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White Ribbon Week – Oct. 30-Nov. 6

October 30, 2011 — 3 Comments

Today begins the week that draws attention and raises awareness of the dangerous and ever-increasing impact of pornography in our culture. It’s a problem that has led to the destruction of countless marriages and relationships, including several close friends. Many of you know that my dissertation was centered around developing effective ministries to help combat this problem — a problem that Chuck Swindoll has called the #1 problem in the church today.

In an open letter posted to his website several years ago, Swindoll wrote:

The most recent studies available suggest that one out of every two people — that’s 50% — of the people sitting in our pews, are looking at and/or could be addicted to internet pornography. Stop and imagine the ugly but very real possibility of some of your own elders and deacons leaving your meeting and going home to surf porn. Think about youth leaders viewing it one minute, and leading a small group with your kids thirty minutes later. It’s ruining marriages, destroying relationships, harming youth, and hurting the body of Christ. . . . My friend, it’s time to do something about it. In fact, we need to start today. Making a difference requires action . . . . Our churches are in trouble. This is not the time to simply wait and pray.”

I have fought — and to a large extent still fight daily — the battle against pornography in my own life. It’s not a fun thing to talk about. It’s certainly not something that most people want to think about, especially as it relates to Christians and ministry leaders. However, not acknowledging and not talking about it is precisely why pornography is considered a silent epidemic that impacts far more men and women than you’d like to know. Sexual temptation really can be thought of as every man’s battle — or, for that matter, every person’s battle. Many studies and surveys have been conducted regarding sexual thoughts and behaviors. While the statistics do not always match, they do almost universally sound major alarms about the severity of the problem. Consider for a moment these statistics:

GENERAL STATISTICS

  • 12% of internet websites are pornographic. That’s 24,644,172 sites! (United Families International)
  • Every second $3,075.64 is spent on pornography — and 28,258 people are viewing porn. (UFI)
  • Total porn industry revenue for 2006: $13.3 billion in the US; $97 billion worldwide.
  • 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. (UFI)
  • 29% of born-again adults in the US feel that it is morally acceptable to view movies with explicit sexual behavior. (Barna Group)
  • 42% of adults believe it is “morally acceptable” to have a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex to whom they are not married.
  • The least popular day of the year for viewing porn is Thanksgiving. (UFI)
  • The most popular day of the week for viewing porn is Sunday. (UFI)

REGARDING CLERGY

  • 51% of pastors say cyber-pornography is a possible temptation; 37% say it is a current struggle. (Christianity Today, Leadership Survey, December 2001)
  • 20% of all the calls received on the Focus on the Family Pastoral Care Line are for help with issues such as pornography and compulsive sexual behavior.
  • 33% of clergy admitted to having visited a sexually explicit website. Of those who had visited a pornographic site, 53% had visited such sites “a few times” in the past year, and 18% visit sexually explicit sites between a couple times a month and more than once a week.
  • 57% of pastors say that addiction to pornography is the most sexually damaging issue to their congregation. (Christians and Sex Leadership Journal Survey, March 2005)

REGARDING MEN

  • 70% of men from age 18-24 visit a pornographic site in a typical month. (UFI)
  • 67% of 18-26-year-old men believe viewing pornography is acceptable.
  • 66% of men in their 20′s and 30′s admit to being regular users of pornography.
  • 20% of men admit to accessing pornography at work. (UFI)
  • Half of unmarried men ages 20-29 said they would have sex without any interest in marriage.

REGARDING WOMEN

  • 28% of those admitted to sexual addiction are women.
  • 34% of female readers of Today’s Christian Woman‘s online newsletter admitted to intentionally accessing internet pornography — and 1 out of every 6 women, including Christians, struggles with an addiction to pornography.
  • 49% of 18-26-year-old women believe viewing pornography is acceptable.
  • 13% of women admit to accessing pornography at work. (UFI)

REGARDING FAMILIES

  • 47% of Christian families said pornography is a problem in their home. (Focus on the Family, October 2003)
  • The internet was a significant factor is 2 out of 3 divorces. (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2003)
  • 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the internet, in most cases unintentionally. (London School of Economics, January 2002)
  • Average age of first internet exposure to pornography: 11 (InternetFilterReview.com and UFI)
  • Largest consumer of internet pornography: 12-17-year olds (various sources as of 2007)
  • 1 in 7 children who use the internet have been sexually solicited. (InternetFilerReview.com 2005)
  • 80% of 15-17-year-olds have had multiple hard-core exposures.

