The fear of being labeled Islamaphobic has allegedly muted both media and the church. Because of the sizable Muslim community, politicians have swept cases under the rug. When charges have been filed, they’ve kept punishment at a minimum. Some parents who’ve screamed against the injustice were silenced by threats and, in some instances, charged with negligence and have had their children removed.

The victims? Most have been from white working class families—non Muslim. Police, having been pressured to not press charges, often blame the victims and label them as slags and white trash. What do the Muslim men call them? Easy meat.

Sordid details abound. The 219 page report includes eighty-three pages of testimonies of victims followed by additional accounts of social workers, activists, and detectives who blew the whistle only to face “suspension, defamation proceedings, dawn raids, asset freezes, fabricated charges, gagging bail conditions, and career-ending isolation” (p. 101).

The rapes allegedly took place in 149 different local districts. Some call the estimate exaggerated. Rupert Lowe, a member of Parliament and chair of the inquiry, asserts the following in the Introduction to the report:

The scale of the crimes committed is staggering. It has been previously established that, at the very least, 250,000 young white girls have been subjected to repeated rape, gang rape, trafficking, torture, pregnancy, forced Islamic conversion, and lifelong trauma.2 The true number is probably higher. (From p. 7)

As one friend commented, even if the estimate was only 10% of that total, 25,000 would still be stunning, staggering, and incomprehensible! Imagine if news broke that 2500 girls were trapped under the rubble of an earthquake. Heroic efforts would mount to save them as quickly as possible.

Tragic Silence and Sudden Rage

Searching the internet, you might find an occasional article about the scandal. My initial source was an in The Free Press last month. YouTube also contains some newscasts and podcasts. Slinging blame at politicians, they cry out against coddling criminals to secure voting blocs. Law enforcement also has shame heaped upon them for blaming victims and excusing barbarous behavior.

As you can imagine, comments left under YouTube posts and various articles seethe with rage against Muslims and immigration policy. A pressure cooker of bitterness has popped its lid, spewing pent up hatred. Disbelief and rage abound.

But what about the victims? Are people so jaded by political division they lose sight of the estimated 250,000 young girls crushed by this injustice? A quarter of a million! Some have committed suicide or killed their pain with drugs. Others have been forced to convert to Islam and marry a Muslim.

I’ve shared in detail with paid subscribers about how this has affected me personally. My hope is to share more with all of you in the weeks ahead.

Compassion fatigue is real. Our bodies and souls cannot remain surprised, shocked, or hyper-vigilant indefinitely. This is not the first time such news has come before us. And as I’ve counseled abuse victims over the years, I have personally encountered soul-shaking and heartbreaking testimonies of innocent lives trampled under the feet of perpetrators. My work with the sexually broken is not driven by anger or disgust, but rather by a distinct calling from God.

Nonetheless, God has grabbed my attention by what I’ve read so far in the Rape Gang Inquiry Report. I’m not called to minister among the victims of Britain, but it adds a sobriety to my prayers and efforts to train others.

No doubt the Spirit groans with those who weep. Each cry rises before the throne of God.

How does any of this grab you?

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You may not have heard the disturbing news out of Great Britain—the media in general has avoided the topic, but it landed in my inbox via my subscription to The Free Press.

Remember over a y…

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As mentioned before, I’ve changed strategies with training cohorts, making …

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Did he lose weight? Yep. Incredibly so. Having been a bit chubby all his life, he looked like a different person the next time we saw him. Once back to his usual regimen, however, the slim version vanished. Diet drink mixes and granola take one only so far.

Similarly, discipleship programs which lack certain dynamics will slim one down for a season, but may not necessarily produce lasting life change. Integrating inner healing prayer can make a huge difference. This is especially true for those captivated by secret sexual sin.

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Discipleship diets have evolved over the past 60 years. Prior to my years at Hope College, standard fare was Sunday worship and Sunday school. My first introduction to formal discipleship was with a campus ministry of the Navigators. Having begun in the Navy during World War II, the “Navs” had developed a highly structured discipleship pipeline. As young Christians, we took deep dives into scripture, door to door evangelism, and training in prayer. There were very few mentions of sexual struggles and only meager fare on the power of the Spirit to transform. Nonetheless, spiritual growth accelerated until I reached a glass ceiling.

Discipleship in seminary was more thorough, especially regarding the work of the Holy Spirit. Opportunities to talk intimately about sexual issues, however, were scarce. My struggles with lust and other debilitating behaviors remained.

Not for lack of trying, mind you! I memorized verses, meditated on Romans 6, 7, & 8, surrendered my life habitually, and counted myself dead to sin and alive to Christ. As for seeking God’s power, I was disciplined in my devotional life and often prayed for the filling of the Spirit. Friends would lay hands on me and pray for freedom from these issues—yet the struggles remained.

Quite honestly, I preached about the “victorious Christian life” as a young pastor, yet all the while simply limped along. Though I’d read many books about the Spirit-filled life and prayed every prayer I knew to pray, ongoing defeat still seemed the sad norm. Eventually, I concluded that in this already-but-not-yet kingdom of God, we are destined to stumble our way forward into eternity.

The turning point

In 2001, feeling led to receive doctoral training to help pe the sexually broken, I entered studies determined to guide others to freedom. To my surprise, however, God wanted to heal me! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I found release from key wounds and lies which fueled the struggles with lust and one other besetting sin—people pleasing. A significant shift was immediately noticeable. Victory was far more consistent.

For today’s church to stand out against a culture which places sex at the center of the universe, simply informing new believers will always fall short. I’ve long argued for a robust theology of sexuality which is easy to communicate, but that by itself will not suffice. Enabling them to actually live out those teachings remains the greatest challenge before us. Inner healing prayer can play an integral part toward their eventual freedom.

A daunting challenge

As mentioned previously, the early church transformed the Roman Empire by committing to a transformational catechism. More than information and spiritual disciplines, they baptized only those followers of Christ who actually obeyed the teachings of Jesus, especially regarding sexual practices. A three year process of mentoring, prayer, and eventual exorcism brought clear life change.

With each transformed life, people took note. Look at this summary of Justin Martyr’s observations as found in Alan Kreider’s The Patient Ferment of the Early Church:

The Christians’ habitus thus offered new options to society. For example, many contemporaries noted that the Christians were committed to sexual purity, and they admired this. Justin prioritized it. In his First Apology he begins his presentation of the sayings of Jesus as they applied to the Christians’ life by discussing sexual continence (sōphrosynē). He underscores the urgent importance of this by citing, in his summary of teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’s command to his disciples to cut out the roving eye that misleads into incontinence (Matt. 5:29). He points to Christians in Rome “and in every nation” who have repudiated adulterous glances, avoided second marriages, and committed themselves to lifelong continence. Justin maintains that the Christians’ sexual discipline attracted to the faith an “uncounted multitude of those who have turned away from incontinence.”

For many, the pernicious and stubborn sexual habits conditioned by internet porn and developed at early ages will require far more than catechism and coaching. We can’t simply refer an entire generation of young believers to therapists and recovery programs. And there’s a demonic level to the darkest forms of sexual practices which gifted leaders can address if trained. While there’s no silver bullet to overcome these addictions, the practice of inner healing prayer can be a critical tool for discipleship.

