In addition to writing and speaking, Burgin also regularly talks about it from the pulpit on Sunday morning.
“We are created for dynamic relationships with God and others. Yet many of us don’t feel all that close to God or to other believers. We tend to settle for counterfeit loves, such as material objects, sports, work, addictive substances, etc. These substitutes provide only a temporary illusion of comfort and reassurance,” he said in one of his messages from http://www.vcnw.org/.
He said common counterfeits also include illicit sexual relationships and activities. “We should recognize, however, that when a man turns to sexual counterfeits, sex may or may not be his primary yearning. He may, rather, be driven more by feelings of loneliness, pain, stress, and the desire to be loved and accepted,” Burgin said.
What Attitudes We Need in the Church
Promoting awareness on a church level is obviously is important, but Simpson conveyed something else is needed—positive attitudes about sex.
“The church does a great job of saying ‘No!’ when it comes to sexuality, but we are terrible at promoting healthy, fun sexuality, despite the fact that an entire book of the Bible is devoted to having great sex, ‘The Song of Songs,’” he said.
“God gave us our sex drives and a desire to be physically close to someone. If The Church doesn’t emphasize the importance of this and encourage Christians to become great lovers, then the porn industry is ready and waiting to fill that void. We need to spend more time talking openly about sexuality across the lifespan, and emphasize the positive and healthy aspects as much as we do the sinful and negative ones.”
Simpson said as a nation, we must make federal laws that limits access to pornography. “Right now, it’s like putting a free vending machine in the room of someone who's trying to stay on a diet,” he said.
Alan Chambers, President, Exodus International, who regularly faces the problem on a national level, believes awareness is key.
As the largest Christian ministry helping those affected by unwanted same-sex attraction, the organization routinely sees men and women who struggle with pornography and other sexual addictions.
“It is a very real problem that has become a pandemic within the body of Christ,” Chambers said. “Therefore, we have to care about it. People are addicted to it and we have to provide the answer.”
Many ministries offer resources to help.
For example, XXXchurch has a free program that is available to churches called Porn Sunday. This program includes a 30-minute sermon video, support group guide and a complete guide for pastors for addressing porn in the local church. XXXchurch also provides a free accountability software called X3watch, available at x3watch.com, which requires an accountability partner.
In addition to these resources, XXXchurch tours over 200 churches and colleges a year speaking at events such Porn Sunday; the ministries Men’s breakfast, Porn and Pancakes; and the newly launched Porn and Pastries, an event for wives, spouses and who are women struggling.
“You never can come to the point in which you think you have arrived. You have to be constantly on the guard as you push forward. It’s important to continue to have safeguards in your life. Freedom is not a destination but it is a process and it takes time,” said Craig Gross, founder of Fireproof Ministries and XXXchurch.com.
You can view the documentary “Somebody’s Daughter” in its entirely here.
Ginny McCabe is an author, feature and entertainment writer from Cincinnati, OH. You may email her at gmwriteon@aol.com, or visit http://www.gmwriteon.com/.