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christian counseling today
VOL. 22 NO. 1
35
T
This is not our fathers’ sex culture. When King Solomon proclaimed,
“There is nothing new under the sun,” he was not able to see into the
future and warn us about the nuclear threat of the Internet. Historically,
“old school” pornography was typically accessed through static magazines,
low-quality videos, and premium cable and satellite channels. There was
this seemingly self-imposed cultural barrier that limited how, when, and
where pornography was accessed. As technology advanced, there was soon
to be birthed a new superhighway that had more exits to the clandestine,
underground, crack cocaine-like sex addiction world than anyone could
have ever imagined. That is, other than the producers of pornography—
they knew they had found their holy grail with the World Wide Web.
The Numbers
Juniper Research found that by 2017, a quarter of a billion people are
anticipated to use their cell phones and tablets to access pornographic
content. This statistic represents a more than 30% increase since 2013.
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The Barna Group conducted a survey in the United States in 2014
regarding the consumers of pornography. This survey found that 64% of
self-identified Christian men and 15% of self-identified Christian women
view pornography at least once a month. Some 37% of Christian men and
7% of Christian women view pornography at least several times a week.
One of the sobering findings in the Barna survey was that teenagers
and young adults are taking a non-judgmental attitude and position when
they are engaged in conversations about pornography with others in their
respective peer groups. The Barna report states, “When they talk about
porn with friends, 89% of teens and 95% of young adults say they do so
in a neutral, accepting, or encouraging way. That is, only one in 20 young
adults and one in 10 teens say their friends think viewing pornography is
a bad thing.” Obviously, this significant statistic points to the serious shift
in our youth culture where there is a loss of the personal and social barrier
to what is openly acceptable and even celebrated.
3
Welcome to the 21st
century’s new sexual revolution.
Another “sign of the times” avenue of pornographic connection is the
use of video chat, which has grown exponentially. Whether in cyber chat
rooms or private “person-to-person” individual video chat connections, this
virtual sex experience has upped the ante… and raising (or lowering) the
bar even more is the developing field of “teledildonics” or “cyberdildonics.”
These robotic sexual devices are allowing individuals to virtually simulate
sexual intercourse and other sex acts through the Internet by means of
mutual masturbation. One wonders what the next 10 years will reveal in
the realm of technological opportunities for new levels of sex addiction and
the lives devastated by its impact.
The “sexting” phenomenon has enabled young people, especially,
to shoot from the hip and send graphic sexual pictures and messages to
practically anyone, whether they know them or not. The Barna survey
found that 62% of teenagers and young adults have received a sexually
explicit image from someone, and 41% of those surveyed acknowledged
It is the Church’s not
so well-kept secret.
Pornography and sex
addiction are destroying
the lives of men, women,
marriages, and families
at an alarming rate. If
you think the problem is
severe now, take a look
at the sobering reality
according to nationally
recognized expert, Dr.
Patrick Carnes, “The
tsunami of sex addiction
has not yet hit America.”
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J IM CRESS