We have been overwhelmed since early 2020 with a daily barrage of information about the impact of the COVID-19 virus sweeping the world. And we have all been impacted personally with the illness itself, the fallout of social restrictions, the death of friends and family, the general chaos that has impacted most of the world, or some other dimension of this plague. Except for those who look favorably upon the heavy hand of government control, this pandemic cannot end soon enough.
There is, however, another plague which has been causing
chaos and destruction at a spiritual level long before the coronavirus
existed. I’m referring to the
destructive effects of the plague of pornography. The American
Family Association Journal observes Porn Awareness Week October 24-31 and
highlights the devastating impact of pornography, not just upon society at
large but also within the Christian church.
Covenanteyes.com,
an online accountability resource, offers help for those battling the lure of
pornography. It cites statistics from
2018 which reveal that one in five youth pastors and one in seven senior
pastors use porn regularly and are currently struggling [with addiction]. 64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian
women say they watch porn at least once a month. The impact of pornography has not declined
in the past three years. Currently, 35%
of all Internet downloads are porn related.
As
Christians we must take seriously this often-secret sin which has become
exponentially worse since the advent of the Internet and especially with the
prevalence of smart phones. Today, 95%
of American teens have access to a smartphone.
And 90% of teenage porn use happens on their smartphones.
The Journal notes that in 2019 the leading
porn site created 170 years of new content and garnered 42 billion site visits,
with 115 million daily visits. And this is a single website.
Ted Shimer
has written a new book, The Freedom
Fight: The New Drug and the Truths That Set Us Free. He states, “This book is for anyone who wants
to know the pathway to freedom for themselves or so they can be equipped to
help others.” Thefreedomfight.org offers
a biblically-based, no-cost recovery program.
If you, or
others you know, struggle with this pervasive sin that is wreaking havoc in
both the church and the world, I urge you to seek spiritual assistance. Scripture commands us to “bring every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
