Yesterday, as I prepped for our radio show, I ran across Pornhub’s Christmas stats. Pornhub, which claims that 150 million active users visit their site every day, saw visits to their site drop by 32% on Christmas Eve, then jump by 15% above normal on Christmas day. That’s a 47% switch. This means that people were away on Christmas Eve (with many at church), then on Christmas day, after singing “Silent Night Holy Night” the night before, were back into porn.
Another survey showed that the states with the highest viewing time of pornography continues to be the Southern states—the Bible belt—which mirrors what Google Trends has shown for years—that the states with most porn searches are those with the highest number of religious organizations.
Pornhub also released their 2022 numbers by country:
To our shame, the US, with its high concentration of churches, continues to reign as the number 1 consumer and producer of pornography in the world. The UK is a distant second.
Speaking of the UK, porn use there has tripled since the pandemic.
Two months ago I shared my conversation with the senior pastor of the church who said 80% of the men in his church confessed to viewing porn at their men’s retreat. The counseling pastor of another large church of 5000 who told me that every marriage that comes to them for help has porn in it. I could go on… the American church continues to be one of the porn industry’s biggest customers.
The tidal wave of sexual sin continues to flood the church with increasing intensity because many won’t touch the topic. It’s like inviting the demonic hordes to march into their churches and take all the ground they want.
I know that many of you have or continue to suffer greatly from porn or sex addiction. What grieves me is that many lives are being destroyed because we won’t put up even the pretense of a fight.
I’ll leave you with the following to consider as we head into the new year.
If you’re in bondage to sexual sin, get help now! Lust will not go away on its own. We have groups, some at no cost, and our 8-week men’s course, counseling, and much more available, for anyone from any country who speaks English.
If you’re a wife whose heart is torn, please reach out and get connected. We have groups, some at no cost, our 10-week wives course, and more available for you.
Pastors and ministry leaders, doing one verse-by-verse sermon on sexual issues once every three years or so isn’t going to cut it! You must open this issue up wide with your people and equip them on how to recover. Don’t just tell them that lust is sin; help them. Don’t forget the wives.
Consider hosting a From Porn to Grace conference.
Start a group for men or wives in your area. We can help you.
Pray! There is an intense spiritual battle waged around sexual sin in the church, as my team and I know from ongoing experience. Pray and ask God to break the strongholds of silence, set captives free, give pastors boldness (many pastors are in bondage too), and put His people on their knees. Many American churches don’t have prayer meetings, which is a big reason why we’re getting steamrolled.
Please pray for us, that we might be the tip of the spear in 2023.
Let’s go to war, my friends. Each of you has a part to play.