Pornification of America

The Boston Globe writes; "Not too long ago. pornography was a furtive profession, its products created and consumed in the shadows. But it has steadily elbowed its way into the limelight, with an impact that can be measured not just by the Internet-fed ubiquity of pornography itself but by the way aspects of porn sensibility now inform movies, music videos, fashion, magazines and celebrity culture"(www.boston.com/yourlife/articles/2006/01/24/the_pornification_of_america). For years the culture has been forced to find an argument to defend its passion for consuming porn in general and selling porn in particular. Somehow culture has managed to find and win its argument.

Of the people who use the Internet 43% visit pornography websites. Some 40 million Americans regularly visit porn sites. Women account for 33% of visitors to porn sites and men account for 77% with these men averaging between 18-24 years of age. In a 2009 Harris Survey found that 19% of teens surveyed have engaged in "sexting," with 11% of these teens sending pornographic texts to complete strangers (type in search word "sexting" at: www.harrisinteractive.com). Although pornography statistics are hard to come by, researchers indicate that porn is a $100 billion/year business worldwide. In the USA we spend $13.6 billion/year. There is an estimated 24.6 million pornographic websites - 12% of the Internet. Roughly 25% of all Internet searches or 68 million/day are porn related (www.gizmodo.com/5552899/finally-some-actual-stats-on-internet-porn). Each second in the USA, people are spending $3,075 on porn. In that same second 28,000 Internet viewers are looking at porn. Every 39 minutes an adult-sex video is being made ("Porn: The Business of Pleasure" CNBC Special July 2008). The USA is the fourth largest porn purchasers behind China, South Korea, and Japan (www.onlineeducation.net/porn). I am getting ready to begin a new chapter of pastoral ministry in a county with the second highest STD rate in the state of Kentucky (http://www.state-journal.com/news/simple_article/5151043).

So, where are churches to go from here? I believe we begin by reading and digesting the numbers and the extent of devastation that is occurring in our homes, to our children, marriages and our culture. Do not stick your head in the sand. Somehow, we need a fresh voice in the pulpits of our communities to speak Biblically on the bad sexual choices and addictions so that the transformational power of the gospel can be applied to this area of our lives, believers and our churches. Recreating our history is not necessarily the total answer. While we can reflect upon the blessings of yesterday, let us remember today's generations have not experienced these dynamic moves of the Almighty. God grant us your ageless power upon this contemporary day!

Support for this article is credited to Ed Stetzer's article "Pornification of American Culture" Enrichment Journal Summer 2011.