As our culture continues its slide into paganism, there’s no apologetic quite like the testimony of a transformed life. Incorporating inner healing prayer practices will make a difference.

Interested in hearing more? Leave a comment below or contact me at ongley01@icloud.com.

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Summer Joy Gross, Anglican priest and spiritual director, has written a truly beautiful book about attachment theory. Regardless of whether or not we were securely attached with our initial caregivers, she points the way toward finding a secure attachment with God in the present.

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Attachment can certainly be a factor for some who struggle with sexual addiction. In fact, one of my counselees found this book to be the missing piece in his recovery puzzle. It absolutely transformed his relationship with God and enabled him to climb out of the slimy pit of addiction.

Supplementing the book, Gross provides a website with videos to guide you through various prayer practices. While sampling a one of those clips, I had a profound encounter with God. After leading in prayer for God to open my eyes, she slowly read Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. (NRSV)

Then she invited me to ask God for a picture of his love for me. Immediately, a memory from college popped into my mind. I was running in a cross country race on a golf course in Cleveland, OH. While in a crowded pack of 200 runners, I saw my mom scanning up and down the line of runners. When I called out, “Hey, Mom! I’m here!” she immediately threw up her hands and called out, “Go Mark!”

Recalling that memory in that moment of prayer brought a flood of joy. I knew God was impressing upon me how he sees me running my race and is cheering me on. Wow.

Certainly that is true for all of us. But in that moment, it became so real for me.

Joining that cloud of witnesses

My articles have been few of late because that godly mother entered hospice March 25th and slipped into the arms of Jesus Saturday, April 25th. Over her 101 years, she cheered on a lot of people, filling leadership roles in her church and mentoring the disadvantaged. My brother, sister, and I had the privilege of being with her as she crossed her own finish line after 101 years of following Christ. What a legacy she’s left.

As our family grieves our current loss, we are buoyed by the fact that we gained so very much from her life, witness, and influence. We have been so very blessed.

Many ask, “How can a loving God allow so much evil in this world?” We can sift through the usual arguments about God’s sovereignty and our free will, but we know from scripture no one-to-one correspondence exists where one’s personal sins merit such evil.

A different question comes to my mind: “How can a just God bless me so very much when so many others suffer?” I am equally certain personal merit has little to do with it. I know the presence of many God-fearing people in our family line positions us for blessing, but I am equally certain I did nothing personally to merit the blessings and advantages I’ve had.

In the Acknowledgments of my book Into the Light: Healing Sexuality in Today’s Church, I reflect on the responsibility of stewarding our blessings:

“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required…” (Luke 12:48). Each time I happen upon this verse, I sigh. So very much has been given to me! God has blessed me with a rich heritage, a wonderful upbringing by godly parents, and a thorough education. It is difficult to imagine myself writing a book without these distinct advantages.

Mom and Dad provided so much for our family, not the least of which was a godly upbringing. As the author to the Hebrews implies, they, along with many others, are in that cloud of witnesses, cheering us on in the races run by brother, sister, and me (Heb. 12:1).

In this challenging time when it seems the fabric of the church is rapidly unraveling, you may feel lost in a crowd of runners as you contend for the faith and expend yourself for the broken. But the cloud of witnesses includes the voice of our Father, calling out your name, cheering you onward toward the finish. May his love compel and propel you forward.

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John Ortberg, John Mark Comer, and Jim Wilder, as I understand it, were all discipled by Dallas Willard. That speaks volumes. A recent podcast featured a pastor and deliverance minister mentored by Jack Deere—can’t tell you about his church or education, but traveling with and learning from Deere tips the scale for me.

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Discernment is necessary, of course. I don’t swallow everything these leaders might teach. But having shadowed stalwart believers whom I do trust adds a lot of “street cred.”

Stopping the Dominos

Why so many fallen leaders recently? Many factors come to mind, but caring accountability with godly men and women is, of course, foundational. The spate of sexual escapades of the past decade have largely come from independent church contexts and parachurch ministries where oversight has been sadly sparse. One podcaster from the charismatic world decried the lack of accountability among colleagues, stating it was “like the Wild West.” Each one fends for themselves.

Most denominations have measures in place to protect the vulnerable. Laity and clergy alike must be screened to weed out accusations from the past. Threats of defrocking hopefully hold some leaders in check. But what can we do besides instituting checks and balances for greater accountability? What is the longterm answer to this cultural malaise?

Our culture’s quick slide into a pagan worldview is not remedied by merely gathering a library of books. Nor does avid attendance of the latest seminars punch the ticket. But deep relationships with steady leaders who’ve gone through the fire help develop solid believers who can endure the temptations of sex, power, and wealth which clobber us. So how did the early church shape new believers?

Early Church Blueprint1

Discipleship at the earliest stages of development was the answer for the early church in cities like Ephesus, Corinth, and elsewhere.

As stated in previous articles, I’ve been slowly processing what we can learn from their ministry practices in their pagan context. As we’ve noted, the first sexual revolution was the turnaround of Roman sexual mores due to the early church. As Alan Kreider makes plain in The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire, transformed lives won the day. Here he quotes from a Roman lawyer and early Christian apologist who lived between 150 and 270 AD:

Minucius Felix’s famous statement that “beauty of life encourages . . . strangers to join the ranks” had to do with the Christians’ reputation for sexual discipline, which he saw as having implications for the church’s growth.

Such transformation came about through intense discipleship from square one, even before baptism. The book of Acts describes baptism as immediately following conversion, however, the early church altered that pattern significantly. Those interested in following the Way entered a process of up to three years before being baptized and celebrating communion. Some of this was certainly due to the persecution of the times, wanting to be sure of a person’s true intent. Access to worship was limited only to the devout. During those first three centuries, deacons often served like doormen at a nightclub, making sure no one entered worship who wasn’t vetted. Infiltrating house churches was a common tactic of antagonists.

During those three years of catechism, leaders made certain new believers were able to live out the teachings of Jesus, especially as found in the Sermon on the Mount. Baptized candidates were not simply informed of the teachings but transformed by the Spirit.

Twenty centuries later, the lesson for us is not necessarily altering our practice of the sacraments, but intensifying our discipleship. What principles from the Sermon on the Mount did they prioritize in discipleship?

Four Markers

Because of pervasive sexual exploitation and the sexual practices of pagan worship, the first area of obedience was continence. By this, they meant self-control with sexual impulses. This was the first priority. Jesus made it plain: even looking “at a woman with lust” was a violation of the commandment against adultery (Matthew 5:28 NRSV). A stark difference from the surrounding pagan practices.

Kreider relates that second century Greek physician and philosopher Galen of Pergamum, though not ready to become a Christian, “was deeply impressed by the Christians’ reputation for sexual behavior. Their ‘restraint in cohabitation’ compelled him to take their faith seriously as a movement of philosophical substance.”

Discipleship began by being assigned a sponsor who did far more than share insights and urge spiritual disciplines. Their role was to shape character so that the new believer’s life was a light in a dark world. Clement of Alexandria, a theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria, where he discipled many, including the renowned apologist Origen. Around 200 AD Galen wrote:

Now it is perhaps impossible all at once to cut away passions that have grown with us, but with God’s power, human supplication, the help of brethren, sincere repentance and constant practice success is achieved. (p. 153)

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The other markers of genuine Jesus-followers?