Over the last ten years there have been a number of positive attempts to proactively lift the veil from this dirty little secret. These include efforts by Promise Keepers, XXX Church, Every Man’s Battle, and Freedom Begins Here. I remain convinced, however, that we have much work left to do. It starts with me; it starts with you. I encourage you to take the following steps with regard to this issue: Continue Reading…

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Israel: an existential crisis?

September 19, 2011 — Leave a comment

Having returned from a visit to Israel back in March, I have a real appreciation for the difficult challenges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces on a daily basis. In this space I will highlight three significant barriers to peace in the Middle East:

1. National Security. Israel is a small, narrow country that finds itself under threat from a myriad of Arab nations. The tension is more than an undercurrent of discontent. Rather, it grows out of the widely-held view that Israel as a nation has no right to exist. Iranian President Makmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. He reaffirms that vow at every opportunity. With Iran now bringing a nuclear power plant online, the threats from the nominally democratic regime strike an increasingly sober tone with Israeli residents. Political uprisings in the Middle East have underscored the very real threats and animosity which have come to characterize this intensely volatile situation. Add to that the constant misinformation regarding Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities and the very real possibility of an Egypt run by the Muslim Brotherhood, the key ingredients are coming together in a recipe for disaster.

2. Ambivalent Allies. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek was considered an ally of Israel — not so much because of his friendship as his tolerance. During the course of his rule, Mubarek honored the terms of the 1979 peace accord with Israel, and the two nations co-existed with few incidents between them. The United States has long been considered Israel’s chief ally, providing military assistance, technology, and support for the Jewish state. Perhaps more than anything else, the US gave ear to the concerns of Israel, thereby giving legitimacy to her interests on the international stage. Since taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have sent mixed messages to the Israeli government — and have at times been openly critical of them. A statement by the President back in May left little room for misinterpretation. Obama called for renewed peace talks that would be dependent up Israel reverting to its pre-1967 borders, which an angry Netanyahu deemed ‘indefensible.’ Indeed, with a majority of Israeli citizens living in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the practicality of such an ambitious expectation proves nothing short of idealistic.

3. Left-wing Israelis. That’s right. The US is not the only nation with a sharply-divided populus. During my time in Israel I spent a few nights exploring the city of Jerusalem. I was somewhat startled to learn that during my stay in the Holy City, Palestinians on the West Bank had begun firing rockets into Beersheba, some 45 miles to the south. I don’t know about you, but 45 miles seems awfully close. But for the Israeli people, who live under constant threat of attack, such hostilities hardly draw their attention. One Saturday night around 9:30 p.m. — after Shabbat — I had the opportunity to see the city come alive, as shops and businesses opened, and people began to enjoy some time outdoors. Near the city center, a large crowd had assembled, and they were making lots of noise. As I came to discover, the rally, complete with banners and megaphones, was being held by young Israelis — most of them appearing to be between 18-30. They were protesting a recent shooting of a couple of Palestinians by an Israeli. These citizens were coming together to share their message — that Israel give all its land to the Palestinians, even if that meant losing their own homes.

As you can see, Israel has no shortage of enemies, both foreign and domestic. In light of the increasingly likely United Nations vote this week that, barring divine intervention, will almost certainly recognize a Palestinian state, the prospects for lasting peace in this region will only become more dim. Left to fend for itself amid a pool of viciously hateful enemies and an unsupportive American government, the stage will be set for an extremely uphill battle — but a battle that I believe Israel will ultimately win. Throughout its history the Jewish people have found themselves in seemingly impossible scenarios. Through a number of mighty wars, the Nazi-led holocaust, and almost daily terror attacks, Israel remains a strong people. That’s because they are still God’s people. Through the pages of time, God has demonstrated his great affection for the people of Israel. The challenges to its sovereignty may be worrisome to many, but I hold fast to the words of Scripture — and the reality that God will protect and restore His people yet again.

I urge you to join me in praying for Israel in these important next several days. Prayer is one of the best weapons in what is increasingly becoming an existential crisis for this nation. I’d rather stand beside Israel and be embarrassed for a while than betray her and be cursed forever.

IT’S YOUR TURN!
Realizing that we all come at this subject from a little different perspective, I’m curious: How do you see the Arabs push for a recognized Palestinian state?

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