One of the most common concerns Christian leaders seem to have for the men around them is the influence and use of pornography. There have been many different statistics used over the years to show just how big of a problem pornography is. I recently came across an article from the Institute of Family Studies that will help us process some of the most recent data in this conversation.
Some of the highlights from this article include:
- Protestants are 5 to 10 percentage points less likely to have viewed porn in the past year compared to other religious groups.
- The more frequent connection / attendance in religious services, the less likely someone is to be using pornography.
- About 1/3 of men who regularly attend church used pornography in the past year. This number was around 20% in the early 2000’s.
- Almost 55% of men who claim to be Protestant but rarely attend church, use pornography.
Good News / Bad News
The good news seems to be that we are different from the rest of the world around us. Leaders will often complain how Christians are no different than everyone else, but statistically, it seems we are doing at least a bit better.
The bad news is the use of pornography is on the rise (although, I would imagine it is not nearly as bad as many of you thought it was). This is clearly against what Jesus has told us about loving (Matthew 22:36-40) and lusting (Matthew 5:28). It also does not honour our wife or our marriage when we view pornography (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:7; Proverbs 5:19).
What Should Leaders Do?
With these statistics in mind, here are some thoughts about how we should serve the men around us.
- Don’t assume every man has a porn problem. If your ministry to men only talks about porn, you are communicating to the majority of your men that your ministry is not for them. I encourage you to check out our Men’s Ministry framework to help you develop a well rounded, holistic approach to building up your men.
- Don’t assume porn is not a problem in your church. Where you have men, you likely have men who are using pornography. If you are serious about helping your men to be more like Jesus, then you need to deal with pornography. One of the most popular resources right now is the Conquer Series.
- Help men develop spiritual disciplines. The apostle Paul told Timothy to “train yourself for godliness.” Too many times, we look for a quick fix to something like pornography. It seems the more a man is living out the fullness of what it means to walk closely with Jesus, the less appealing pornography really is.
About
