What’s The Biggest Problem Christian Men Face Today?
What is the biggest problem Christian men face today?
Pornography, and the silence around it. Roughly 68 percent of men, 25 to 30 percent of women, and 50 to 58 percent of pastors are affected, yet few dare examine it honestly. Hosea 4:6 says my people perish for lack of knowledge. Many men pray and then blame God for not removing it, but there is a process of renewing the mind before restoration comes.
What do you think is the biggest problem among Christian men today? It’s a problem in the Church that everyone knows, but no one dares talk about.
It’s amazing how close our production team has gotten since we started work on the Conquer Series. A subject none of us ever thought we’d muster the courage to mention amongst ourselves, let alone share with transparency, is now a topic we’ve become so familiar with, it’s scary.
Naming it is the first step - the Conquer Series was built to help churches take the second.
But I guess this is what happens when you shed truth to something as ugly and shameful as porn.
Related Article: Our Porn Saturated Culture Is Drifting Further From God’s Plan For Sex
Shocking Statistics
- 68% of men
- 25-30% of women
- 50-58% of pastors
Related Article: 15 Mind-Blowing Statistics About Pornography And The Church
Because sexual sin has such contemptible connotations amongst Christians, few dare to examine it for what it really is. It’s like a disease that no one wants to get close to, but denying the existence of an epidemic doesn’t stop it from spreading. Hosea 4:6 says: “My people perish for lack of knowledge…”
As we’ve come to understand what sexual sin is and Christ’s redemptive power on the Cross, as well as the scientific facts that corroborate God’s Word, we’ve realized that this knowledge – this truth – has the power to set men free, where they no longer have to live each day with shame and guilt.
Related Article: 3 Reasons Why Churches Remain Silent About Porn
Eric Hovind
A close friend who has experienced this first hand is Eric Hovind. His father, Kent Hovind, is a world-renowned Creationist public speaker. Eric is the president of Creation Today and has debated some of the nation’s fiercest defenders of Evolution.
The first time Eric was exposed to porn was at age 5 – at a Christian school. He was brave enough to share his testimony on how God freed him from his struggle with porn.
Related Article: 4 Ways Porn Is Hurting Our Children
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Many men want to be freed from porn, but they expect God or someone else to do the hard work. They pray and then blame God for not removing the problem. There is a process of renewing their minds in Christ before seeing the results of complete restoration.
Viewing porn is not about sex, it is about how men have learned to medicate the pain in their lives.
Taking Action
Pastors can become effective heart surgeons when they understand these principles. Unfortunately many men who struggle with sexual sin, and dare admit it to their pastor, have to go along with the typical Church response: “We’ll pray for you.”
Related Article: The Church’s Typical Response To Porn Isn’t Working
The next time he tells his leader that he viewed porn again the pastor says: “Well, stop it because we’re praying for you!” Where does that get you? Nowhere. God can miraculously heal men instantly, but typically it is a 2-5 year process of renewing the mind and becoming a new creation in Christ.
There is no question that a man who struggles with pornography needs to pray and enlist God’s power, but it shouldn’t stop there. There are practical steps to take, adjustments that can be life-changing, but it all begins with knowing what sexual bondage is and God’s weapons and strategies for His children.
Related Article: This Is How To Deal With Porn In Your Church (VIDEO)
Related Article: The Church’s Typical Response To Porn Isn’t Working
Discipleship Curriculum
My goal is to empower pastors with this discipleship tool.
I know it’s not an easy or comfortable topic to talk about. This is why I have put everything on hold to produce the Conquer Series. Christian men struggling with sexual sin in the Church is a subject too important to ignore. Once men know the truth about hell’s master plan, they will find boldness in talking about it.
Related Article: Are You Ready To Do Whatever It Takes To Find Freedom From Porn?
If what you think I shared with you is of value to the Church, but no one likes to talk about it, then please be the voice. Share the Conquer Series with your Pastor, Men’s ministry leader or friend. The Conquer Series is the easiest and most effective way to present this sensitive topic to your church.
Get started at SoulRefiner.com.
Blessings, Jeremy
Writing at the intersection of faith and neuroscience to help men and women break destructive cycles and walk in lasting freedom.
More articles by Jeremy Wiles →Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get free from porn?
Typically two to five years. God can heal a man instantly and sometimes does, but the normal path is a process of renewing the mind and becoming a new creation in Christ. Knowing that up front changes everything, because a man who expects a process does not treat a relapse as proof that freedom was never real. Slow progress is still progress.
Is porn addiction really about sex?
No. Viewing porn is about how a man has learned to medicate the pain in his life. That is why treating it purely as a sexual problem, or purely as a discipline problem, keeps missing. Until the wound underneath gets attention, the behaviour has a job to do and will keep doing it. Address the pain and the pull starts to loosen.
Why doesn't 'we'll pray for you' help a man struggling with porn?
Because it leaves him exactly where he was, only lonelier. A man admits it and hears the typical church response, "We'll pray for you." He falls again, and the next word is, "Well, stop it because we're praying for you!" Where does that get you? Nowhere. Prayer is essential and it is not a strategy on its own. What he needs alongside it is an understanding of what sexual bondage is and practical, God-given weapons for the fight.
What should a pastor do when a man admits he watches porn?
Treat it as heart surgery, not a discipline problem. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge..." and that is exactly the gap here. Pastors become genuinely effective once they understand what sexual bondage is and what God's weapons and strategies for His children actually are. That means offering a real process with practical, life-changing adjustments rather than a sympathetic conversation that ends where it started.
How do I bring the Conquer Series to my church?
Share it with your pastor, your men's ministry leader, or a friend who will carry it with you, and get started at SoulRefiner.com. It was built specifically to make a sensitive subject presentable in a church setting, which is why so many leaders use it as their entry point. Someone has to be the voice; it may as well be you.
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