“There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again―it leads straight to hell” (Proverbs 14:12 The Message).

I was shocked while listening to a radio program about the pervasive presence of pornography in our society. The program was intended to be a battle cry against this social vice, but my heart sank when it was revealed that one of the most lucrative areas for the porn industry is the traditionally Christian “Bible belt” in the United States. Many hotels note an increase in the use of in-room X-rated pay-per-view channels during conferences organized by evangelical groups. As a result, the “porn industry” often ridicules Christian organizations that loudly challenge pornography yet secretly engage in its use. There is a great spiritual battle being waged and the Christian community is losing because of our unwillingness to even acknowledge the reality of pornography within our churches.

Harmless Fun?
Avoiding pornography in our world is difficult; it's in our faces whether we want it or not. Society bombards us with sexual images. Advertisers boast that “sex sells.” There is a growing market for X-rated movies. Millions of pictures circulate in magazines and on the Internet. TV sitcoms often joke about the use of pornography as “harmless fun” and depict it as acceptable and normal behaviour. But pornography is not harmless fun. Each person depicted as a sex object is someone's child, sister, mother or friend.

According to a U.S. News and World Report article “the porn industry took in more than $8 billion worldwide in one year ... more than all the revenues generated by rock and country music, more than America spent on Broadway productions, theatre, ballet, jazz and classical music combined.”

The “porn industry” often ridicules Christian organizations that loudly challenge pornography yet secretly engage in its use

Pornography is a visible symptom of the moral cancer within our society. But the Christian church must realize that it is also an invisible reality within the Body of Christ. Statistics reveal that the use of pornography by those in the Church is not significantly different than in society.

A Focus on the Family study found that 18 percent of “born again” American Christians admitted to visiting sexually-oriented Web sites, part of the nearly 40 million Americans who apparently have frequented such sites. Focus on the Family's Clergy Care Network Help Line notes that 35 percent of their contacts from pastors surround the issues of sexual compulsions or addictions, including the use of pornography. A Zogby International poll reveals that 20 percent of Christian men admit surfing Internet porn sites.

While theses statistics are alarming, they don't begin to capture the countless, agonizing stories of the victims of sexual addiction in the Church: wives betrayed by their husbands, husbands betrayed by their wives, congregations paralyzed by scandal, careers ruined, marriages and families destroyed, the image of Christians smeared and the Kingdom of God compromised.

Secret Sin
There are many factors that contribute to the reality of pornography infiltrating the lives of many believers. Easy access to sexually explicit Web sites, movies and magazines, offered in a permissive societal atmosphere that has normalized casual sex is weakening the moral fibre and personal integrity of many within the Church. This will always have a devastating impact on primary relationships, which in turn may result in further breakdown of the family within the Body of Christ.

Pornography is largely a secret sin committed behind closed doors while a spouse and children are asleep or at work when the boss isn't around. This anonymity means that the use of pornography is generally easy to hide. Pornography is also very affordable for most people. Some Web sites will provide unlimited access to sexually explicit material for a few dollars a month.

Each new technology (the printing press, TV, the VCR, the Internet) has been exploited by the porn industry. It is now targeting cellphones so that people can access pornography on the Web while riding the subway or walking down the street. Wireless networks and mobile handsets will soon be fast enough to download video clips that are cropped specifically for this medium.

Research and Trends
Since the mid-1980s, research has demonstrated the harm of pornography. Dr William Marshall of Queen's University in Ontario has worked with and studied sex offenders, rapists and child molesters in the Kingston Penitentiary. He notes that a large percentage of sex offenders have used pornography either in the preparatory stage before a crime or during the actual crime itself.

Dr Jennings Bryant of the University of Houston, Texas, U.S.A., finds that both men and women, even after viewing non-violent pornography, have altered views about the roles of family, marriage and morals in society. After repeated exposure to violent pornography, they develop a preference for more exotic material including bondage, sadomasochism and even bestiality.

The term “soft-core pornography” has been applied to materials that display nudity, but do not depict explicit sexual acts, such as Playboy magazine. Although perceived by some people to be acceptable, soft-core pornography or erotica is often a gateway to hard-core materials.

