Editor's note: HARVERST USA is a ministry led by Presbyterian Church in America members. This article by John Freeman, Executive Director, is presented to provide a resource for pastors, members and churches as they seek to minister to people struggling with sexual difficulties and addictions.

It was twenty years ago just this last fall when the Session at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia decided to launch the ministry which eventually became HARVEST USA.  That initial outreach focused on bringing the gospel to those desiring freedom from homosexuality. At that time there were about eight homosexual bars and restaurants and about 50 homosexual organizations within just a few blocks of the church. Today there are approximately twenty bars and over 200 organizations, just in the Philadelphia area, which exist just to encourage people into homosexuality.  In fact, about 5,000 of these types of groups exist nationwide today.  An increasing number are affiliated with colleges and universities.

I had the privilege back then, while a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, to become a volunteer and, then, the first staff person at HARVEST USA.  Today we have thirteen on our staff in the Philadelphia and Chattanooga offices. (The teaching elders we have on our staff are ordained as evangelists.) Even though we, originally, were an outreach (via tracts, advertising in local newspapers and magazines, etc.) to those impacted by homosexuality, even then we were receiving a consistent number of calls from men, wives and family member affected by other forms of sexual sin, including pornography, adultery, etc. I suppose those dealing with these problems figured that if we were helping people deal biblically with homosexuality --- then we could handle anything. For years we just integrated those dealing with pornography into our Bible Study/Support Groups, as we were able. 

Today we still minister to those desiring freedom from homosexuality, but a growing number of those in our groups are men struggling with pornography.  In fact, over 50% of new inquiries to the ministry are men dealing with pornography, adult clubs, internet pornography and other sexual sin. The easy access and anonymous availability of Internet pornography is doing immense damage. I recently read that The American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, at their recent annual convention, admitted that Internet pornography was a factor in over 50% of divorce cases in the last year. 

I believe that a record number of Christian men also have to deal with this dilemma on a daily basis. For many, it’s tantamount to having an adult bookstore at your fingertips, available at any moment and you have to decide whether or not you’re going through that door on any given day – maybe several times a day! Because of this, pornography is affecting Christian marriages as never before.

We must realize that, increasingly, we live in a ‘porn is the norm’ world.  We are bombarded daily with sexual images. At my local mall, the brochure meant to guide me to the stores I need to find are listed on a glossy piece of material whose cover shows the back of a woman, nude from the waist up, twirling a length of pearls, a seductive look pasted on her face. What, I ask one, does this cover picture have to do with my needing to find the nearest Sears store?  Never mind the newest round of voyeur TV programs soon to include, “One Night Stand” and “You, Too, Can Be a Porn Star.”

Can it be denied that our culture is continually pushing the envelope? Consider the MTV Awards kiss between Madonna and other popular female performers or the breast exposure incident on the recent Super Bowl Half-Time show. Given what we’re facing today, from without and within, it’s quite naïve of us, as church leaders, not to realize that most people come into our churches with sexually scarred souls.

In twenty years of ministry, I’ve come to believe that few men, including Christian men, live in sexual limbo.  What I mean by that is that most men face personal struggles with issues of moral purity and lust on some level – some more than others. It may seem passé, but the world, the devil, and the flesh really are spiritual forces opposed to living one’s life with purity and holiness. I think the deepest and most severe damage that pornography does, besides the obvious mind and heart damage to all involved, is that it robs men of the words of truth and grace they are called to speak to their own hearts and the hearts of those closest to them, including their families and others.  In other words, it retards the spread of the gospel and the advancement of the kingdom. 

The work of the enemy in keeping men slaves to their lusts and to the elements that assist them to cooperate with their lusts is spiritually crippling.  How can a man, who views internet pornography on Tuesday night, feel invested in or excited about the neighborhood evangelistic outreach scheduled for Wednesday night? How can he be motivated to share the gospel with a co-worker on the job? What about taking the lead in his marriage or problem solving interpersonal conflict with family members?  When I was in my sin and addiction, I certainly couldn’t do any of this with any integrity.  My fear is that an increasing impotency exists in our churches with regard to men leading as they should and I think, in many cases, it can be traced back to unresolved issues and guilt concerning sexual struggles.  When are we going to ‘get real’ about this epidemic in our churches?

Add to this the fact that many men in our churches are busier than ever and we have potentially explosive situations just waiting to happen.  Men, especially, suffer from the ‘doing’ and accomplishing syndrome.  Most don’t seem to find the time to allow for proper soul care – even when it comes to their own besetting struggles with sin.  In light of this, we certainly need regular self-examination of the heart, both alone and in the context of community with other men. This is radically true for those struggling with sexual issues. Just consider what that great minister of the gospel, J.C. Ryle, had to say over 150 years ago about this need for diligent care of the heart:

Let me counsel every true servant of Christ to examine his own heart frequently and carefully before God. This is a practice which is useful at all times; it is especially desirable at this present day.  When the great plague of London was at its height, people took note of the smallest symptoms that appeared on their bodies in a way that they never noticed them before. A spot here, a spot there, which in time of health, men thought nothing of, received close attention when the plague was decimating families and striking down one after another!  We ought to watch our hearts with double watchfulness. We ought to give more time to meditation, self-examination and reflection. It is a hurrying, bustling age; if we would keep from falling, we must take time for being frequently alone with God.  (Churches Beware! p. 76-77).

We ought to do all we can to encourage this kind of heart care in all the men of our churches. Anything we can do to give permission for men to deal honestly and forthrightly with their struggles, we certainly should do. A pastor friend of mine in the south sent a letter to every man in his congregation a few months ago.  Basically, he wanted to encourage men who struggled with sexual sin to come forward, begin to be really honest, and start to get needed help. Now, that’s what I call a bold and loving pastor.  I actually called him to tell him that I admired his love and concern for the men in his congregation. Might it be messy? In some cases, that might be true. But consider the spiritual gain to be achieved.  He has received calls from men who saw that letter as a sign that there was hope in the gospel for them.

Increasingly, the ministry of HARVEST USA exists to encourage and empower the church to see sexual sin issues as gospel issues – therefore gospel opportunities.  In fact our ministry’s new vision statement is to “Partner with and equip the church to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to transform the lives of those impacted by sexual sin”.

 We are currently working on resources for the church.  One new resource, just completed, is the 13 chapter workbook, Crossroads: Choosing the Path to Sexual Purity.  This is a good entry-level workbook, written by one of the pastors on our staff, for those just beginning to be honest about the hold that sexual sin has on the heart.  We’ve also developed a one-day seminar, “Pursuing Holiness in a Sex Saturated Society,” which helps congregations begin to minister to those struggling by better understanding how the gospel impacts the heart issues that are involved in sexual addictions. 

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John Freeman is Executive Director of HARVEST USA. 

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