as not telling someone walking on the railroad tracks that a train is coming.
Speaking the truth in love is not a balancing act. It is unloving to not tell the truth about someone's sin just as much as it is not truthful to confront someone's sin without love.
I am not an expert in porn addiction, that is why I wrote the article but got someone else to review it and add to it. But even an amateur like me can see that all the %s available do seem awful. You are right that porn is not preached from the pulpit. However, we can all see with our own eyes that sex/ porn is everywhere, so it doesn't seem to be a big leap to accept that porn is in the church. The evidence does show that there is less porn in the church than outside so that is encouraging. My hope, and one of the reasons why I wrote the post is that our leadership can repent, renew their minds, and then they can lead the church away from the curse of pornography. One of the reasons why porn is not preached, is that we don't know the full extent of the problem, and secondly, it's hard to preach against when those who preach are guilty of committing the very sin they are preaching against.
Oh I totally believe the numbers, it's just my visceral reaction of "that can't be true in Christ's church!" It is not inconsistent with reports like those from hotels that have for years said that adult film purchases go up when there's a pastors' conference in town. I know some stats can be exaggerated and how they are collected can influence their reflection of reality, but I actually suspect if anything they are low given our human proclivity to lie, especially about something that is reflective of our character.
I, too, pray that this article and other resources like it will encourage pastors, lay leaders, and others to take up the battle against pornography in the church.
Your last statement I think is spot on and it goes back to my allusion to the "respectable sins" we admit to.
If I preach a sermon on anger, I can admit that I struggle with anger and then give encouragement on how I am fighting it. And I might reasonably expect people to appreciate my transparency. I might even get affirmation and encouragement afterward.
On the other hand, if I were to preach a sermon on pornography and admit that I struggle with it myself and then give encouragement on how I am fighting it, I might expect to be asked to resign.
To be honest, I can see why it would be a resignation issue. Pastors are meant to lead the way, not be mired in sin. Paul says that there should not even be a hint of sin in our lives. Now that is a very tall expectation, and I for one fall short of that, but I do understand why Paul said it.
Absolutely! Completely agree with your assessment. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that any pastor should say in a sermon "hey, pray for me as I struggle with porn". To address the issue with integrity I think would start minimally with a sabbatical. And that's the point and why I think we don't hear it from the pulpit. "If I preach on it while struggling with it myself, I'm a hypocrite. If I confess it, I'll lose my job."
And so it is both not preached, to the detriment of the congregation, and not dealt with in the pastor's own life, to the detriment of all.
While all sins separate us from God, some sins have farther reaching and more devastating consequences. And all the more for the under-shepherds of the church. It's the secret sins that do the most harm.
Perhaps if we took the command to confess our sins to one another more seriously, we would be in better shape.
Again, thanks for putting this out there. Clearly it has struck a chord for me. Maybe it's because i have seen the train wreck it causes, but those stats make me weep for the church - and they make me angry. We need pastors to preach on this. And we need pastors who can do so with integrity.
Amen Jim, amen. I would happily travel the length and breadth of the UK not only preaching the gospel but also making people aware of the dangers of porn. Robert
Thanks for writing this. I recently wrote about Jesus setting me free from lust on Substack.
Hi Sheyvah, that is such good news, Praise God! I will read your testimony. Hearing your good news makes it all worthwhile.
Strong and clearly-written post. The Jewish Torah is very clear on this - porn is forbidden.
Thanks for openly talking about this epidemic-proportion problem
Hi Danny, thanks for your comment. The problem is that influential people actually say that porn is good!! And therefore, while these people minimize the damage being done nothing will be done to heal the open sores.
Many people do not realize how serious this issue is. The first step towards victory in a battle is to recognize the enemy. Thanks for this profound analysis of the porn problem and the practical recommendations. God bless you!