Saturday, December 10, 2005

Pornography Problem Ignored

The following article is cut and pasted from Palm Beach Atlantic's student newsletter, The Beacon. It was written by a young lady, Lyndsey West, that attends PBA and interns at Calvary Chapel Jupiter. This article ia a great discussion about pornography and it's rampant impact on followers of Christ.

"Pornography" is a word that tends to make Christians cringe. Bring up the subject and you might hear whispers behind your back or see a few raised eyebrows. Is it just too embarrassing of a topic to bring up in church? Are we too polite and decent to dare speak about such a thing? I think the silence runs deeper than that.

A 2003 survey from Internet Filter Review reported that 47 percent of Christians admit pornography is a major problem in their homes. An internet survey conducted by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in 2002 found 30 percent of 6,000 pastors had viewed internet porn in the last 30 days. Family Safe Media reports 53 percent of men belonging to the Christian organization Promise Keepers visit porn sites every week.

Temptation does not stop when we become Christians. It's true. Many Christians struggle with pornography. It's a sickness that has permeated the church, the home and the lives of so many Christians. For some, this is suprising. For others, you're surprised the statistic numbers aren't higher.

But I don't want to condemn or convict. I don't even want to call for a radical change. I just want to break the silence.

Shame has kept us quiet, and fear has stopped us from confessing.

But Satan has used this dark veil of silence for too long. It is time to tear aside the shame and the fear and get real.

I want to encourage men and women alike to be uncomfortably honest about the issue. I want boyfriends and girlfriends and husbands and wives to tear down the wall of shame and secrecy. I want men and women to be able to openly express their struggles, their temptations.

Silence harbors the shame and the fear. We must humble ourselves to the point of needing one another. This is not a battle that can be won within the heart of one man. There is a need for accountability and for discussion. God has placed us within a community of Christian brothers and sisters to lean on here at PBA.

We cannot be so naïve to think this problem will fix itself, or to think that it could never hit close to home. We must put on our guard. And that guard can begin with one conversation.

Way to go, Lyndsey.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

All I wanna know is when Lyndsey is gonna start blogging. We need more..