How to Conquer the Porn Epidemic in the Church
Are we really supposed to buy into the idea that 68 percent of men in church watch porn regularly? Could this just be sensational rhetoric?
Not according to a national survey among churches. The survey conducted over the past five years revealed that 68 percent of Christian men and 50 percent of pastors view pornography regularly. But even more shocking is that 11-17 year-old boys reported being its greatest users.
The church is in the sexual battle of its life. As these boys become adults, the church will be flooded with porn addicts. Pastor James Reeves of City On A Hill Church DFW has successfully tackled porn addiction in his church. He warns, “This problem is going to sweep through the church like a tsunami wave of destruction and we’re not prepared for it.”
A Grassroots Movement for Change
In response to this growing epidemic in the church, a group of filmmakers took it upon themselves to create a DVD teaching curriculum on sexual purity called the Conquer Series. The series is the first of its kind to show men how to retrain a brain that’s hooked on porn, using biblical principles and powerful insights.
“The shocking statistics were the game-changer for me,” says director, Jeremy Wiles. “So, we spent two years developing a five-hour discipleship curriculum, interviewing top Christian experts on this subject and shooting battle reenactments to illustrate the war that every man faces with sexual temptation. I wanted to give men proven principles on how to find freedom,” adds Wiles.
The team recruited Dr. Ted Roberts, a former U.S. Marine fighter pilot, to be the host of the Conquer Series. As a former pastor and head of Pure Desire Ministries, Dr. Roberts has counseled men for over 30 years—mainly dealing with pornography issues. “Our goal with the Conquer Series is to give men a battle plan for purity. We’ve got a great tool here that will change lives, but we need pastors to partner with us to fight this battle,” Dr. Roberts said.
The Typical Church Approach Doesn’t Work
According to Dr. Roberts, churches often treat this issue as a moral one, but fail to recognize it’s mainly a brain problem, “We tell men to try harder, pray harder, love Jesus more.” Dr. Roberts adds, “But, what starts off as a moral problem, quickly becomes a brain problem. Telling a man to try harder is only tightening the ‘noose’ of bondage.” Today, science sheds new light on biblical truth regarding strongholds of the mind and how a person becomes enslaved to sin.
A Highjacked Brain
Understanding the brain is pivotal. When a woman is nursing her child and she’s skin-to-skin with her baby, her brain releases a neurochemical called oxytocin, which emotionally bonds her to her child. The same thing happens during sex. God designed oxytocin as the glue for human bonding. During a sexual release, oxytocin, along with other neurochemicals, are released and cause us to emotionally bond with our partner.
When you watch porn these neurochemicals are also released, which bond you to those images. This is why Satan attacks our sexuality so much, because in attacking human sexuality it actually interferes with human bonding.
According to neuropsychologist, Dr. Tim Jennings, “Any type of repetitive behavior will create trails in our brain that are going to fire on an automatic sequence.” The result is years of bondage. This is how 68 percent of Christian men can love the Lord with all their heart, but be trapped in sexual bondage. The repeated viewing of porn literally changes the physical structure of their brain.
A Weapon to Fight Pornography
Wiles is confident the Conquer Series will embolden church leaders to tackle the problem by giving them a high-quality video curriculum and study guide that can be used by leaders in small men’s group meetings. “Pornography is a really tough subject for a lot of pastors to openly confront,” said Wiles. “This cinematic series will give them confidence that they can restore men using proven Bible-based principles.”
The Conquer Series has been getting a lot of positive feedback. Jason Royalty, a men’s group leader from Springfield, Tennessee, said, “This DVD series has been so helpful to the 15-18 men that meet together for this class. Understanding how God has made us and also understanding the enemy’s tactics has been key to seeing victories in these men’s lives.”
Paul Cole, President of Christian Men’s Network, agrees.
“When the Conquer Series begins to be a part of who we are, it will begin to change what we do and who we are as a church,” Cole said.
The Conquer Series is a 6-disc DVD set, which includes five 1-hour long teaching DVDs and a leader’s DVD.
