Why 68% of Christian Men Watch Porn
Why do 68 percent of Christian men watch porn?
Because what begins as a moral problem quickly becomes a brain problem. A Barna survey found 68 percent of Christian men and 50 percent of pastors view porn regularly, with boys aged 11 to 17 reported as the heaviest users. Porn releases oxytocin and dopamine that bond you to the images, and Dr. Ted Roberts says telling a man to try harder only tightens the noose of bondage.
Are we really supposed to buy into the idea that 68% of men in Church watch porn regularly? Could this just be sensational rhetoric? Not according to a national survey among churches.
The survey conducted by the Barna Group revealed that 68 percent of Christian men and 50 percent of pastors view pornography regularly. But even more shocking is that 11-17 year-old boys reported being its greatest users.
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The Church is in the sexual battle of its life. As these boys become adults, the Church will be flooded with porn addicts.
Pastor James Reeves of City On A Hill Church DFW has successfully tackled porn addiction in his church. He warns,
“This problem is going to sweep through the Church like a tsunami wave of destruction and we’re not prepared for it.”
A Grassroots Movement for Change
In response to this growing epidemic in the Church, a group of filmmakers took it upon themselves to create a video teaching curriculum on sexual purity called the Conquer Series.
The Series is the first of its kind to show men how to retrain a brain that’s hooked on porn, using biblical principles and powerful insights. “The shocking statistics were the game-changer for me,” says director, Jeremy Wiles. “So, we spent two years developing a five-hour discipleship curriculum, interviewing top Christian experts on this subject and shooting battle reenactments to illustrate the war that every man faces with sexual temptation. I wanted to give men proven principles on how to find freedom,” adds Wiles.
Director, Jeremy Wiles, behind the scenes filming the Conquer Series
The team recruited Dr. Ted Roberts, a former U.S. Marine fighter pilot, to be the host of the Conquer Series. As a former Pastor and head of Pure Desire Ministries, Dr. Roberts has counseled men for over 30 years – mainly dealing with pornography issues.
“Our goal with the Conquer Series is to give men a battle plan for purity. We’ve got a great tool here that will change lives, but we need pastors to partner with us to fight this battle,” Dr. Roberts said.
The Typical Church Approach Doesn’t Work
According to Dr. Roberts, churches often treat this issue as a moral one, but fail to recognize it’s mainly a brain problem, “We tell men to try harder, pray harder, love Jesus more.” Dr. Roberts adds, “But, what starts off as a moral problem, quickly becomes a brain problem. Telling a man to try harder is only tightening the ‘noose’ of bondage.”
Today, science sheds new light on biblical truth regarding strongholds of the mind and how a person becomes enslaved to sin.
Related Article: This Is Your Brain on Porn
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The Highjacked Brain
Understanding the brain is pivotal.
When a woman is nursing her child and she’s skin-to-skin with her baby, her brain releases a neurochemical called oxytocin, which emotionally bonds her to her child. The same thing happens during sex.
God designed oxytocin as the glue for human bonding. During a sexual release, oxytocin, along with other neurochemicals, are released and cause us to emotionally bond with our partner.
When you watch porn these neurochemicals are also released, which bond you to those images. This is why Satan attacks our sexuality so much, because in attacking human sexuality it actually interferes with human bonding.
According to neuropsychologist, Dr. Tim Jennings, “Any type of repetitive behavior will create trails in our brain that are going to fire on an automatic sequence.” The result is years of bondage. This is how 68% of Christian men can love the Lord with all their heart, but be trapped in sexual bondage.
The repeated viewing of porn literally changes the physical structure of their brain.
Related Article: How Sexual Sin Sears Your Conscience (VIDEO)
A Process for Pastors to Use to Fight Porn
Wiles is confident the Conquer Series will embolden church leaders to tackle the problem by giving them a high-quality video curriculum and study guide that can be used by leaders in small men’s group meetings. Wiles says,
“Pornography is a really tough subject for a lot of pastors to openly confront. This cinematic Series will give them confidence that they can restore men using proven Bible-based principles.”
The Conquer Series has been getting a lot of positive feedback. Jason Royalty, a men’s group leader from Springfield, Tennessee, said, “This series has been so helpful to the 15-18 men that meet together for this class. Understanding how God has made us and also understanding the enemy’s tactics has been key to seeing victories in these men’s lives.”
Related Article: Church Enlists 10% of Town to Battle Against Porn
Paul Cole, President of Christian Men’s Network, agrees, “When the Conquer Series begins to be a part of who we are, it will begin to change what we do and who we are as a church.”
Watch the Conquer Series on Soul Refiner
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The Conquer Series is a cinematic small group series designed to help individuals break free from the bondage of sexual addiction. Get access today at SoulRefiner.com!
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 many Christian men watch porn?
A national Barna Group survey of churches found 68 percent of Christian men viewing pornography regularly, alongside 50 percent of pastors. The figure most people miss is that 11 to 17 year old boys reported being its heaviest users, which means the problem arriving in churches now is the smaller half of it.
Do pastors struggle with porn too?
The same Barna survey put it at half. That matters for how churches respond, because a leader carrying the struggle privately is poorly placed to preach on it. Pastor James Reeves, who has tackled the issue in his own church, warns: "This problem is going to sweep through the Church like a tsunami wave of destruction and we're not prepared for it."
Why doesn't the usual church response work?
Because it treats a brain problem as a moral one. The standard advice is try harder, pray harder, love Jesus more. What begins as a moral problem quickly becomes a brain problem, and telling a man to try harder only tightens the noose.
How can a man love God and still watch porn?
Repeated viewing physically changes brain structure. Any repetitive behavior creates trails that fire automatically, and the result is years of bondage running underneath genuine faith. The two are not contradictory; they operate in different parts of the brain.
What does oxytocin have to do with porn?
God designed oxytocin as the glue for human bonding, released when a mother nurses and when spouses are intimate. The same neurochemicals release during porn use, bonding a man to the images instead. That is why attacking sexuality is so effective: it interferes with bonding itself.
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