There are many topics that Christians feel uncomfortable talking about. These range from mental health to sex, and from gender to death, but Vaughan Roberts is tackling these topics with his series ‘Talking Points’.
Currently the series has three books – Transgender, The Porn Problem & Assisted Suicide.
Each of these topics can be referred to as a ‘hot topic’ but we need to talk about them.
The Porn Problem is a very short book designed as an introduction to the problem of pornography (as it says on the tin!), but this is not a ‘look at how bad the world has become’ kind of book, instead it focuses on the impact porn can have on the church and on Christians.
Vaughan starts by placing sex into the context that God designed it for, that it is to be enjoyed within a marriage between one man and one woman.
There are many markings in my copy of The Porn Problem, too many to put in this short review, but this sentence is so counter-cultural that it must be quoted
“Sex is not simply recreational; it is profoundly relational”
Sex is a good gift from God, it is more than just a physical act between two people, it has a purpose and it has boundaries.
Vaughan explains the beauty of sex when enjoyed as God intended, and then he goes on to explain the ugliness of porn and the damage that it can cause. Generally speaking people might think that porn is harmless, but it cheapens sex, objectifies people and can cause serious emotional damage, and it can lead to physical complications.
As porn is not something to play around with, is addictive and dangerous, I think that Christians need to speak openly about it. Not only young men are lured into the snare that is porn, it affects people from all stages, ages and sexes. Vaughan’s book has great statistics of how wide-spread the porn problem is, statistics of how damaging it is for people, and the book is realistic about the struggles of breaking the cycle of porn addiction.
But The Porn Problem doesn’t leave you in desperation scrambling for answers or scouring the shelves for self-help books, it leaves you with the truth that freedom from porn is possible, that there is such a thing as freedom from this addiction that plagues so many people.
Vaughan gives a good further reading list if you want more than a brief (very brief!) introduction to the topic and has practical advice (software, etc.…) that can help people guard themselves to a degree from porn, ultimately the person needs to see the damage that it causes and their need of freedom.
This book asks and answers hard questions about porn and gives good insights for how to help others as they wrestle with the problem of pornography.
If you have a spare afternoon, if you struggle with watching pornography, if you want to help others in your church or community, pick up this book and read it, and be open to talk to people about an uncomfortable topic. Christians should be leading the way by helping people to overcome their addictions and caring for them in every way possible, so start that conversation, ask that question and start helping.
Rating 4/5
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