The Christian community must be prepared to bring restoration and healing to those caught in this seductive trap

Dr James Dobson of Focus on the Family interviewed Ted Bundy who was executed in January 1989 for the brutal sex murders of more than 20 women and young girls. Bundy stated that he first encountered soft-core pornography at age 12. “Like an addiction,” he says, “you keep craving something that is harder, something that gives you a greater sense of excitement until you reach that jumping-off point where you're beginning to wonder if maybe actually doing it would give you that which is beyond just reading it or looking at it.”

Child pornography, images of naked children or children in the process of being sexually abused, is a growing problem. In the U.S. alone there are nearly 300 underground magazines that specialize in child pornography. Canada's worst serial killer, Clifford Olson, carried a briefcase full of pornography as he drove around British Columbia in rental cars hunting down the 11 children that he murdered over a nine-month period in 1980-81.

The Battle for the Mind
For many, the mind has become a dark library of illicit images, readily accessible and easily triggered by mood, stress and many other signals imbedded in daily routines. Each illicit experience adds more images to the collection in our mind's eye. And the passing of time alone doesn't dull the vividness and the power of these images or mitigate the powerful impact they have on the imagination and behaviour. Instead of satisfying a natural need or curiosity, they create lusts and cravings that often can never be satisfied.

There is a growing battle for the mind because our thoughts produce actions, habits and character. Sin begins in the mind. Growing up, I remember my grandmother quoting the old adage: “Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”

There is a real connection between what we see, what we think and who we are. It is no wonder that Job made a covenant with his eyes to not look lustfully at a woman (see Job 31:1). He knew that what he saw would influence his thinking and his actions. David's fall with Bathsheba began with a stolen glance. Later in life, David set boundaries on what he looked at. In Psalm 101:3, David writes: “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me” (NASB). These verses are a reminder that a stolen glance can easily become an uncontrollable habit.

Jesus recognized the grip that these stolen glances can have on our hearts: “Don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices―they also corrupt. Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile” (Matthew 5:28-29 The Message). These are strong words because, as James 1:15 reminds us, lust gives birth to sin.

Break the Silence
It is time for the Church to acknowledge and address this devastating stronghold. Not until we become authentic and honest before God will our churches be effective in doing the Lord's work. God's word speaks out, and God expects no less from those who belong to Him. By our silence, we are saying that we support pornography and all of the devastation that goes along with it. It is up to us as Christians to end our silence about pornography and sexual sin. It is up to us as Christians to take a stand for God―in our own lives, in our families and in our communities.

We must return to an intentional holiness that is lived out in every area of our lives. We cannot be holy when it's convenient and then do unholy things when no one is looking. First Thessalonians 4:3-5 says: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God” (NKJV).

This ongoing battleground in a world saturated with sexual images begins in your thought life. You will be confronted with sexual images. The enemy will place lustful thoughts in your mind. You will have relapses and remember images you have seen in the past. But you don't have to dwell on those thoughts. Second Timothy 2:22 says: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” It is not enough to simply avoid temptation; each of us must pursue righteousness. This includes working actively to replace sexual images in your mind with more wholesome thoughts. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

Our churches must also address this issue head-on. When was the last time you heard a sermon about this issue; challenging our holiness and sexual integrity? We must realize that this battle is being waged in our own pews.

Keys to Recovery
The Christian community must be prepared to bring restoration and healing to those caught in this seductive trap. A redemptive community must take the time to understand the issues surrounding pornography. Those struggling with pornography will not come forward because they fear shame and ridicule. A redemptive community will encourage confession of sin with a deep assurance that grace brings forgiveness and healing.

Accountability relationships are key to recovery. There are many Christian resources available on the Internet that encourage accountability relationships and provide filtering software. Counselling is also a vital aspect of healing because the use of pornography is always symptomatic of deeper issues. Counselling provides opportunities for those who have been violated by pornography to work through the pain.

There are countless resources available to help those within the Church who long for these chains of addiction to be broken. The Church must become actively involved with those who are wounded or affected by pornography. This may be the “new frontier” of ministry within the Church.

It's time to examine our spiritual and personal lives in the light of the Holy Spirit. We must embrace a lifestyle that is holy, as God intended. He promised that we might experience fullness of life (see John 10:10). As God's people we must be living witnesses to the purity of heart, mind and action made possible by our relationship with Him.