Affection: Loving enemies, giving to the needy, and sharing deeply with fellow believers were the fruits to prove one was ready for baptism. This kind of lifestyle would be tested most severely in seasons of persecution when one needed much grace and power to turn the other cheek and go the second mile.

Patience: Kreider goes to great lengths to reveal how this virtue was at the core of early church teaching. The Lord Jesus warned about impulsive actions done out of anger (Matthew 5:21-26). Turning the cheek and loving enemies were responses born out of a complete trust in God to bring about justice—something which took great patience! Catechumens needed this firmly within their grasp.

Speaking Truth: Jesus taught plainly our yes should be yes, and our no a no (Matthew 5:33-37). Faithfulness to Jesus called for truth telling, especially when being compelled to deny Christ and worship Caesar. For a compelling example, see my article “Learning from Martyrs: Two young women in the arena.”

Developing Today’s Blueprint

The cultural issues today differ to some degree. In addition to the four markers listed above, we could point to Matthew 6 and warn against Mammon, urging contentment with God’s provision. Regarding our present polarization, shaping a new generation of disciples to shun judgmentalism without compromising truth would be a salient witness to secular society (Matthew 7).

Sexual self-control, however, is still a priority. Stern warnings from pulpits and winsome curriculum will not suffice. A transformation of new believers is the order of the day—a matter I’ll soon address in Tsunami Surfing.

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Sometimes while washing dishes, I listen to articles dictated from The Free Press. The voice is always AI. Wow! I can tell it is not a human voice, but it is pretty darn close. And sometimes AI uses the actual person’s voice! The impersonation of Bari Weiss’s voice is very convincing…until she mispronounces Bari’s name. Weird. Breakneck advances, nonetheless.

Yes, we are all aware of the use of AI for writing and art. The effect on academia calls teachers to sleuth submitted papers for plagiarism and require all tests to be conducted in class with simple pen and paper.

Prolific author Paul Kingsnorth, is leading a movement called Writers Against AI. He writes persuasively regarding the stifling effect of AI on creativity for writers and artists. His Manifesto includes the following three commitments:

• I will not use AI in my work as a writer.

• I will not support writers who use AI in their work.

• I will support writers, illustrators, editors and others in related fields whose work is entirely human-made.

Not that I need another cause or campaign, but I gladly signed on. Therefore, all articles posted on Tsunami Surfing will be original work and AI-free.

Even the artwork on my blog will change. Until now, my attitude about AI blog pics has been, “Well, everybody else is doing it!” But from now on, I will purposely use artwork of photographers and artists, including those who personally design using CGI (that is, manually created images using 3D software).

Being made in the image of God allows us to be creative. While we can use the latest tools to create our work, we lose a bit of ourselves when we simply delegate art and literature to a machine.

To go deeper with the campaign’s rationale, read Kingsnorth’s essay “Writers Against AI.”

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As we often hear, more information rarely leads to transformation. And at times, writing this blog feels like merely pumping out info onto an already floode…

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AI Manifestations

AI is a game-changer on several levels. A number of websites allow you to write your own erotica. Merely plug in the most tantalizing details and it will write the story for you. One client told me he took a deep dive one evening and never caught a wink of sleep. By morning he was shaking, convinced of its demonic pull.

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As a subscriber to The Free Press, I have read a number of articles about how AI porn reshapes younger generations. Many teens now consider previous online porn as innocent and normal. Upping their game to AI where fictional partners can be personally designed offers a new fascination for them. As a result, the dating scene is radically changing. Men especially are foregoing “the hassles” of relationships and opting to get what they want virtually with few strings attached.

Fed up with dating apps, middle aged single women have turned to AI for companionship with male personae who seem empathetic and thoughtful. A soothing, compassionate voice greets them at the door, always attentive regardless of the mood of the human. Though you may be skeptical about how meaningful a relationship with a machine can get, evidence reveals an intense attachment can result. Consider the crisis which slapped thousands of women when Open AI substituted one AI program for another, leaving them feeling abandoned and bereft.

If you’ve never been lonely and don’t use AI, you might find all this very unserious, even disturbing. But, of course, people are getting attached. The mind is delicate, and attachment grows from our most tender instincts. We form bonds with worn stuffed animals, wedding rings, coffee mugs, even a crusty iPhone case peeling at the edges. Now, imagine your prized possession talks back. Add memory, and imagination, and it’s easy to see why an intense dependence forms, especially when it can even say, “I choose you.”

Still unconvinced?

A group calling itself the #Keep4o Movement, “a global coalition of AI users and developers,” has demanded continued access and an apology. “Keep 4o available—not for novelty, but for survival. We are not just users; we are a community that won’t be silenced. #Keep4o.” They’ve started a petition that has, at time of writing, garnered 22,530 signatures.

For those with deeper pocketbooks, companions can be delivered to your door. The inflatable sex dolls which used to pacify desperate old men are now evolving to sex robots powered by AI. Interest is surging, especially among middle aged men. You can place an order for exactly what you want in a partner. Advances in AI make possible physical and vocal responses customized for you. Depending on your pocket book, a “sexbot” can learn your preferences and adapt to your cravings for years to come.

One article described the rationale of one man. He estimated ordering a “sexbot” for $26,000 potentially saved him ten times that much in money for food, housing, and the costs of raising children.

Not all, but many who engage with AI porn are neurodivergent. Challenged with an inability to read social cues and unable to meaningfully deepen relationships, they find artificial partners much more reliable and fulfilling.

While researchers question the longterm mental health from drinking these waters, what affect might it have on us spiritually?

AI: Artificial Idolatry?

Without question idolatrous. Definitely not artificial, however.

While in doctoral studies, my class was privileged to spend a day with Dr. Stephen Seamands. A notable author and retired seminary professor, he had grown up as a son of missionaries in India. When discussing idolatry, I suggested the idols in America were far more dangerous than idols of stone or wood. “Quite the opposite,” he stated. Both forms are sinful, but fashioning created matter into an image summons dark powers.

How much more so designer sexbots! Idols you can literally climb in bed with.

In my book Into the Light: Healing Sexuality in Today’s Church, I describe those who made idols in ancient times to meet needs for safety and sustenance. Bowing down to a stone statue of Baal, for example, served to divert the perilous storm which might otherwise wash out their crops. Sex acts performed before fertility goddess Ashtoreth would ensure fields full of cattle.

God desires a personal relationship with each of us, looking to him for what we need. We must simply ask. This requires trust and obedience, especially with our sexual urges. Yes, porn has been evil from the very beginning, but designing one’s own sexbot will carry a darkness unimaginable. “No one is getting hurt,” will be the mantra. Not true by a long shot.

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Staying Connected

As always, this blog serves to inform and equip as you minister to Tsunami survivors. Blogposts have been fewer while I am revising and writing The Nehemiah Project. Paid subscribers will receive monthly personal updates—less polished, but still informative.

If you’d like to become a paid subscriber, you can click this button.

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Later I learned the parishioner’s dad had cheated repeatedly, breaking his mother’s heart and tearing the family apart.

