Why Is Porn So Popular?

Over the years there has been a strikingly consistent thread running through the most-read articles in TCW’s archives: sex. To be even more specific, some of the most popular articles of all time are about sexual struggles—and one struggle that is consistently in our most-read list is pornography. Over the years, classic TCW articles like “How to Recover from Your Husband’s Pornography Addiction” and “Cybersex Temptation” have garnered thousands of readers.

Perhaps these readers are heartbroken women who’ve been blindsided by discovering their husband’s porn habit—or maybe they’re wives who are sick and tired of their husband’s failed efforts to break a long pattern of addiction. Or maybe they’re mothers who’ve discovered that their teens are sexting or viewing pornographic images of others.

Or maybe these readers—Christian women—are themselves porn addicts. Maybe these readers are wives, mothers, or single women who are deeply conflicted by the disconnect between their faith in Jesus and their secret viewing habits.

Pornography is an issue that’s often kept in the dark. Because it’s rarely discussed within the church and it can be so ruinous to reputations, countless men and women are keeping their pain hidden away, leading them to struggle in profound loneliness and isolation. And when it is discussed in church, it’s usually viewed as a male problem—leaving women who struggle to feel like oddities, unable to share their private shame with others who could help. Over and over, in the dark and the silence, Christians struggling with pornography can feel so very, very alone.

But as the thousands upon thousands of TCW readers seeking hope and help through our articles attest to, you are not alone. The prevalence of exposure to pornography is skyrocketing in our culture—and its power to addict seems to be gaining momentum. So whether you personally struggle with pornography use or you love someone who does, this issue of Today’s Christian Woman will offer you frank conversation and Scripture-centered hope. Will you join us in the conversation as we bring four key truths out of porn’s secretive darkness?

1. Porn can destroy marriages—but it doesn’t have to.

Pornography use can be devastating to a marriage on so many levels—but, even if it seems impossible in your pain and betrayal, the truth is that God can work in that brokenness and struggle to draw husbands and wives closer to him and to each other. In “Your Husband Looks at Porn: Now What?” Dr. Harry W. Schaumburg offers insight to Christian wives on how to understand and respond to a husband’s pornography use—and provides guidance for forgiveness and healing.

2. Porn is a women’s issue too.

And perhaps, because women’s porn use is so rarely acknowledged within the Christian community, it feels even more isolating and dark for the women harboring away a secret habit. In “Porn: Women Use it Too,” Maria Cowell spotlights stories of Christian women struggling with pornography use, examining why women use porn and offering insights from experts on steps women can take in order to break free of porn’s hold on their lives.

Pictures aren’t the only form of “porn” popular among women today. In “Mommy Porn and the Christian Woman,” Dr. Juli Slattery discusses the growing trend of erotica popularized by books like Fifty Shades of Grey. She challenges Christian women to discover and hold tight to an authentic understanding of intimacy rather than settling for the distorted fantasies offered by erotica.

3. As a church, we need to protect and support our young people.

The stats about teens, tweens, and even children being exposed to pornography are staggering and scary. As parents, we need to proactively address these issues with our kids. But this isn’t just a matter for moms and dads to grapple with—it’s a crisis we need to grapple with as the church. How can congregations—pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth
ministry volunteers, mentors, friends—powerfully stand alongside our young people and equip them to navigate a world rife with sexual temptation? In “When Internet Filters Are Not Enough,” Margot Starbuck provides critical insights for how to protect our kids from exposure to porn—and how to help those who are using porn take steps to break the habit.

4. Even the most dedicated believer can struggle with porn.

A pornography struggle does not disqualify someone from faith in Jesus; likewise, a dedicated love for Jesus doesn’t render someone immune to the lure of pornography. In “I’m Defined by My Savior, Not My Sin,” we spotlight one such story: a pastor who struggled deeply with porn. The good news for Darrell Brazell—and the hope available for every believer who struggles—is that Christ’s powerful redemption can break the chains of addiction and provide true freedom from porn’s bondage.

While overcoming porn addiction isn’t easy, there is hope! No matter how heavy that isolating darkness feels—even if we feel covered by it, hidden away and alone— Scripture proclaims, “even the darkness is not dark to you” (Psalm 139:12, ESV). God can meet you in your brokenness and draw you into his light. You are not alone.

Grace,

Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women