A Porn Debate?

Note: This blog was originally posted August 11, 2007.

This past week I attended an unusual event. The title of this blog is probably the reason you're reading this, right? For a long time, I've been against pornography. It's not that I don't think a woman's body is beautiful. I'm just against objectifying women. With that said, there are 2 young pastors that share my feelings. They founded an anti-pornography Web site a couple of years ago, XXXchurch.com. These pastors aren't out to censor the porn industry. Nor are they against our freedom of speech. They just believe, as I do, that pornography is very addictive and can cause intimacy problems in relationships. Just as Alcoholics Anonymous is there for those struggling with alcohol abuse and nicotine patches are available for those attempting to quit smoking, XXXchurch.com is their ministry devoted to helping those who are wanting to give up pornography.

One of XXXchurch.com's founding partners is a pastor named Craig Gross. He is currently on the final leg of a 7-city tour with well-known porn star Ron Jeremy. The tour, called "The Great Porn Debate," is hitting some big cities in the mid-West and East coast. I went to their Indianapolis stop this past week and was extremely impressed with their debate. The concept was very intriguing to me: a pastor in a friendly debate with a porn star. What kind of crazy idea is that?! Let me ask a better question. What's the best approach to reaching your target audience: preaching against pornography in a church or hosting a debate with a porn star in big-city clubs and theatres? I think Craig's approach was a fantastic idea.

In this blog, I don't want to go into all the arguments made and statistics quoted. XXXchurch.com can do much of that. I would like to state some of my reactions and feelings about the event. First, I supported points made by both Ron Jeremy and Craig Gross. Ron Jeremy, a very well-educated man in his own right, defended the porn industry with many articles and well-documented statistics. Craig Gross defended his cause with many statistics and, maybe more importantly, testimonies from people negatively-affected by pornography. One great aspect to the debate was that Craig and Ron are friends. This wasn't an enraged, argumentative debate. This was 2 grown men having a grown-up, mild-tempered debate about the pornography industry and its effects on people. They are traveling on the same tour bus. They share some of the same ideas and beliefs. They just live different lifestyles.

In my opinion, this is the right way for Christians to make positive changes in the world. Show others love and try to understand others' viewpoints, even if you disagree with them. I wholeheartedly support what XXXchurch.com is doing. It is a light in a very, very dark part of our society. XXXchurch.com is addressing a very big problem for many—Christians, agnostics and atheists. It is an avenue of help and hope to those who feel trapped by an addiction to porn.

I'll close with a quote from the debate that has really stuck with me. Craig Gross said that Ron Jeremy and the porn industry welcomed him more than the church would probably welcome Ron Jeremy. I'd like to think that wasn't true, but in most cases, it probably is.