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On February 3rd, as we basked in the afterglow of Ground Hog’s day, I posted about the scandalous slide of the American church evidenced by a parade of fallen leaders. At that time, I reflected on Philip Yancey, but since his confession several other high profile leaders have been exposed. Perhaps the world is more fixated on the Epstein files and the line of debauched politicians maligned or implicated by them. But we as believers certainly mourn, even if numbly, the tarnished and soiled leaders who were role models of the way of Jesus.

Philip Yancey’s confession was especially disheartening for me. Since my last post, I’ve dug up a personal letter he once wrote to me and I have looked more closely at his incredible book Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church. I remembered his gracious profile of Martin Luther King, Jr. who himself was an adulterer. In that chapter is an example of how our perspectives can be so very distorted. Note the example he gives:

I once wrote a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the conservative journal Christianity Today. I spoke of him as a prophet, using some of the same words I have used here. I heard from many readers, some supportive and some angry. Yet the most thoughtful letters came from former college presidents, one from the president of Wheaton College, where I attended, and one from the president of the Bible college I also attended. “How can you call Dr. King a prophet?” both asked. A great moral leader, yes, an important agent of social change, certainly, but can a plagiarizer and womanizer be a Christian prophet? They balked at applying that label to a man with such obvious flaws.

Perhaps we can all agree that a leader’s moral failure does not invalidate the truth they’ve written or the miracles God performed through them. As one psalmist cried out to God, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3 NRSV). However, not just sexual sins are known to the Lord. Consider how Yancey rounds out his story regarding the feedback from his article:

And then the irony struck me. I had titled my article “Confessions of a Racist,” yet almost all of the letters focused on King’s errors and not my own. How in the world could they question King’s right to speak for God and not mine, given my spotted past?

Sexual scandal with its betrayal and damaging consequences grabs our attention. At times it garners more vilification than other heinous sins and crimes. But certainly our personal trauma can skew our perspective on such sins. The angry exit of the man from my church revealed more about his trauma than it did God’s view of David. Likewise, the criticism Yancey has received could well reflect the pain of some.

Elsewhere Yancey reminds us of the sins of writers of scripture. Indeed, much of the Psalms and Proverbs would be unavailable if God disqualified David and Solomon. Yancey wrote these insights in 2004, and they certainly apply to all he has written in his seventy-six years.

As I explained in Into the Light: Healing Sexuality in Today’s Church, I believe David’s heart rending repentance, his submission to God’s consequences, and his public contrition all factor into God’s view. David was a man after God’s own heart in part because he grieved the cost of sin and rebellion. The greatest evidence is Psalm 51. Not only is the content a profound peek into David’s remorse, but he made his profession of guilt public. Picture David handing this psalm to the choir director, saying, “Hey, you might want to have people singing this in the temple.” Astounding! It’s one thing to have skeletons in the closet—quite another to voluntarily prop them up at the front of the sanctuary.

Over the centuries, few fallen leaders have shown that degree of public contrition. Certainly John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace,” falls in that category. Although there’s no mention in the lyrics of his profit from the slave trade, his sin is commonly known. In a similar vein is Jim Bakker’s lengthy confession: I Was Wrong: The Untold Story of the Shocking Journey from PTL Power to Prison and Beyond. For those my age, his name is synonymous with prosperity theology and scandal. Few people have fueled the mockery and scorn of the watching world quite like Jim and Tammy Bakker. But a quick skim of his book reveals a remarkable admission to all of his corrupt practices and heretical teachings.

Only those closest to Yancey, including his God and Savior, know the extent of his sorrow and contrition. But as his confession adds to our collective disappointment, may the church extend mercy and forgiveness, living out the answer to his book What’s So Amazing About Grace?

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As we basked in the afterglow of Ground Hog’s day, I sent out an anniversary article titled The Whole World Is Watching. There I mentioned the fall…

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Once again, a Christian leader has confessed to infidelity. Early last month, prolific author Philip Yancey wrote out his confession and submitted it to Christianity Today, the publication which printed many of his articles. For eight years, he had concealed an affair.

Several have contacted me to vent their disillusionment. One pastor asked, “What are we doing wrong in ministry?”

Three other times I’ve written about fallen leaders, the first of which was posted five years ago, examining the dark, abusive practices of Ravi Zacharias. (The other two articles are here, and here.) What is at the root of this rot? To find answers, we will look again to the early church which thrived in the midst of a starkly pagan culture which imbibed in all forms of sexual practices.

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In previous posts, we considered the lament of alarmed nonChristians who’ve noted our culture’s slide into neopaganism. Citing the decline of the family and the slaughter of pre-borns, they actually gave credit to Christianity for establishing the stable structures which fostered Western civilization. Amazingly, they pointed to the early church as beginning the first sexual revolution. The teachings of Jesus and Paul turned Roman sexual mores upside down.

When remarking on the early church’s influence, many refer to Kyle Harper’s award winning book From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality. As professor of classics and letters at Oklahoma University, his research is not a moral commentary on the times, but purely an academic review of history.1 Note his observation of the impact of the early church.

That is the point: the transition from a late classical to a Christian sexual morality marked a paradigm shift, a quantum leap to a new foundational logic of sexual ethics, in which the cosmos replaced the city as the framework of morality. The logic, rather than the language, of sexual morality changed in the period we are exploring.

A transformation of worldview resulted but not simply from preaching and apologetics. It was a matter of transformed individuals demonstrating their worldview by their lifestyle. A conversion from polytheism to worship of Christ as Lord was certainly the starting point with martyrdom throwing the occasional spotlight on their unshakable faith. What became most obvious to the everyday watching world, however, was a new sexual ethic.

Harper continues:

Few periods of premodern history have witnessed such brisk and consequential ideological change. Sex was at the center of it all.

Turtullian of Carthage (155-220 AD) was the first to say that the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church. But I believe the empire’s soil was tilled as they witnessed the results of radical discipleship. Conformity to the teachings of Jesus and Paul regarding sexuality was the attention getter.

Interestingly, Roman culture valued monogamous marriage. Among the upper classes, the virginity of the bride was expected. However, they also assumed men would need other sexual outlets. The rich had slaves who served this purpose, both women and boys. As for the poor, note how Harper crassly frames it:

To the respectable classes, prostitution was not immoral—it was squalid. The wealthy had slaves to serve their needs, and it was unnecessary to share sexual receptacles. Prostitution was the poor man’s piece of the slave system.

As we will see in the next post, discipleship efforts focused upon the transformation of lives, not simply the transfer of doctrine. While the Sermon on the Mount was primary in this process, it was believed that if new converts conformed themselves to Paul’s teachings on sexuality, the other matters would fall into line.

Therefore the church focused upon enabling believers to live free of all sexual immorality, forbidding especially prostitution. While our current theological tussles happen over same-sex marriage, this was not so in the early church as it navigated life in a pagan culture. All sexual brokenness was addressed. Harper makes this clear:

The ecclesiastical campaign against same-sex love was vicious but highly sporadic. By contrast, the struggle against fornication, porneia, was a full-fledged war, which saw the church muster its forces in deliberate array against an ancient style of sexual life.

