The Church And Pornography
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A new survey from Proven Men Ministries claims that 77 percent of Christian men between the ages of 18 and 30 look at pornography at least monthly.
Joel Hesch, founder of the biblically based Proven Men Ministries recently commissioned a survey that was conducted by the Barna Group and that sampled 388 self-identified Christian adult men. The shocking findings reveal that most Christian men are looking at pornography on a regular basis and that there is a high rate of use and addiction. Then there are also the inevitable negative effects on the marriage institution as many men are driven to infidelity, an increasing phenomenon which is also affecting men in Christian leadership on the global stage.
Unfortunately, pornography is another one of those issues that is rarely tackled comprehensively and systematically in the church, either on the pulpit or through other forums. "It's abundantly clear that pornography is one of the biggest unaddressed problems in the church," Hesch said.
The statistics for Christian men between 18 and 30 years old are particularly striking:
• 77 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 36 percent view pornography on a daily basis.
• 32 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 12 percent think they may be).
The statistics for middle-aged Christian men (ages 31 to 49) are no less disturbing:
• 77 percent looked at pornography while at work in the past three months.
• 64 percent view pornography at least monthly.
• 18 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 8 percent think they may be).
For married men:
• 55 percent look at pornography at least monthly.
• 35 percent had an extramarital sexual affair while married.
Hesch explained that the purpose of the survey is not to point fingers, but to get a better grasp on the scope of the problem in light of ready access to pornography in this Internet era. "It's abundantly clear that pornography is one of the biggest unaddressed problems in the church," Hesch said.
In fact, these alarming statistics are not limited to those who nominally consider themselves Christian. Those who identify themselves as born-again Christians have similar struggles with pornography and affairs:
• 95 percent admit that they have viewed pornography.
• 54 percent look at pornography at least once a month.
• 44 percent viewed pornography at work in the last 90 days.
• 31 percent had a sexual affair while married.
• 25 percent erase Internet browsing history to conceal pornography use.
• 18 percent admit being addicted to pornography (and another 9 percent think they may be).
What these statistics reveal is that there is a deep underlying problem that the Christian men surveyed were willing to “to talk about" in an anonymous survey. It is a cry for help that reveals the depth and magnitude of the problem, and the church needs to urgently step forward with solutions. It is clear the church can no longer bury its head in the sand over the issue.
The attack on the men is great, because of many reasons but mostly because of their spiritual office as the head and priest of the home. This makes men the gatekeepers of their homes and their role is to protect the nuclear family unit and preserve it in holiness, and yet many are succumbing to the vice and allowing access to unclean spirits into their homes as their gates fall.
Statistics from the 2014 annual report from Covenant Eyes, advocates strongly for internet accountability and filtering. Covenant Eyes defines Internet Accountability as a report of personal Internet activities, designed not to spy on someone but to start a conversation, helping everyone in the home make wiser choices about Internet use. The need to put these accountability systems in place is evidenced by the following statistics on the website:
• Currently, the number of searches for pornography since the start of 2014 is over 1,738,426,000.
• 1 in 5 mobile searches are for pornography.
• Men are more than 543% more likely to look at porn than women.
Because porn use thrives in secrecy, many church members are trapped in a cycle of sin and shame, thinking that they are the only ones facing this temptation.
It is evident that the pornography industry is one of the most lethal satanic attacks on the spiritual life of individuals and the church as a whole, because it begins to destroy the Christian family from its foundations, and gradually works its way into the larger body of Christ. What matters is what sacrifices the church is willing to make to fight this war at this point, because it is one that has become a fight to the death.
Radical changes come by taking radical measures:
Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Pastors have no choice but to create accountable communities in their churches. Because many of its victims keep it secret, it is a vice that is a more silent, stealthier and more deadly killer than cancer, and it is a vice that is spreading quickly inside the church.
How can pastors and church leaders help the men and women in their congregations who are struggling with these addictions?
Proven Men has put together a powerful resource for churches to help Christian men regain their dignity and sexual integrity. After breaking free from his own 20-year sexual addiction, Hesch formed Proven Men Ministries and has devoted the past 15 years to helping men around the world find freedom from pornography or sexual addiction through a biblically based system he created, known as the Proven Path for Sexual Integrity.
The system includes a 12-week course of study, a leadership guide and a book on sexual integrity—all available on Amazon. There are also free resources available at www.provenmen.org.
"We are now taking the Proven Path directly to churches with the goal of helping 1 million Christian men experience freedom and victory from pornography and sexual addiction," Hesch explains.
Hesch puts out this call for action to pastors and all Christian men: "If these statistics break your heart like they break mine, then it's time to join with me and other Proven Men around the nation in taking a stand to reverse the tide and reclaim sexual integrity for yourself and for each man in your church or community. Together we can change the world one man, one family, and one church at a time."
Covenant Eyes also have many resources on their website, www.covenanteyse.com, including a guide on how church leaders can combat pornography and work towards a porn-free church. Through this information, leaders can learn how porn harms the church, what the Bible says about accountability, and what the church can do about it.
There is also a guide for parents on how to protect their family online and how to have targeted conversations about the sites their children visit and the search terms they use, and for adults, it means the temptation to click on inappropriate and pornographic links is reduced.
It should be the prayer for every believer as they pray and intercede for the body of Christ in these perilous times, to ensure that these and other excellent resources are shared. Through networking, the church of Christ can stand together and fight. This fight begins with the individual. If pornography is not being addressed in your church, lobby for it to be done, and share resources and exercises that are working for other churches.
Job 3-1-3 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high? Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
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