Pornography and the church

For nearly two decades, the global people called United Methodist have strengthened our understanding and practice of sexual ethics. We have adopted policies and procedures to guide behavior and address brokenness. We have trained, educated, and surveyed lay and clergy leaders of our denomination, conferences and our congregations. We have spent significant resources in addressing the brokenness from sexual misconduct, from healing individuals and congregations to holding the Church accountable through legal proceedings. As a resource to the Church, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women takes very seriously its role to alert our leaders, conferences and congregations of developments in our societies that call us to intensified concern and action.

Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights. In , the Barna Group, a Christian research organization, found that among American men, 63 percent of to year-olds view porn at least several times a month, followed by 38 percent of to year-olds and 25 percent of to year-olds. Researchers also found that half of women under 25 seek out pornography. The rate is one-third for women over A survey released in also discovered casual attitudes about pornography among youths.

With past surveys showing that as many as two-thirds of practicing Christian men reported looking at porn monthly or more often, professor Samuel L. Perry of the University of Oklahoma contends that many Christian congregations are not effectively addressing the needs of men and women struggling with a porn habit. Perry, a professor of sociology and religious studies who comes from an evangelical background, authored the book Addicted to Lust: Pornography in the Lives of Conservative Protestants.

Statistics reveal that the increase in the amount and reach of pornography cannot be ignored. But it is not just a problem affecting men. Women, teenagers, and children are also being caught in the web of pornography at alarming rates. Many Christians may assume that the church is immune. They see the smiling faces of the people who attend their church.