Here's two questions that I have.

1) I'd love to hear more about how xxxchurch connects/serves someone in the porn industry after that person has chosen to connect with their ministry.

2) For any of the ministers, I'd like to hear their thoughts on best practices when someone in ministry has confessed porn use/abuse.

What practices have been personally helpful to you as you've faced temptation in the same area of your life in which you're seeking to minister to others?

How are women able to serve in this ministry?

Is the "Christian porn site" moniker just supposed to be provocative/interesting? Do they actually incorporate porn into their ministry? And similarly for The Strip Church.

Chris,

"Christian porn site" is for marketing purposes only. People actually land on the site by accident while looking for porn. Instead, they find a message of healing and hope, and a way out of their addiction. At least that is the goal.

The Strip Church, to my knowledge, includes no actual stripping. Although I understand the early church used to do nude baptisms...a symbol of taking off the old man and being clothed with Christ. Perhaps Gross can reintroduce that early practice at his Vegas church?

I pray blessing and protection over Pastor Gross for addressing these issues.

Questions
What does he view as the changes that need to take place for any church to address this "hidden" sin in our midst?
In talking with people working in the porn industry, what have been the most effective means of sharing Christ's love with them? What are there views of the church and how can we address their criticisms?

The tragedy is how few churches minister hope and healing to anyone struggling with a "Life Interrupting Problem" and even fewer who minister to sexual dysfunctions. Until we Evangelicals regain the faith, hope and love of the Bible it will be rare for anyone to seek us out.

It takes wisdom, skill and patience to set up a healing/growth ministry that integrates discipleship and breaking bad habits. Even CT lacks tabs for discipleship, progressive sanctification, counseling, healing, etc. All these are topics that leaders must have to reach out to those stuck in pain.

We in Xn Counseling know how to do it but few ask us to help them minister to their people.

I believe the main problem with the church and sex is the continued belief and subsequent actions that 'man is the head of the woman'.
It has degraded and kept women and men from wholly turning (teshuqua) to the Lord. As long as we are taught that for some strange reason, women can't be fully Christian, they will be treated less than human. The argument for authority lessens the authority of Christ and increases the arrogance of man.

Here is a great resource.
http://www.faithquestradio.com/

Gary, I agree with you. The mainstream church spends a great deal of effort trying to get people to the altar, but precious little effort helping them live the christian life once they get there--especially in THIS area. (at least most of the churches I have had experience with) I am involved with a church now that does, but I am always interested in more resources. I googled "Xn Counseling", but came up with nothing. Do you have a website?

Aren't we all on the front lines of the vice wars?

How does Pastor Gross manage to not get hooked?

The church today is not capable of addressing the topic. There is no safe place for sex addicted leaders to go for help. It seems the pattern is exposure, then repentance (or shame), then maybe healing. Families fly apart, wounds run deep and wide. I applaud XXXChurch. First Church of Whatever will never open up on the topic, except for passing condemnation.

I think Gross has a great ministry, but I'd REALLY like to know what guidelines and accountability are in place for the men and women who serve in the ministry. I mean, these people from XXXchurch go to big Porn conventions and everything, they're certain to see plenty of provocative (and fully nude) images.

It would also be good to know how, and to what extent, the people who "minister" also struggle, even while in the ministry. They can't be perfect.

I am grateful for their ministry though I am concerned that their methods are more practical rather than theological. There is a goal of stopping going on bad sites as opposed to biblical repentance and trusting in the finished work of Christ for their safety. Porn blocking software does not make one right with God nor does it provide assurance to a struggling Christian. But all the same there is room for a pragmatic approach within the context and bounds of a theological and Biblical one.

I live in Portland, OR, capital of strip clubs per capita in the U.S. What would be your strategy for seeing the church take them on- to help diminish their number, and to see those that work there reached for Chist?

Roger Becker
Eastside Foursquare Church

Question: Alcoholism and pornography are cast in the same addiction mold. The 12-Step Program has worked well for Alcoholic Anonymous because of its 3-prong approach: spiritual, psychological and community. Does XXXChurch carry out similar, if not the same, program for its converts?