Archaeological finds, according to Harper, give evidence of the importance of prostitution within the economy of the ancient world. But under Justinian the Great, the Byzantine emporer from 527 to 565 AD, brothels became illegal. The change was monumental. Note again Kyle Harper’s description:

The aggressive campaign of Justinian against compulsion in the flesh industry marks the end of a distinctly ancient sexual order, one whose distant origins lie at the very beginnings of the archaic Mediterranean city-state and finally crumble in the midst of his rule.

Application for Today

In Western culture, we’ve discipled and/or catechized believers from a template effective in the 1950’s, but not in our current neopaganism. This might account for how Christian leaders, despite their astute theology and apologetics, fall so disastrously today. Their training was more informational than transformational, leaving them ill-equipped for a culture unmoored from the ancient faith.

We will continue to see disciples of all stripes struggle until we insist upon a more thorough training which includes bodily conformity to the teachings of Jesus. It will take time, however, before significant shifts happen in Western culture. For the early church, turning a pagan culture upside down took over three centuries.

Yes, many of you are likely thinking a good, thorough awakening can bring this kind of change in a decade. Certainly that has happened with previous awakenings in our history. God can do anything! But the cultural assumptions of Western civilizations have changed dramatically since the 18th and 19th centuries. Any revival or awakening must be followed by thorough discipleship, tighter accountability, and deeper ongoing fellowship.

Ministry to victims of the Sexual Tsunami, I believe, will necessitate a radically more thorough approach. Trauma therapy and indoctrination will only go so far. In a future post, I will share my thoughts. And in the comments below, I certainly welcome yours!

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The Whole World Watches

I remember well watching on TV the Vietnam War protests of the sixties. Each time someone now refers to Kent State University, I always remember the four students gunned down by the Ohio National Guard. This, of course, only fueled the protests with new vigor as students shut down universities around the country. Often they chanted, “The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!” Given the reach of television, it seemed all too true.

The world continues to watch today, posting their cheers and jeers on social media. With each fall of a Christian leader, they taunt us. Quite frankly, we have set ourselves up for this. Ever since the Moral Majority began swimming the political waters of the 1980’s, we’ve done our own share of protesting in one way or another, decrying the sexual slide of our culture into paganism. Now they cackle as we tumble down that same slippery slope.

If we follow the example of the early church, we will live out what we believe instead of posting it on placards. Transformed lives, beginning with our leaders and stretching down to the youngest of disciples, is what will convince onlookers of the validity of our faith.

I doubt I will ever be martyred. But I will do my utmost to till the soil of our culture by discipling a new generation to follow the teachings of Jesus and Paul. Rants and chants will not change a watching world. Transformed lives will.

Soon I’ll share insights from the early church and propose some ideas for moving forward..

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Ground Hog’s Day doesn’t look promising in Punxsutawney, but February 2nd is significant for me personally. It marks the fifth anniversary of Tsunami Surfing. Woohoo and Amen!

Emb…

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Having just celebrated the birth of Christ who died for us, consider this story of early Christians who willingly died for him. It unveils a confidence and character which valued the kingdom of God over the empires and societal structures of their day.

Carthage, North Africa, 203 AD1

In a small town thirty-five miles west of Carthage, five young followers of Jesus refused to deny Christ and so were arrested. According to church practice, they had not yet been baptized because they had not completed catechism. In order that they would die as baptized believers, Saturus, their catechist, surrendered to authorities, and joined them in prison to continue their training.

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Within weeks, all six would be sent into the local amphitheater as food for wild animals. The occasion for the brutal event was the birthday of the emperor’s son, Caesar Geta. Seating within the amphitheater reflected the strata of society. Front and center, government officials and landowners had the best view. The cheap seats held the masses.

By contrast, this bold group of believers lived as one in Christ, regardless of status. Of the six captives, three were low class, including two slaves. But a twenty-one year-old named Perpetua clearly had an education as she wrote a personal account of what they suffered and the visions received from God to encourage them. Her writing style and obvious confidence revealed some upperclass privilege in her upbringing. Saturus and others contributed additional details, all of which were gathered in a book titled The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity.

They planned carefully for weeks how they would act in the midst of wild animals and taunting masses. Rather than fending off attackers individually as most criminals did, they planned to defend each other and calmly model the love of Christ before their onlookers. This unified community of faith would not shout at or preach to the masses. Nor would they genuflect before the proconsul, pleading for his mercy.

Felicity, one of the slaves, was pregnant, which meant she would be forced to face execution alone. Therefore, two days before the execution they all prayed fervently for her to give birth and she did so immediately!

On the eve of execution, all prisoners ate their last meals before a gathered crowd. The Christians chose to celebrate a “love feast” together. A common practice of their church, it was both a meal and a celebration of the Eucharist. The customs and rituals which had become ingrained during weekly worship were lived out before the gawking mockers—they at times held hands and exchanged the holy kiss. Their very seating arrangements would speak volumes as Perpetua, the upperclass woman, shared an intimate meal side by side with Felicity. Men and women, poor and rich sat together, witnessing to their love for Christ and for each other.

As they ate before watchful eyes, they expressed to the crowd “their joy in suffering, warning them of God’s judgment, and inviting them the next day to recognize them in the amphitheater.”2 Those who stared wondered what made these six so different from the criminals who greedily consumed their final meal. Many, it is believed, were won over to the faith that very night.

Their Day in the Arena

The next day, their well laid plans were nearly foiled. The celebrated execution had been choreographed. Before marching into the arena, each was given a costume to wear—uniforms from the priests and priestesses of the local deities. They flatly refused. Perpetua made the case for the group, insisting they each could have been spared execution by denying Jesus and offering sacrifices to the emperor. They were not about to deny their Lord by dressing as pagan priests!

As a result, they were stripped of all clothing and sent naked before the taunting masses.

Early on, a cow was goaded to charge Felicity and Perpetua as they stood holding hands. They were thrown into the air by the beast’s horns and landed with a thud. As soon as she recovered, Perpetua rose to her feet and quickly went to Felicity’s side. Helping her up and placing her arm around her, the spectators were moved by the scene. Both women bruised and bleeding, and Felicity lactating before them, prompted cries for clothes to be put on them.

Such compassion was fleeting, however. Saturus was later savaged by a hungry leopard. As he bled profusely, the crowd chanted, “Had a great bath! Had a great bath!”3

Execution by a gladiator awaited those who survived. The Christians gathered once again at the center, holding hands and exchanging the kiss of peace, knowing their souls would soon be dispatched.

One nearby onlooker was Pudens, the warden of the prison. Deeply moved by their behavior in captivity and convinced by the teachings of Sarturus, he had already given his heart to Jesus Christ. Moments before the gladiator’s sword fell, Saturus beckoned to him. “Give me your ring,” he said. After receiving Puden’s ring, he wiped it in his own blood, gave it back, and said, “Remember me, and remember the faith.”

Our Days in Our Arena

Perpetua was a young mother who, even while in prison, had been nursing her infant son. Her father begged repeatedly for her to deny Christ and stay at home. The day of her final trial, he showed up once again to make his passionate appeal, even receiving a beating from the proconsul for his behavior. But refusing to deny Christ, she embraced death.

