It’s no secret to anyone who’s attended church or read a Christian magazine in the last ten years, that pornography is an epidemic in the church. With estimates that 50%-70% of men in the church struggle with the issue (women’s estimates are similar), porn addiction is leaving many thousands (millions, really) perplexed at how to deal with this issue.

There are a many websites, videos, curricula, books, programs, etc,. designed to help people be freed from this struggle , so there’s not a whole lot I can say that’s new here. Many people who are much smarter and wiser than me have contributed a lot of helpful resources(I will provide a list of several helpful resources below). I do know, however, that many go through these books and programs to no avail, and I want to offer a simple idea that is biblical, but just doesn’t get a lot of press. It’s not a replacement to what’s already been said, but an additional way of thinking.

The wheels got turning for me on this slightly alternative thought process while reading the introduction to Tony Merida’s book Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down. His book has much to do with mercy mission and social justice and how those fit seamlessly with evangelism; evangelism and justice go hand-in-hand, evangelism actually being a form of justice (because of how God’s justice and just acts are revealed in the gospel).

On page 11-12 he says this:

Personal morality can actually lead to the common good. for example, one of the ways you’ll actually do justice is by pursuing sexual purity. If you really want to do something to stop human trafficking, then stop looking at porn. You’re perpetuating the problem of modern-day slavery, and failing to live a just life. Many of the girls viewed are slaves. When you view pornography, you’re helping destroy their lives–those made in God’s image. You’re creating more demand, deadening your own soul, and perhaps opening the door to even more despicable practices. Paul tells us that God’s people must live in the light, and shine the light on darkness, not participate in it.

There is a connection between practical day-to-day morality and justice. I was thinking about what James says in his epistle. The well-known verse on this is James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress…” But the part we usually forget is the second half, “and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The NASB adds the word “and” in between “distress” and “to keep oneself unstained.” That word is not in the Greek text, and is an aid to the reader, but it does not necessarily reflect the correct translation. There is debate about how it should be taken, with many seeing the first half of the verse as giving a method of accomplishing the second half, that is, that involving ourselves with mercy and justice in the world is a way of keeping ourselves “unstained by the world.”

I lean towards this interpretation…without doing a tremendous amount of study into the Greek, I just want to offer the following thought.

Desiring freedom for them as much as for yourself.  

If you struggle with pornography, what if God gave you a heart to love the porn stars you watch? What if you suddenly found yourself with a bleeding heart that hated what they experience? What would happen? Whether they are trafficking victims or not, they are still victims of an evil, oppressive system–even if, like so many drug addicts, they are willing victims.  What if you sat down tonight and you asked God to give you a love for porn stars? What if you pleaded with God to break your heart for their own personal justice, their own personal struggle and victory over an evil, oppressive system? Maybe, if God gave you His heart for them, you wouldn’t be able to watch anymore…but more than that, the gates of heaven would be stormed with powerful, faithful requests for their freedom. Maybe, if you asked God to give you a love for porn stars, they might just find freedom and give praise to God. Maybe if you learned to love who they are beyond their porn name, two people might gain freedom.

Just a thought…

List of helpful resources: 

John Piper clip, “You Can Say No to Porn”

John Piper clip, “The key to escaping porn” 

Setting Captives Free: Free 60 day, biblical program for freedom from a variety of addictions

XXX Church: list of resources, including accountability software

Mark Driscoll seminar, The Porn Path