I respectfully submit that the terms "life interrupting problem", "sexual dysfunction," "addiction" and "bad habit" used in this thread are inconsistent with giving hope or healing.

For what hope of healing is there to call something a disease or dysfunction when there is no cellular disorder to identify and repair?

What hope is there for a person to be told his strength to overcome must come from his own will . . . the same will that strong arms his conscience and sacrifices job, family, faith, and finances to the gods of temporary lust and pleasure?

Although it may not be what the counselor intends, these descriptions carry such implications, and the cry of the counselee becomes, "I want to stop, but I can't."

There is love in using words that point the counselee to the truth, the truth that it is sin which enslaves and dominates the human spirit--not a problem, not a dysfunction, not a disease, not an addiction. These latter things, being either inaccurate descriptions or depending on self to overcome, have no cure. But sin can be overcome through the leaning on the Spirit of Christ.

When we counsel that one can overcome sin in one's own strength we negate the cross and imply a self-righteousness possible apart from Christ--which is impossible. We mislead the counselee to trust in his own strength for hope, away from the truth that we can neither save nor sanctify ourselves. To call sin as sin therefore, is neither cruel nor judgmental. It is loving and hope-giving.

Therefore, I have come to prefer terms such as "sin enslavement" or "life dominating sin" to truthfully describe the issue and accurately point the counselee in the only direction which gives hope for freedom.

For the past 20 years I have lived in Dallas, and in that time I have been actively involved in three local church bodies in addition to two large mid-week Bible study groups led by very well-known pastors/Bible teachers/authors. Prior to that, I was very involved in a very well known evangelical church in Southern Cal.(Moved geographically within the metro area, was single, got married, had kids, etc. I'm defending not staying in the same exact local church for the past 30 years.) I'd like to point out that all six of these evangelical Christian bodies/groups/churches were very *non-condemning* and non-judgemental toward men and women struggling with sexual sin. They all acknowledged that it is a powerful temptation, something that we don't quite understand and often underestimate, and they all acknowledged that many men in the group and some women in the congregation could be struggling with the problem. They held firm to the conviction that it is indeed a sin with devastating consequences, but they offered hope and encouragement, and at a few of these Bible studies and churches, there was time devoted to testimonies of people recovering from their problems, and there was time for prayer and offering of support, as well as urging for people to seek Biblical counseling, and all of these churches had their own separate counseling departments/ministries, as well as hosting recovery groups.

I'm getting tired of reading about the stereotype that "evangelicals" do nothing but condemn and hate. I don't know what evangelical churches the critics have in mind - I'm sure there are some old-fashioned churches out there, and maybe there were more of them in the past that left some deep scars, but my experience at evangelical churches has not been condemning nor "backward" at all.

Diseases come from invading virii and bacteria. Bad habits come from bad choices and become addictions over time. One here is what is biblically referred to as "sin", the other is a medical condition.
Diseases can be healed by medicine and/or prayer, sin is not healed, it needs to be (1) admitted and confessed; (2) repented of, meaning a change in life - stop doing it; and (3) warned against and pointed out where a sinner might be saved.
Of course, "who are you to judge?" or "who died and made you god?" is a most common saying where "human weakness" is blamed in self-defense. And even supposed-to-be "Christians" use those lines, where they refuse to break with sin.
The Truth sets free. The "modern gospel" advocates "life enhacement" over Truth. If it makes them feel bad, it's not of god, it says. Sin flees Truth.
I was into watching porn and doing alcohol, drugs and smokes, and only by God's Grace, was i able to (1) admit and confess the sin, (2) repent of the sin, meaning to turn life around and do it no more; and (3) when the sin wants to overcome me, pray unto God the Trinity to take it away - sometimes with tears.
If these guys at XXXChurch are for real, there shall be a true repentance following, from those the Holy Ghost opens up to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As for me, i pray sinners hear the Truth and come to repentance.

My son is attending a church that uses pornographic pictures to bring "healing" to the addicted. They call it "bringing darkness into the light." They say if you study these images you will understand the truth behind porn and "the truth will set you free." The innovator of this belief is a recovering sex offender. The pastor seems deluded. Any thoughts?