Articles

More on Pornography

"Pornography: A Trojan Horse in Your Church" by Robert Murphy is an article published by the Gospel Advocate in the January, 2018 issue. It is not only timely but necessary for brethren to understand the depth of the problem (if they do not already know). We all may be tempted to think of pornography in terms of people like Ted Bundy, who found a stash of "girlie magazines" at a dumpster, and they served as the beginning point of his infamous career. Or maybe we think of those who hang out in back alleys near the "red light" district as those involved in the practice. These images are incorrect. Many members of the church—not to mention a few preachers—have been discovered indulging in this lust of the flesh.

With the Internet, no one needs to sneak into a store to buy those magazines covered by plain brown paper. The author of the article cites research from Barna in 2016 which found that 41% of males, ages 13 to 24, as well as 13% of the females from evangelical churches are struggling with this problem. These are young people who have probably been taught the truth on the subject but, having been introduced to pornography, are having a difficult time in breaking a newly established habit.

The author talks about becoming exposed to pornography prior to the sixth grade. Some of our young people agreed several years ago that, if they wanted to view it, they could have taken advantage of some "friends'" offers. In discussing his time at a Christian college, Murphy estimated that the number of men affected by and fighting against this problem was strikingly high. Consider this quote: "If this epidemic has infected our Christian colleges, how much more rampant is it at state colleges and universities?" (40). The author provides several suggestions calculated to fight against this sin, which are practical and Scriptural.

Members of the church ought to be aware of the problem of and easy access to pornography. A number of years ago, a columnist asked readers to send in their five favorite movie titles, and he would tally the results. He was quite surprised that, on average, one in every five movies submitted for consideration was pornographic. Really? Yes. The industry catering to lust finds that money just continues to pour in. Perhaps the reason for that is the addictive nature of the sin. It is actually ruining people's lives. We are living in a society full of Baals and Ashtoreths in forms the pagan Canaanites never dreamed of—but would have heartily approved.

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