Owning up to sin is hard. Most of us don’t want to come to the Light and have our sin exposed, as John 3:20 says. Ever since Adam and Eve hid themselves from God after they sinned, our natural human instinct has been to hide our sin from God as well as from others.
Former NFL player and actor Terry Crews recently shared his own battle with the sin of pornography, and revealed how the first step to being free from the sin was owning up to it.
In an article titled “Terry Crews on His Former Porn Addiction: It Changes the Way You Think about People,” Relevant shares Crews’ struggle and how pornography is a major problem for so many.
In a video posted on Facebook, Crews shares his struggle with porn. For years, he said, he kept this addiction secret.
“If day turns into night and you’re still watching, you probably got a problem,” stated Crews, who is known as a “devout Christian” and has described himself as a “servant to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” And, he adds, “That was me.”
Eventually, Crews shared, he reached a low point and realized that he had a serious addiction. He then took the steps necessary to begin recovering. He nearly lost his marriage over his addiction, but his wife chose to stay with him, he says, because he was taking steps to get help and was truly repenting.
But how big a deal is pornography, really? As Christians, we may be more inclined to recognize its harmfulness as Crews does, but many others seem inclined to minimize its power or effect.
Relevant cites a number of studies that showcase porn’s very real and dangerous effects, and also that many seem to be turning a blind eye to them.
One study by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Germany found that porn addiction actually correlates to the decline in the percentage of young men who are getting married. Another study, by Psychology Today, found that nearly 90 percent of men believed watching porn was not wrong, while over 50 percent of women believed the same.
But Terry Crews, along with numerous others who have broken free of their porn addictions, is here to be a voice in the darkness. We don’t like admitting our sinfulness; it seem much easier to quell our nagging consciences, but ultimately, taking ownership of our sin is the only way to begin to find restoration.
Crews shares with his viewers that porn is so insidious because, though you may watch it in private, it affects your public life, your relationships.
"My problem with pornography is that it changes the way you think about people. People become objects. People become body parts. And things to be used, rather than people to be loved. You start to change the way you see people. You start to use people," Crews revealed.
Emily Maust Wood, writing for Crosswalk.com, shares similar truths about the negative effect of porn in her article “The Ugly Truth about Pornography.”
“Numerous studies have shown that the use of violent pornography is linked to higher rates of intimate partner violence, the purchasing of sex, and generally negative attitudes toward women. Even nonviolent pornography is correlated with higher rates of behavioral aggression, especially among people with pre-disposing risk factors.”
Though porn is a very serious sin (as any sin is serious to the Lord), there is hope. God offers forgiveness and restoration. And there are resources available for those who are ready to take the first step and surrender their sin.
Terry Crews is proof positive that lives can be transformed and sin can be conquered by coming into the light. Crews's story is one of victory because not only did he conquer the sin in his life, but he has shared his story - both in these videos and in his 2014 book Manhood - while reaching out to help others.
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Photo courtesy: flickr.com
Publication date: February 24, 2016
Veronica Neffinger is the editor of ChristianHeadlines.com