Paul in writing to Timothy, warned that in the “Last Days Perilous times would come…” When Paul wrote this he was writing within the context of Christians who would fall away from Jesus in the final days before the Lord’s return.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
This is shocking when you consider that this is spoken of as being the behavior of those who claim to know Jesus Christ in the final day before Jesus returns.
The following article by Aaron Leichman of the Christian Post is stunning when you consider that it is written about Pastors, those who are charged with bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people. I have been a pastor for 15 years and before that serving with Calvary Chapel for a total of 34 years. Just two years ago one of my dear friends and fellow pastors was removed from his church because of his addiction to Internet pornography. This was a wonderful man of God who truly had been faithful in serving the Lord for more that 30 years and never once had an occasion to stumble until this event cost him his life’s work.
Internet pornography is a plague upon our nation and more recently, upon those who minister the Word of God to the people. Before any one of us becomes critical of these pastors who have fallen into this sexual temptation, remember that any man anywhere could also fall into the same trap that these men of God have fallen into.
I would suggest that as you read this article that you become prayerful and vigilant to intercede for every pastor you know, that he will be wise enough and wary enough to avoid even the first signs of falling into the trap of Internet pornography. As I spend my own day on my computer doing research on the Internet and receiving upwards of over 100 emails a day, very often within something as innocent as an email are graphic images sent in these emails by those seeking to trap me as a man of God. I quickly deleted them and have now placed filters on my email to stop these kinds of graphic images from being sent to me.
It is also important to consider in the context of this web site that we are endeavoring to watch for the coming of Jesus by watching the signs in our current world. Jesus was very specific that just prior to His return these kinds of events would happen to even his own followers. When we see these things happening as Jesus told us they would, it should encourage us that the Lord’s return is not far off.
The following is the referenced article from The Christian Post.
Aaron J. Leichman
Two Christian psychologists who have advised a number of churches and community groups on the sex-related problems that plague society have released a book that chronicles the problem of addiction to Internet pornography among Christians, including pastors, and describes problems that this type of addiction can create.
Behind Closed Doors, written by Drs. Robert. J. Baird and Ronald Vanderbeck, also provides solutions for how people can break the cycle of addiction.
“We see this as a global epidemic that is not going to go away,” says Baird. “We are trying to rally the faith community across denominational lines to work together and combat this dark side of things with useful and real information.”
According to Baird, more than thirty-five percent of the Protestant pastors he was able to include in a study for his Ph.D. thesis said they have used Internet pornography.
Other surveys have yielded similar results, including a 2002 survey by Pastors.com, which revealed that 54 percent of pastors said they viewed porn within the past year, and a 2000 survey by Christianity Today, which found that 37 percent of pastors said pornography is a “current struggle” of theirs.
“They (pastors) are not immune and are particularly at risk, since they often work on their computers and are unaccountable for their time,” notes Baird who based Behind Closed Doors on the real stories that he and Vanderbeck have come across in their counseling session.
Both Baird and Vanderbeck frequently do consulting work and offer advice to the courts, social service agencies, churches, and community organizations that are seeking solutions to the sexual difficulties that plague so many people in today’s society.
In each chapter of Behind Closed Doors, a story of a real situation that someone faced is presented followed by an analysis of the situation and biblical references that can inspire hope.
The authors also give advice, arising from their own experience and knowledge, and offer strategies on how a person can “renew and restore a healthy, Christian sexuality,” according to the book.
“We decided four or five years ago that we needed to bring awareness of this problem to the faith community,” says Vanderbeck.
“The Christian family is especially vulnerable,” he adds. “Often out of a strong sense of shame, parents aren’t willing or able to talk openly and lovingly and in a kind way about this problem to their children. Partly what we are doing is trying to open up a dialogue between parents and children.”
Topics addressed include the temptations of Internet pornography, confronting one’s sexual addiction, and repenting from it. It also looks at the problem of Internet chat rooms, the destructive cycle of sexual abuse, and how to protect children from Internet sexual predators.
“We live in a highly sexualized culture and are conditioned to believe that sexual potency should be a primary function of our lifestyle,” says Vanderbeck. “Sex on the Internet is like a drug. It is a very seductive process and people can become enslaved by it.”
“We believe that the Christian community should obtain all of the necessary information in order that it can fight back against this and learn to talk about it in a healthy way,” adds Baird.
Faith Alive, the publishing agency of the Christian Reformed Church and Reformed Church in America, is working with the authors to try to develop other materials that can be used in conjunction with the book, such as study guides and videos.
Another new book from Faith Alive, Preventing Child Abuse: Creating a Safe Place by Beth Swagman, director of the CRC’s Safe Church Office, also addresses some of the topics in Behind Closed Doors. Swagman’s book is especially geared to help churches and nonprofit organizations through the process of designing and implementing the policies and procedures they need to keep children safe.
