11.26.08
It's been a long time since I did a porn update, but I am happy to report that much has changed in the church and in society in regards to porn. You can do a search of porn addiction on any search engine now and get tons of web sites and resources that wasn't there even 5 years ago. Even secular society has realized it has become a problem and it need's to be addressed. It's a coming out of the closest. People are talking about it and it's becoming a more acceptable addiction. When I first started this web site and starting speaking out against it, many people thought I was crazy or that I was overblowing the situation. Now we are starting to see that society is coming around and realizing there is more to it than just a few Christians blowing steam out their eyes and ears.
I have also noticed many ministries being raised up and some of the long standing church's and ministries starting to address the subject. My first Promise Keepers meeting I ever attended never mentioned the porn problem. I attended one this year and one of the polls during the weekend was which subject are you dealing with right now in your life, they had a list of things that any man has to deal with, such as adultery, etc.. The number one thing OVERWHELMINGLY was Pornography addiction, of the people who were polled it won by a LANDSLIDE, over 70% if memory serves. That tells me two things, one: spiritual leaders are starting to address this problem, and two: we still have a HUGE problem with it if 70% of a 10,000 person crowd is dealing with it. I guess you can look at it two ways, but it's pretty defeating when so many men, Christian men have become slaves to this addiction. We were meant to live as free from bondages yet so many of us have fallen and been caught in this trap. I have noticed some church's touching on the subject, but you have to realize the subject in general is going to be hard to breach, because it's done behind closed door and no one wants to be labeled a pervert, especially by the people in their church. I would venture to say that a great number of spouses probably have no idea what's going on, much less a pastor. I don't know any Christian men that are proudly stating they have a porn addiction or that they even view it. It's not the sort of thing you pronounce at the altar. I remember not that long ago it was swept under the rug. I even wrote about it. I believe the rug is being pulled up and exposed. It may just be the corner of that rug, but eventually Christian leaders will get a hold of this and we will free men from this stranglehold. In a way porn is much more under the radar then a drug or alcohol addiction, that is usually out in the open and very hard to hide, porn on the other hand is easily hidden and it's a subject no one really wants to address. I think it's going to take brave men who have battled the addiction to step forward and challenge those who are hiding for this to break wide open. Men who have children need to stand up and get a back bone, they don't need to pass this bad habit on to the next generation and we need to combat it now because it's only going to get worse as technology moves forward. It started out in magazines, now it's all over the web, in the libraries, and you can even get it on your cell phone. There is no hiding from it, the only option is to stand up and fight against it and bring it out in the open and meet it head on.
They boldly ram it down our throats, and we need to BOLDLY tell them where they can put it! We need to protect our households, our children, and ourselves from this attack. The only way to do that is to stand up admit you got a problem, deal with it, then move to help others. Christian men have been the punching bag of this pop culture for to long, we have let all forms of media control us and belittle us. When is the last time men have been honored on network TV in their programming, we are portrayed as buffoons and doormats. We have let society diminish us. We get married but we don't fulfill our vows, we bail when the going get tough. We leave children fatherless and without direction while we chase down our own selfish desires. We don't demand our families attend church. We let our kids watch whatever they want on TV as long as they are out of our hair. We don't pray for our families and we don't help our wives enough. Many don't discipline their own children, you are to busy being your child's best friend, not the father figure they desperately need. We scream and yell but there is no bite to that bark. What is the new saying "bros before hos". That is what we are passing on to the next generation. Are you the role model you need to be? Can you blame society labeling us as bumbling fumbling fools?
On the front door to my house is the passage from Joshua, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! That is one of my favorite Bible passages, because it reminds me of what my duty is as a man to his family. My duty is not to be my children's best friend, my duty is to shoot those arrows straight so they don't go off target, it can be tough sometimes. My duty is not to give myself up to pornography and rob my wife of our intimacy. To lead my family with Biblical principles and to lead my life as pleasing to God. Don't get me wrong, I fail, and sometimes I fail horribly, but I get up dust myself off and keep fighting the good fight. You got to be honest with yourself men, are you serving the Lord or are you stuck in a rut with worldly desires and lusts? Let's stand up together and show society that the Bible model for men is still valid. I know many people would be jealous to have those convictions if you displayed them properly. This world is ripe for a revolution, for men to get back to being men. Not selfish self serving boys, but men who lead their families not by just words but by example.
I have hope we are putting in a dent in awareness of this addiction, but I also have some sadness as I know that for every man that break free probably 100 or more have fallen victim. This is a problem that probably won't go away in our life time. We have to keep fighting the good fight and let men and women know that there is a way out, that they don't need to live with this guilt and keep damaging their spiritual life. Reach out to the men around you and support them! I have come to realize that the fight may be to big for us to solve but nothing is to big for God to solve, and if we keep our sleeves rolled up and keep walking the walk and helping other to freedom then God will do His part!! Rejoice in that!
Keep checking back, I will be updating and adding to the porn pages regularly. Thanks for all your feedback over the years and keep it coming! God Bless.. Brian