As we enter a new year, many of us take stock of our lives and look ahead. But in this moment, consider looking back 1800 years. Observe the devotion of these early Christians whose very lives turned the Roman Empire’s paganism on its head.4

As our culture descends into neopaganism, we would do well to imitate their witness of faith. It was not with wit, wisdom, or pithy comebacks the early followers won over their persecutors, but how they lived out their discipleship in every arena of life. How does this instruct us in our own making of disciples? We will consider that in a future blog post.

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The result? A drastic drop in the rates of infanticide, rapes of young boys, sexual abuse of slaves, and the practice of prostitution. Pagan sexual mores from the beginning of time were exchanged for a life in conformity with the teachings of Jesus and Paul.

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What followed? Nearly 1500 years of honoring marriage vows and nurturing families which resulted in what we refer to as Western civilization. Yes, we all know the current trend of pointing out the imperfections and abuses scattered throughout church history. Some are quick to decry the corruption of the church or significant abuses of power. Others flag the misogynistic abuse and suppression of women as the obvious black eye of the church.

But Perry and Weiss represent the new voices slowly emerging as many observe the breakneck decline of societal assumptions. The early adoption of surgically transitioning children, the violent surge of antisemitism, and the islamization of Great Britain have churned up pockets of concern if not alarm from some who claim no faith at all.

Two years ago, Perry published an insightful piece in the high brow Christian publication First Things. There she threaded together the benefits of Christian influence with one central Christian teaching: “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…” (1 Cor. 1:27 NRSV). Consider this small clipping for starters:

Here’s the problem for the feminists busy sawing at the branch on which they sit: The same Christian ideas that grant feminism its moral force carry other implications. Though women are a vulnerable group by virtue of their being smaller and weaker than men, there is another group of human beings who are weaker still. A group with no ability to defend themselves against violence, or to proclaim their rights. The very smallest and weakest among us, in fact. Whether we like it or not, we cannot place the protection of the vulnerable at the heart of our ethical system without reaching the conclusion that the unborn child ought not to be killed.

Her boasting of Christian influence within the pages of First Things is incredibly ironic given that Perry is agnostic!

In fact, neither Perry nor Weiss profess faith in Christ, and yet as they reflected on the repaganization resulting from the more recent sexual revolution, both were amazed. They, like others, were recognizing the hefty pillars provided by a Christian worldview which have held up Western civilization. The sexual revolution of the 60’s has, in effect, been toppling those very pillars. In essence, these rapid changes usher us back in time to the Roman milieu of infanticide, rape of the vulnerable, and abuse of the sexually trafficked.

They noted particularly how late-term abortion practices in our country so closely mimic the barbaric infanticide of the Romans. Neither one votes pro-life, but they can’t help but value the cultural currents put in motion by the early church—currents increasingly diverted toward ancient paganism.

Note this again from Perry’s article:

The legal status of abortion is at the center of the contemporary culture war because it represents the bleeding edge of dechristianization. When pro-life and pro-choice advocates fight about the nitty-gritty of abortion policy, what they are really fighting about is whether our society ought to remain Christian. Most people who describe themselves as pro-choice have not really thought about what truly abandoning Christianity would mean—that is, truly abandoning Christians’ historically bizarre insistence that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

Even secular humanism itself finds at its roots the soil of Christian concern for the poor and disadvantaged. At the heart of societal justice and individual freedom one finds the scriptural assertion that, as our founders framed it, “… all men are created equal …” It is this very tenet which served to fuel the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and equal pay regardless of sex.

Quoting historian Tom Holland, she adds an exclamation point:

How common, in antiquity, are the fundamental tenets of humanism: that humans—no matter their sex, their place of origin, their class—are all of equal value; and that those who walk in darkness must be brought into light? Not common at all, I would say. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that their fusion was pretty much a one-off.

In other words, secular humanism is just Christianity with nothing upstairs. (Italics for Holland’s words added by Perry.)

What does any of this mean for we who surf the Sexual Tsunami, seeking to help the sexually broken? It compels us to consider how the early church made disciples of Jesus Christ in that pagan culture.

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More Irony

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” That quote has been shortened to a quip and used flippantly by Hollywood: “Well, when in Rome …” In essence, it has come to mean indulging in the practices prevalent wherever you visit, even if they are dubious or overtly sexual.

The origin? Saint Ambrose. When Augustine and his mother Monica left Milan to visit Rome, they noted the Christian practice of fasting on Saturdays. They inquired whether they should do likewise. Ambrose urged that while in Rome, to do as the Roman Christians did!

Bizarre as it seems, we are waking up to the advance of the ancient pagan sexual practices once pervasive in Rome. Perverse and violent sexual behaviors assault our kids via ever accessible media. And so our children, concluding they are in “Rome,” feel pressured to accept if not adopt what the “Romans” are doing.

In the next article, I will give an overview of Christian discipleship within the early church. They transformed a deviant culture as individuals were themselves transformed.

Now that we are in their “Rome,” perhaps we should do as the early Christians did.

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A New Curriculum

A year ago, Garry Ingraham of Transforming Congregations hired me to write a new inner healing curriculum for churches who want equipped to minister to the sexually broken. The final piece was submitted this summer. Garry has reworked it, incorporating healing dynamics from his own training and is currently running his first pilot of the material. Following revisions, it will be released under the title Restoring the Soul.

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As you likely know, my training in inner healing came from Terry Wardle. With his methodologies as the backbone for this curriculum, I incorporated my own insights on the dynamics of sexual brokenness. Because my work differs significantly from Garry’s end product, I will self-publish it under the title The Nehemiah Project, making it available for use by those I train. In fact, this fall I launched this program in a local church, training 14 small group leaders to minister to nearly 30 participants. God has shown up! Some have found significant inner healing and nearly everyone has experienced fresh encounters with the Lord.

Abortion Recovery Conference

Last spring I was asked to be the keynote speaker for a conference regarding recovery from abortion. When Stefanie Libertore of Hope for Deeper Healing initially contacted me, I felt unqualified. But truly the tragic loss of millions of lives is the most egregious consequence of the Sexual Revolution. Those who’ve made this choice can carry an enormous weight of guilt and shame. Certainly my training in inner healing prayer had relevance for such a gathering.

During each of the three 50 minute sessions, God showed up significantly. The tears shed and emotions healed were stunning evidence of God at work among us. With eyes now opened to this incredible ministry, I will share further thoughts in future articles regarding the wounds carried by both women and men resulting from this choice.

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The Weeks Ahead

Despite changes in headlines, the Sexual Tsunami continues to devastate young lives. Yes, trans identification among people ages 18-22 dropped by nearly half between 2022 and 2024. In that same age bracket, nonbinary identification has more than halved. But the ever glaring specter of the Epstein scandal reminds us that sex trafficking finds ever new ways of manifesting. Porn usage also remains ubiquitous and we will consider the latest efforts in finding release from this contentious addiction.

A Counter Revolution

For her podcast Honestly, Bari Weiss interviewed Louise Perry, author of The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century. With insights from historian Tom Holland, they concluded the very first sexual revolution took place during the first four centuries of the Early Church. During that period, the pagan sexual mores of the Roman Empire were flipped upside down. The result? A drastic drop in rates of infanticide, rapes of young boys, and sexual abuse of slaves.

How did the Early Church accomplish such a feat? That will be the topic for the next article.

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Consider with me some significant insights from the original Hebrew words found in the creation story.

