How the Church Should Address Pornography: Counsel, Conversation, Resources and Care
By Movieguide® Contributor
New data from Barna reveals how the Church can bridge the gap regarding pornography addiction.
Only 53% of Christians say it’s important for the church to address pornography and compulsive sexual behavior. Only 10% know their church has programs for porn addiction. However, 75% of pastors confess they minister to individuals struggling with porn addiction, per Barna.
Over half of U.S. adults think therapy or counseling is the best method to curb porn use, while 28% think addiction recovery resources are the most effective. Among those who have a history of use, 55% think therapy or counseling is the best treatment. Two in five past or present users believe personal counseling is effective.
Some adults (27%) think engaging in positive activities is effective, 35% say recovery groups are effective and 23% say support from friends is helpful.
Barna believes this data indicates that accountability, trust and comfort seem most effective to the majority.
“Do we have church communities where people can be known, rather than church communities that are just about knowledge?” asked Morgan Davis, church elder and leader of Bridgetown Church’s ministry for those facing sexual brokenness. “Healing comes when we’re known in our weaknesses, and we only do that if we trust people.”
Barna suggests some ways anyone who is struggling with porn can get help — through counseling, healthy dialogue and educational resources.
Adults — Christian or not — see counseling as the church’s best response to porn use. For the church, this could mean partnering with mental health professionals and clear paths for those in need of help.
READ MORE: IS IT LEGAL TO LIMIT ACCESS TO PORN?
Church attendees value conversation around sexual behavior in a moral context. The church can provide space for healthy dialogue, incorporating guidance and teachings. The church can also provide helpful materials about managing addiction and can refer to other sources.
New Creation Ministries highlights why pornography isn’t talked about in many churches — it’s not a pleasant topic. Maybe it won’t help the church get more attendees or big contributions, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. It affects large percentages of congregations, and it should be addressed.
Movieguide® publisher Dr. Ted Baehr argues in his book, The Culture Wise Family, that problems like pornography and other aspects of secular culture need to be filtered by Christians and the Church through a Christian worldview. Sadly, many churches don’t do this when it comes to the most important issues. He writes:
How can the Church better approach these front lines—education, economics, crime, family, marriage, and others—to win the cultural battle? First, the army of the Lord needs to add recruits on the church rosters. The consensus-seeking church is not attracting new members, while more hard line “new” religions grow in numbers. Second, even those who enter Christ’s army in devout repentance from sin are not entering into disciplined Bible studies to acquire an arsenal for victorious soldiers. Their eternal home is secure, but their daily temporal lives are spent in defeat. We must put on the “full armor” of God (Eph. 6:10-18). For the most part, today’s church is simply not delivering the goods.
Liberty University emphasizes that the Biblical response to someone who suffers from porn addiction is to care. The church should make a good effort to help care for anyone who seeks help, and that certainly includes porn addiction. Churches should create active dialogue and create programs, or provide resources to other churches’ or organizations’ programs that can help these individuals while ensuring they do get the help they need.
READ MORE: HERE’S WHY WE NEED TO PROTECT KIDS FROM PORN INDUSTRY
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