It was just a few years ago that the Christian world was blindsided as it learned about the size and scope of the modern-day porn problem. We learned that a vast percentage of young men, and an increasing percentage of young women, are immersed in porn and have been since their youngest days. We learned that many older men and women are into it as well. This led to a great number of books on the subject as well as a host of resources meant to combat the problem.
One of the latest books is The Porn Problem by Vaughan Roberts. This is the third and most recent entry in a series of short books he has written under the heading “Talking Points.” Each of them brings a distinctly Christian viewpoint to a contemporary issue: Assisted suicide, transgenderism, and now pornography. His purpose is to drive home this point: “The Bible has wonderful news for those who are beginning to feel they will never find victory in the fight against porn. The gospel of Jesus Christ offers complete forgiveness and also a new power by the Holy Spirit to enable us to fight sin and grow in holiness. It really is possible to live porn-free. Jesus is realistic about the power that sin can exert over us, but he also has a message of glorious hope for us, however low we have sunk.”
Roberts approaches the topic by first discussing God’s design in creating human sexuality and by proving “Scripture has a wonderfully high view of sex.” When we understand God’s purpose in sexuality, we soon see that “porn, which is by its natural selfish and unrelational, not only demeans sex; it also harms us.” He next focuses in on the ugliness of porn, showing that it cheapens sex, objectifies people, harms the young, and corrupts its users. And the negative consequences go far beyond that! Then he discusses the slavery of porn and how it enslaves those who commit themselves to it. Concluding chapters discuss the making of true freedom and living a porn-free life. He takes the reader full-circle, from captivity to freedom, from addiction to deliverance.
Overall, this is an excellent little book and a welcome contribution in what has become a crowded field. Until the porn problem crests and ebbs, we will continue to rely on books like this to address the issue and deliver hope. The Porn Problem is accessible because of its brevity and affordable because of its size. This makes it an ideal resources to have on-hand and to make available to anyone who could benefit from it.