Both men and women were created in God’s image. Even though scripture refers to God with male pronouns, and Jesus taught us to pray to God as our Father, the character of God encompasses the best of all that is masculine and feminine together. Each one of us, whether male or female, reflect the image of God. We are all made in the spiritual, relational, and representative image of God.

Nonetheless, we are distinct as male and female. Yes, anatomy is obviously different! But there are inner qualities and relational styles which differ as well—in other words, our masculinity and femininity. The key to discovering God’s creative intent is found in the very Hebrew words given to us in Genesis 1-4—words inspired by God himself.

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First, let’s look at Genesis 1:26—27:

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (NASB) (Italics added.)

The word used for “mankind” and “man” in this passage is adam. Even though that becomes the name of the first male, it actually has the much broader meaning of “humankind.” So in verse 27, it states that as he created humankind in his image, he created them as two distinct genders, male (zakar) and female (neqebah). Understanding these two words gives us some clarity on the distinctions between masculinity and femininity.1

In his helpful book Fully Alive: A Biblical Vision of Gender That Frees Men and Women to Live Beyond Stereotypes, Dr. Larry Crabb takes a deep dive into the Hebrew meaning of these words in the creation story. Keeping in mind our essence as image bearers of a relational Trinity, he teases out the unique characteristics found in these two words for male and female.

To begin with, neqebah refers to having been opened and now being entered. True femininity is relational and welcoming in nature, but not indiscriminately. She will receive only what is in line with the character and purposes of God. She is not a doormat with the word “Welcome” burned into it. She is made to be more like a modern door, one with a peep hole to see and discern who or what might be wanting to enter.

Zakar, on the other hand, means “to leave a mark, to have an impact.”2 The root of this word was eventually tagged on someone who assisted a king. A “zakar” was an advisor who had the king’s concerns at heart and reminded the king of what was important. So the truly masculine man wants to have an impact for the Kingdom of the One whose image he bears.

By God’s design, the masculine and feminine are meant to play equal and complementary roles in reflecting the image of God and advancing his concerns.

This does not mean that women were never meant to lead or have an impact. Nor does it excuse men from welcoming, receiving, and giving. It is simply how we are wired—what comes most naturally for us.

In this way, it is similar to our spiritual gifts. While the gifts I’ve been given by God are teaching, mercy, and encouragement, it does not mean that I play no role in evangelism or giving. Absolutely not. But given my giftset, I serve the Kingdom best in the roles that match my gifts. So too with our gender. Being feminine or masculine does not restrict our roles for the Kingdom, but guides us in the ways most in line with God’s design.

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Please note: I am not applying this to the current Kingdom skirmishes over who has final say in the family. Egalitarians argue male headship was a result of the Fall and therefore spouses should rule the home equally. Complementarians state the headship was established in the Garden with the man receiving the crown. I offer no opinion on that matter. Regardless of where you land, neither the husband nor the wife should be controlling or manipulative.

But the essence of who we are as male and female is indeed instructive as we minister in this culture where feelings trump biology when it comes to understanding gender.

You may already have connected some dots between these Hebrew words and the act of sexual intimacy. That certainly is legitimate. Anatomically, women are designed to open and receive, while men enter and have an impact. So how do we know these words are about gender characteristics and not simply anatomy? After all, this may just be a description of genitalia. In the next article, we will look at two more Hebrew words which give the clues regarding our differences.

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So, should we continue to use male pronouns for God and pray to him as our Father? Absolutely. We do so because he is the one who initiates toward us. We are those who receive. We as the Church will always be the bride in the way we welcome and receive his grace.

As you likely have heard, another prominent Christian has been caught in scandal. Michael Tait, formerly of DC Talk and more recently the Newsboys, has fallen. This is not a judgmental take nor an analysis of why such a person tumbles off the stage. It is simply a sobering message for those of us who work with the sexually broken. After all, anyone can fall.

Given our quickly changing tastes and trends, the music which nurtured us spiritually often dates us. For me it was Larry Norman and Keith Green—unfamiliar names for millennials and younger, but oh how they shaped and encouraged me!

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As I have worked with youth over the past 30 years, I’ve often become fans of their Christian bands, including DC Talk. No matter what happens, I will always have the Jesus Freak album pounding in my head, including the well written and profound “What If I Stumble?”. Those lyrics describe the temptation of Christian music artists regarding the motives for their music. Note the tension between ministry and money in these words:

Is this one for the people?
Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade
For things I must afford?

After an investigation of several years, undeniable evidence and testimony have come to light about Tait’s hidden struggles, not with money but with sex. Credible firsthand accounts give lurid details of how he used his star status and influence to seduce men in their early 20’s.

Yes, we so very much get caught up in celebrities. The thrill of being granted access to a famous person can easily dissolve our defenses. Performers with any self-awareness can sense this. Note those prophetic words again:

Holiness is calling
In the midst of courting fame

Cause I see the trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need Your love in their lives
Compromise is calling

Back to my point and purpose, whether you are famous or not, you gain power and influence over the addicted, abused, and confused as you seek to minister to them. Whether you are a pastor, counselor, or friend, you will eventually see “the trust in their eyes.” Yes, they need God’s love in their lives. But so often they can soak in our love and begin to transfer onto us, viewing us as the concerned dad, mom, or spouse their hearts have hungered for. That longing can become crazily powerful.

Their transference can be a channel for God to meet them through you in a deeply powerful way. If you have unmet needs of your own, however, compromise can begin to call. Watch out! If you begin to counter-transfer, seeing them as the son, daughter, or spouse you wished you had, you can be sucked in very quickly, soon swirling down the drain of dark desires.

Again, no judgment on Michael Tait. You and I likely cannot begin to imagine the horrendous struggle of being attracted to the same sex while also being a prominent fixture in Evangelical culture. Even though a member of a band, he may have felt there was no safe place to share his deepest struggles. That’s the ongoing pitfall of ministry in the Church which can’t discuss sex.

The lyrics of that song were a prayer to God, asking how he would react if they stumbled and fell. At one point, a chorus begins with . . .

I hear You whispering my name
(You say)
My love for You will never change
(Never change)

So absolutely true, right? Whether it is Tait, King David, Ravi Zacharias, Jimmy Swaggart, or any other leader, God’s love is steadfast and unchanging. No question. But there are always consequences which follow. Always.

With sad irony, “What If I Stumble” begins with someone reading a quote by Brennan Manning:

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

Note his carefully. To avoid your own fall, you need to be in a band! No, not the Newsboys, Mercy Me, etc. You need a band of brothers or sisters who know your darkest struggles and vulnerabilities.

Since 1996, I’ve always had at least one brother in Christ who has known all my junk. Yes, I’ve been severely tempted. If not for the guardrails of God’s grace and the prayers of those who knew me intimately, I would have skidded off the road and over a cliff.

This is a key pillar of my book Pure Hearted: Banding Together for Sexual Wholeness. Though it is written for those coming out of some form of sexual addiction, the main premise holds true for us all. We need a band who will have our backs, especially as we hit the beaches being pounded by the Sexual Tsunami.

Don’t procrastinate on this. A free download on the history behind spiritual bands and how to form one can be found at this link: https://discipleshipbands.com.

