Anyone who works in student or young adult ministry knows that pornography preys on our ministries in a multiplicity of ways. The prevalence of pornography in our culture—even among Christians—is not breaking news. Even secular sociologists and news outlets are pointing out—with alarm—pornography’s damaging effects on the mind, body, and spirit of today’s youth. What is alarming (and almost shocking) is some of the deeper trends and thought patterns about pornography use among young adults.
It’s neither my purpose nor my desire in this post to add to the stigma or shame associated with porn use. What I do want to do is to help us see the depth and complexities of the issues associated with it in our churches or student groups. If we don’t have a healthy understanding of the gravity of the issue, it will be much tougher to minister to this generation’s increasing debilitation with pornography.
In 2016, the Barna Group (in partnership with Josh McDowell Ministries) produced a comprehensive and formative study on porn use and mindsets in the U.S. It is an invaluable resource in understanding where we are today on this issue.
Here are five of the most alarming realities of pornography and young adults:
- The most at-risk victim of pornography’s lure is the non-Christian young adult male (aged 13-24). Of that demographic, 72 percent use porn regularly (at least once per month).
- The gap in porn usage between Christian and non-Christian young adult guys is not as wide as we would hope it to be. Yes, 72 percent of non-Christian guys use it regularly; but, 41 percent of Christian young adult guys use it regularly. When you account for the stigma and shame associated with porn among Christians, it’s probably safe to assume that number may be a little low. Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians speaks just as strongly today as it did 2,000 years ago: …each of you [should know] how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passions like the Gentiles, who don’t know God (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5).
- Pornography is not only a “guys’ issue.” Nationwide, 67 percent of young adult males use porn regularly while 33 percent of young adult females do. Pastors, campus ministers, and teachers must wake up to this reality. Our tendency to paint pornography as a vice only pertaining to men leaves many women in the pews overlooked and actually makes the shame among them grow deeper. In their minds, it’s bad enough they struggle, but because this is not “something women do,” the problem is only exacerbated.
- American young adults at large simply do not see porn use as a significant moral issue. As a matter of fact, among a top-ten list of moral vices, young adults place porn use at number 9. Only 32 percent believe it is always or usually wrong. In their minds, not recycling, using too much electricity or water, and thinking negatively about someone with a different point of view are all greater vices than viewing pornography. A significant generational shift exists here—55 percent of adults 25 and older still view porn use as morally wrong.
- An overwhelming majority of young adults (79%) say they have no one to help them stay away from pornography. This number should make us pause. It tells us that the church can’t be silent on this issue. We must talk about it from the pulpit, in small groups, at the lunch or dinner table, at the gym, at retreats, and any other place where we have influence in the lives of students and young adults. We can’t eradicate porn from the planet, and we can’t make anybody stop using it. But, we can be a listening ear who is available to help.
If you are interested to know more about this study or read more widely about its findings, you can check out The Porn Phenomenon: The Impact of Pornography in the Digital Age from the Barna Group.
Chris James serves as Boston Collegiate Coordinator for the Baptist Convention of New England where he serves as Pastor of Mill City Church & Christian Student Fellowship, a multi-site ministry reaching students at UMASS Lowell. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi (BA) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv).