According to www.xxxchurch.org, 40% of Christian women struggle with porn. Porn surrounds us. Soft porn has become a cultural norm. Yet pornography is something that we don’t discuss. And so it is eating at the very core of many Christians.
While most Christians will say that it is wrong, pornography must be recognized as a complicated issue. Many times, porn addiction begins with innocent sexual questions that progress into secret activities of shame. Viewing porn is something that can be done alone, in the privacy of the home or dorm room. It is something that is not immediately traceable and seems not to cause any harm. Viewing porn is a risky, rebellious activity for many Christians who otherwise seem to have everything together. Viewing porn is an escape from reality--a momentary release from the stress and pressures of life. Viewing porn, therefore, is a very real temptation in times that are stressful—in times when life seems out of control—in times full of papers and exams and the demands of holiday life…
So to simply acknowledge that porn is wrong is often not enough. The compulsion or addiction to view porn is often stronger than morality; therefore, we must acknowledge more than its “wrong.” We must shed God’s light on the truth that pornography is not innocent and that it distorts reality. It distorts healthy views of sex and sexuality and creates tension between couples. It sets unrealistic expectations on partners and bodies and portrays women as nothing more than sexual objects. It encourages sex as raw feeling and control rather than intimacy and emotional connection.
What’s more, the pornography industry is fueled by human trafficking, often using trafficking victims to produce its films. If we, as a church and/or society, cannot agree that pornography itself is bad—and we may never come to this agreement—then the fact that this multi-billion dollar industry is fueled by activity that blatantly disregards the dignity of human life and Christ's command to love one another holding persons in bondage through force, fraud, and coercion, should be enough to unite us and compel us towards a stop.
If you or someone you know is addicted to pornography, please know that there is help and that there is grace. God’s design for us is to live in freedom rather than darkness, in joy rather than shame. It’s never too late to take that first step out of darkness—to have that first conversation—to say no that first time—even when life is stressful and everything seems out of control. God is there. And God loves you—and the person beside you—and the addict next door…
Amen.
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