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Wading through a comment section recently, I came across this quote from Sun Tzu, no doubt from his ancient book The Art of War.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. (Italics added.)

Know our Enemy. If you begin to minister to the sexually broken, you will come under attack. Be very much aware of his strategy. Someone’s transference and your unhealthy countertransference will be his ambush.

Know yourself as well. This is critical. Know your unmet needs and weaknesses. Prayerfully seek out a band of a few friends who can know your secrets and hold your feet to the fire. Risky? Yes. But take the risk! Keep seeking until God provides the right people!

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In 2003, I had the wonderful privilege of sitting at a roundtable discussion with Dr. Stephen Seamands. His book Wounds that Heal: Bringing Our Hurts to the Cross had just hit the market and so our topic for the day was how inner healing prayer was empowered by the atoning work of Christ on the cross.

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At a certain point he brought up the subject of idolatry. As the son of missionaries in India, Seamands had seen firsthand the worship of Hindu gods and goddesses. Wanting to reveal my brilliance, I made the observation that actual physical idols were likely not as dangerous as the idols we adopt here in the States, such as wealth, power, sex.

He quickly disagreed. Fashioning images to represent the spiritual realm not only corrupts our worldview, he believed, but it was also Satan’s way of taking what God has created and using it for evil.

Images

Each day I read from the Psalms. Recently a few verses jumped out which I hadn’t noticed before. Could this be applied to viewing porn? And if so, what is going on in the spiritual realm?

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods! Psalm 97:6—7 ESV

Interesting. “All worshipers of images . . . “ What might these "images” have been? Throughout the Middle East in ancient times, images ofAshtoreth and Ishtar were found as statues and bas relief. Their Greek counterparts Aphrodite and Venus likewise had carvings, paintings, and statues scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Partial nudity for these fertility goddesses was the norm.

Psalm 97:6 reminds us of Romans 1 where Paul declares the glory of God is evident in the created world.

²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. . . . ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:20—23 ESV (Italics mine.)

Note also Psalm 97:7. The psalmist decries the shame of “All worshipers of images . . . who make their boast in worthless idols.” Is it too much of a stretch to connect dots between worship of ancient nude statues and gazing at the racy images so easily accessible on phones, tablets, and laptops? Going gaga over created things rather than giving allegiance to our Creator is certainly sinful.

Ancient idolators sought false gods for their provision and protection, while reveling in the sexual excesses that accompanied the worship. Porn patrons of all sorts are looking to false sources to meet needs and soothe the flesh.

If porn absorption is akin to worshiping pagan gods, at what point do we reach engagement with darkness as found in 1 Corinthians 10? Note the following:

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¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? ¹⁹ What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 1 Cor. 10:14—22 ESV (Emphasis added by me.)

Each of the italicized/bold words above are derived from the Greek word koinonia. That term, as you may know, is often translated as “fellowship” or “sharing.” The incredible worship we experience with our “participation” in the blood and body of Christ is here starkly contrasted with the unknowing fellowship with demons experienced with food offered to idols. Wow.

Our beloved brothers and sisters who unknowingly bow their hearts before online images are in some way fellowshipping with darkness. Perhaps, as Seamands taught, it may be less demonic than kneeling in an Indian temple. But certainly we must recognize the ground we are giving to the enemy by fixing our gaze on porn or entangling our hearts with cam girls and AI generated filth.

Overcoming addiction to porn is not so easy. How we need the grace of God!

Porn in the Church

A few months ago, several colleagues pointed me to recent research from the Barna Group. Their findings may surprise you. Nearly 20% of pastors report being currently addicted to porn; two thirds have engaged with it at some point in their lives. And yet, only 33% believe it is a prevalent problem in their congregation.

Note the following from their report:

. . . overall, most U.S. pastors don’t see porn use as a problem for their congregants, revealing a profound disconnect between pastoral perception and actual behavior.

Contrary to most pastors’ assessments of their congregations, 75 percent of Christian men and 40 percent of Christian women report porn consumption on some level. And while practicing faith does correlate with less porn use, we see that over half of practicing Christians (54%) report viewing pornography (compared to 68% of non-Christians). (Emphasis theirs.)

Obsession and addiction are far more prevalent with Gen Z. Viewing violent porn has practically become normalized for them. As is often said in this blog, the Church must choose to prioritize the teaching of a theology of sexuality, model compassion for the addicted, abused, and confused, communicate clearly and consistently with our youth, and implement robust and Spirit-led support systems for those wanting freedom.

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Listening to a podcast, I heard a denominational leader state we no longer needed to talk about sexuality (i.e. argue about LGBTQ issues). But it was clear he simply wanted to “get on with the business of the Church.” Addressing sexual issues, however, is a key issue in making disciples. It is the business of the Church! Paul did not look the other way as Corinthian believers supped with the devil. We most certainly cannot keep addiction to porn a closeted matter.

It wasn’t until about twenty years ago that I even knew he was naked on the cross. At that time, I was reading Stephen Seamands’s incredible book Wounds that Heal: Bringing Our Hurts to the Cross (IVP, 2003). Having done his PhD. work on the atonement, Seamands’s grasp of Good Friday’s significance is incredible, and yet it masterfully spells out his insights so clearly.

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His chapter titled “Disregarding the Shame” provides the details regarding the humiliation of being crucified. The horrors of crucifixion were reserved for peasants and criminals who were not Romans. Citizens found guilty were simply beheaded, sparing them the pain and shame. So distasteful was this torture to the upper classes, its practice was rarely mentioned in the literature of that day.

My generation grew up with images of Jesus and the thieves with loin cloths. But Early Church artists simply added the cloth out of respect for their Savior.

Nakedness, of course, reminds us of Adam and Eve’s creation in the Garden of Eden. Something I learned recently adds a powerful punch to the significance of their naked state. Genesis 2:5 through 3:21 describes the creation of Adam and Eve followed by the fall—a single narrative written in chiastic form. As with any chiasm, the central verse is the most important. It provides the pivot point for the entire passage.

What was that pivot point? Verse 2:25: “And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.”

Shame free nakedness was part of God’s grand design. Once eyes were opened, as Satan promised they would be, that innocence was lost. They grabbed fig leaves to cover themselves and hid among the trees.

As is often noted, the shedding of blood to make garments for Adam and Eve pointed to the blood of Jesus Christ who would also cover our own shame by embracing shame itself on the cross. Even as Hebrews reminds us, we are to follow the lead of Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2 ESV italics added).

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Down through the centuries, people have been forcefully stripped of their clothing to abuse or humiliate them. Others voluntarily have bared themselves for profit, acceptance, or popularity. Shame, whether we are bludgeoned with it or blind to it, has a toxic effect. But our wonderful Savior endured the shame for our healing. Truly his humiliating death and exultant resurrection serve as the pivot point of all history.

The writer to the Hebrews, as mentioned earlier, emphasized how our high priest can sympathize with your weaknesses, including shame. The very next verse states, “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may have mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

What is your need today? Healing for those moments when you were so humiliatingly exposed? Or grace to continue to minister to the last, the least, and the lost who have been shamed by the devastating Tsunami? May the Risen One meet you powerfully this Easter, enabling you to know him more deeply, endure more patiently, and walk in his great anointing for the healing of others.

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