By Lucy Begbie
**Content warning this article contains references to pornography**
Tim Parks is a brave man as he sets out to mobilise the church in tackling the porn epidemic through a seminar he leads at New Horizon this week. As Church Engagement and Regional Lead for The Naked Truth Project he is the first to admit talking about this issue can be uncomfortable.
But, he says, most people working for the Naked Truth Project have been ‘marked’ by pornography whether personally or through a family member. It is only by bringing the endemic issue out into the open that the church can get to get grips with it.
Founder and CEO of the Naked Truth Project, Ian Henderson is also one such person – he describes the devastating affects of pornography addiction on a family member as well the release of the iPhone in 2007 as being the catalyst for setting up the ‘porn project’ in 2013.
He cites the arrival then of the first iPhone in the UK as ‘a game-changer for those distributing porn’ as the internet moved from the desktop into people’s pockets.
“No longer confined to top shelf magazines, the shift from the sex shop to the smartphone has created the first generation with anytime, anywhere access to unregulated pornographic content… pornography has never been more accessible, affordable, anonymous and potentially addictive,” he says.
A dangerous addiction
An analysis carried out by the NTP found that in 2019 a well-known porn site boasted 42 billion visits, an average of 115 million per day. And of the 50 most popular pornographic videos 88% contained physical violence. The research showed pornographic addiction led to relationship breakdown, unrealistic expectations about sex and greater acceptance of casual sex and objectifying women.
“It impacts marriages and it impacts the church”
Tim Parks – The Naked Truth Project
He goes on to highlight the neurological similarities between substance addiction and pornography addiction – explaining that the pornography addict is looking for a dopamine hit, and it’s only by changing these neural pathways that change can come about.
The Naked Truth Project has an informative website which includes resources to help people on their journey to recovery from porn addiction – it includes online programmes such as Click to Kick, also a helpful booklist, plus blogs, as well as safety software options and workshops for churches.
But as the Online Safety Bill makes it’s slow progress through parliament – and there is no guarantee it will cover media such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram – what can the church itself do?
Tim Parks says in his seminar that if this is an issue that involves all sectors of society – male, female and children, including Christians – then we in the church need to talk about it.
The shame and isolation pornography addicts feel and how it stops people growing, serving and developing their faith is a problem, and the church needs to come alongside people and move towards compassion not shaming.
“There is not a quick fix to pornography addiction … we have to journey with people. Authentic love means you get over the obstacles… but you need to create spaces for those conversations,” he emphasises.
You can listen to a recording of Tim’s workshop HERE.