Yes, I tried to get our previous pastor to a message on this. He agreed to do it but at the last minute the leadership pulled the plug on all advertising. They chickened out and no one showed up to the meeting. What a surprise!

My pastor goes through a book of the Bible a verse at a time. He has mentioned that pornography is addictive and an epidemic in our society when he comes to a passage that may relate, but he does not usually do topical messages so he has not addressed it for a whole sermon. He has counseled several men dealing with this, and I am sure he is counseling some even now. So, it is mentioned from the pulpit several times, but not addressed as a topic for the message.

Apparently, people are afraid... People are scared to talk to their pastors about porn... Pastors are scared to talk about it in front of their churches. It's like when your parents try to talk to you about sex (if they ever did). It's uncomfortable. Most people would just rather just not talk about it because it's uncomfortable! It is, but it shouldn't be! We're all human, we all screw up... let's start accepting that and move past the shame and guilt!

This seems to be the trend... the Pastor agrees to do a sermon or start a group and then the missions conference happens, or the summer holidays come up, or whatever... Top of mind issues slide back under the covers (pun intended) and we're back to square one.

These matters only seem to come to the surface in a church when a member of the leadership team is found out as having a struggle with porn themselves. I don't wish that on anyone, and yet I wonder if the brokenness of a Haggard situation isn't the best thing that could happen to start the conversation.

God have mercy on us all.

I think it has a lot to do with image. Churches and pastors don't want to risk hurting their image by actually admitting that people in their church and, dare I say it, their leadership are struggling with this.

I agree, it definitely has a lot to do with image!

Then who holds church leadership responsible?!

I understand that scripture calls us to respect leadership and the office they hold. But at what point does respect for the office become an excuse not to deal with a tough subject? If leadership isn't dealing with the issues then is it not fair to ask them, why? Given the statistics, you've got a 50/50 chance that the pastor you are talking to is struggling with it themselves. Why not offer to have someone go through the computer and install safe guards? Why not offer to check through the church's computers (all of them). If they turn down such a gift, why would they? Let's quit accepting and offering excuses.

I'm not talking about a witch hunt. I'm talking about setting your mind fixed on an issue and dealing with it. "Dealing with it" includes loving those who fail, helping those who struggle, and forgiving those who may have caused you pain. "Dealing with it" also means "fleeing" from the temptation. We've got to help each other get away from the temptation.

Maybe many pastors have forgotten why they got into the ministry in the 1st place. It was probably to share God's truth and to help people. People needing that help. The challenge was exciting and our vision of God was so large!

But, maybe over time and church boards and building projects and family and financial responsibilities that original people passion has given way to personal preservation.

Maybe it has become a career instead of a calling.

Maybe we all need to remember why we got into this in the 1st place.

Maybe we need to do what is right, to take a risk, and to do what God has called us to do. To meet people at their point of need and to help them. Let the consequences fall where they may, because our trust is in the Lord.

"But Peter and John replied, Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we can not help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19-20 NIV

Maybe we need a new boldness. A new vision. A new passion for our original calling. A new revelation of the sufficiency and BIG-NESS of God.

Maybe we do need to get back to why we got into this in the 1st place. When we were small and just trusted in God as we did the right thing. Let's go back to the beginning and recapture that passion. Let's recapture that zeal. Let's trust in the Lord. Let's Do The Right Thing!