Posted on 01/14/2002 2:14:57 PM PST by truthandlife
Two young ministers have taken a provocative approach to combating pornography.
Craig Gross and Mike Foster have launched what they bill as "the No. 1 Christian porn site," and taken their message to the heart of the adult-entertainment world.
The pair took a booth at the annual "Adult Video News" trade show in Las Vegas last week, the showcase for the multibillion-dollar porn industry that includes its own "Oscars" for categories such as "most outrageous sex scene."
"If Jesus were walking the earth today, we think that He'd be here, too," Gross told the Los Angeles Times. "After all, [He] hung out with prostitutes and stuff." Gross and Foster were there to talk about their new website, which aims to help people leave the porn industry and get free from Internet-porn addiction.
Gross said they did not go to judge. "What good would that do? We decided the best thing to do was to actually be in the show and try to talk to the people in the industry in a professional and respectful manner and not be confrontational."
Gross and Foster hope their XXXChurch.com site might draw cyberspace surfers looking for pornography. They say they recognize the name might offend some, but they chose it because "it's provocative and memorable. We have combined the seedy and the sacred for a purpose. We wanted the name to stick in the minds of millions."
The site includes a "prayer wall" where visitors can post appeals for prayer, free "accountability software" that tracks a computer's users' Internet travels, and a sign-up form on which supporters pledge to be accountable about their own struggles and be honest about "the dirty little secret."
The new ministry is backed by the pair's friends at Crossroads Christian Church in Fullerton, Calif., where Gross is on staff.
"As a church and a ministry, it is very near our hearts to help people overcome sexual addiction and to help them have healthy sexual boundaries with other people," senior associate pastor Jud Wilhite told the Times. "Obviously, this ministry is directed right at that and going right into the middle of that arena, trying to be a light."
At the AVN show, the XXXChurch booth was wedged between a company advertising explicit Japanese cartoons and another selling gay sex films, the Times reported. Some in the industry dismissed the ministry, said the newspaper – but it did find one actress who prayed the rosary each week and said, "I believe in prayer and God. It makes me a better person."
At their website, Gross and Foster say the church has "an incredible opportunity to be a place of true healing and restoration for hurting and broken people in regards to pornography. But it must first be bold enough and care enough to take on the dirty little secret."
They say they are trying to tackle Internet porn head-on: "We believe that if the pornographers are using the Net to promote their product, then we need to use the Internet to promote our message."
Charisma News Service is a division of Strang Communications.
I was just about to post on this issue, when I saw you bring it up!
Flirty fishing -- one can't help but wonder how much Hollywood "talent" came to the attention of directors and producers this way.
I do believe that I heard Rose McGowan on the Leno show simply say that she used to do it when she was growing up in "The Family of God"...
And I do believe she could persuade me to enter into a lengthy and hard argued discussion of theology...
Mark W.
You mean the French?!?
This group misrepresents themselves as porn junkies to try to lure real porn junkies to their site. Their purpose is actually not to hang out with the porn stars, but to MINISTER to them.
Jan 9-13 Mike and Craig will be at the Adult-Expo in Las Vegas. This is the annual porn show that shows all the new stuff going on in the adult entertainment industry. All kinds of porn sites will be there as well as everything else under the sun. And we mean everything else under the sun. There will be tens of thousands of people attending the show and media from all over the country will be there covering it. Xxxchurch will have a booth giving away balloons that read “the #1 christian porn site" and have "Rex the Rabbit" handing out xxxchurch promotional materials. We will have the opportunity to talk to thousands of people in the industry and to show the love of Christ.I think you fell for their deception, but that's what they want. They want regular, straightlaced Christians to be mad at them, so young people will think they have credibility.We want to stress that we are not going to the show to protest or to judge the folks attending the expo. We will not be waving signs or picketing. That’s not our gig. We will simply be representing our ministry in a professional and respectable manner and be a part of the show. We feel that it is incredibly important to handle this ministry with integrity and not to go down the easy road of protest and finger pointing. We are about solutions, not problems.
By the way, accompanying us will be our wives and pastors to make sure that we are not checking out the other booths. (you know what we mean) We covet your prayers as we attend this show.
If Dickens were alive today...
You can't tell me that being in a place like that (good intentions or no) will not cause even the most devout Christian to commit sin with his or her mind. I'm not saying that these men are secretly indulging in porn; I believe that their intentions are good. I think that they are opening themselves up to a world of harm. I will be praying for them.
The headline:
"'Christian porn site' debuts"
accompanying us will be our wives and pastors to make sure that we are not checking out the other booths.
I hadn't read this part. While I still think their intentions are good, they are doing some harm to themselves and their families by going this far.
Any man that would take his wife to a place like this shows no respect for her. Yes, I understand it is for accountability purposes, but you cannot walk in there blind. You will inadvertently see some pretty sick stuff, which you are now exposing your family to. This shows me that they have their priorities somewhat out of whack. While they are noble to try to minister to porn addicts this way, they are telling their wives that the junkies are more important than they (the wives) are. What is more important, saving lost souls who you don't know or making sure your family gets into heaven?
Tough call, but a man's first ministry is his own family. You cannot sacrifice your family to save others (you can choose to sacrifice yourself, but not others).
Since reading that these men are bringing their wives to a porn convention (good intentions or no), I have lost mucho respect for them.
Run the website, yes. Go and mingle at the convention with your family, heck no!
Check out the website, it's really pretty good.
Is taking his wife with him to a porn convention necessarily harmful to her? Maybe she's already seen all of that stuff before, and repented. In that case, she's probably as strong as he is, and I'm sure it's her choice do go, I doubt a man professing to be an anti-porn Christian would drag his wife to a porn convention.
Good example, I've seen people at work that the first mention of Christ the rapid, "I don't believe in that religion junk" goes off. Someone could preach til they're blue in the face and wouldn't get through. But I've seen pastors come from their standpoint, ask what they believe, why they believe it, and let the person that needs the help almost convince themselves of what's wrong without having to lift a hand
My grandmother always told me, "You'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar" and if these guys change just one life, then it's worth it
Coming to a pew near you, "Whores for the Lord," a group of proselytizing prostitutes who bare a lot more than their consciences. Started as an offshoot of Velvet Jones' Pimp Minstry, the Mattress Mary's will redeem you and shake down your furnace for a Grant, or take you to Epiphany for a c-note. Bring your own hymnal.
Yep. We need to stoop to any level to "sell" Christianity these days. Nothing is too blasphemous as long as it's hip and trendy. Hey, God is a groovy cat, daddy-o.
Good for them. There are "frontlines" all over our culture. Its nice to see someone recognize one and take action.
Or, to borrow a phrase from Neal Boortz, an in-depth discussion of the "Big Bang Theory."
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