44
christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
M
Not much has changed since sin first entered the
world. We have simply developed more up-to-
date ways of hiding from intimacy, which are
both our deepest human longing and fear. In the
21st century, sexual addiction is undeniably the
favorite “fig leaf.” The availability of the Internet
prompts millions, including Christians, to access
the false intimacy of sex and relationships outside
of God’s ordained boundaries.
Conservatively, at least 3-6% of the adult
U.S. population meets the criteria for sexual
addiction. According to the online accountability
organization, Covenant Eyes, the percentages are
much worse: 50% of all Christian men and 20%
of all Christian women say they are addicted to
Internet pornography. The numbers of those
who “act out”—engage in inappropriate behav-
iors without reaching the point of addiction—are
beyond staggering. Sixty-eight percent of young
adult men and 18% of women admit they use
pornography at least once every week. One in
three visitors to an adult Web site is female.
The escalation of interest in Internet pornog-
raphy is equally stunning. According to Google
Analytics, in 2008, searches for the terms
porn
,
XXX
, or
sex
equaled 70 million per month. In
2011, those word searches rose to 68 million
per day… and in 2014, the hits are expected to
reach 84 million per hour. Dr. Patrick Carnes,
the founder of treatment for sexual addiction and
a clinical leader in the field, repeatedly asserts,
“The tsunami of sexual addiction has not yet hit
America.” His legitimate belief begs the question,
“Is the Church prepared to render aid?”
Jeremiah 2:13 speaks to the spiritual
etiology of sexual addiction when the prophet
reports God’s declaration, “My people have
committed two sins; They have forsaken me,
J im Cress and Marn i e Ferree
Men and women have been hiding in shame since the Garden of Eden. Before the Fall, Adam and
Eve were “naked and unashamed,” but after tasting the forbidden fruit, their eyes were open to the
harsh reality of life apart from God. In futility they tried to cover their inadequacies with fig leaves and
hide in fear and shame from each other and from the God who made them.
A Healing
Community:
The Vital
Component for
Victory Over
sexual
addiction
