Pornography is a “massive problem” in churches and may be restricting our ability to convey the gospel message.
That’s according to Rev. Carl Beech, a Baptist minister and director of the United Kingdom’s men’s ministry Christian Vision for Men (CVM).
Beech was responding to a study about pornography involving 1,057 men from 18 to 24 years old by BBC Newsbeat and the Portman Clinic.
It found that nearly 80 percent of men had looked at porn on the internet. Two-thirds said looking at porn was “fine in moderation.”
The average man in the study spent more than two hours a week surfing adult sites.
Beech and his team travel throughout the United Kingdom to speak at churches and men’s groups – and he said pornography is used by some Christian men.
“I think pornography is a massive problem in our churches, among both clergy and church members,” Beech told The Baptist Times. “We see it everywhere we go.
“For a while we took it off our agenda when we did men’s days because it just seemed the most clichéd thing.
“But then we had so many requests to bring it back. It’s something that blokes really struggle with.
“It’s a massive contributor to guilt, shame and breakdown of relationships. It’s so selfish, all about self-gratification. It’s incredibly harmful.
“And if it’s affecting them, then it’s blunting our message. So it’s something at CVM, through our Codelife material, we’re tackling head on.”
In the survey, a quarter of the men admitted they were “worried” about the amount of porn they were watching. Beech said this awareness was a good thing.
“The problem we find in evangelism is that people say, ‘What’s the problem with porn?’ It’s become an accepted thing, just part of society,” Beech said.
“To see a survey like this where a significant number are saying it’s harmful is great news.
“I think churches have always understood the harm it does, but now users are recognizing it too.”
This article appeared originally in The Baptist Times of Great Britain.
