Current Research

Pornography - few in the Church are willing to talk about it, 90% of pastors believe that it’s a growing problem, and our methods to address it in the Chuch don’t seem to be working. It’s time we re-examine our approaches to pornography, and sexuality more broadly, and consider if we have misdiagnosed the problem and failed to understand the root of the issue. What if our very approaches, aimed at addressing pornography and the shame surrounding it, are actually fueling the cycle? 

Recent research indicates that Christians experience amplified distress from pornography, and that "moral incongruence", the gap between our deepest held spiritual values and our personal life practices, is at the root. However, no one has yet explored the spiritual implications of this phenomenon among young Christian men, the next leaders of the Church who are at the convergence of three high-risk factors related to pornography (age, religion, sex). 

This current research addresses this gap and explores the link between faith, moral values, shame, and pornography among young Christian men, with the goal of equipping the Church with gospel-centered strategies aimed at not just the behavior, but more importantly, the spiritual roots of pornography.  

The embracing of sexual identity as human identity has been a cosmological shift in the West, as Carl Trueman noted. Most Christians agree that sexuality, along with its vast range of expressions, is one of the most urgent socio-cultural challenges facing this generation. Every young person is asking “Who am I?", but now, more than ever, this identity question is intricately connected to questions of sexuality, and therefore must be addressed as part of the discipleship journey. However, there is wide confusion in the Western Church regarding how sexuality should be addressed, with little collaboration occurring between parents and ministry leaders. The generational chasm is amplified by sexuality, with the majority of parents and leaders admitting they feel unequipped to guide young people in this arena. 

This research further examines the phenomenon of moral incongruence, which has found connections between shame, moral values, faith, and sexuality, highlighting a need for reconsideration of traditional approaches in the Church.  With this understanding of the roots of shame and moral incongruence, the goal is to empower leaders and parents to embrace an intentional, gospel-centered approach to addressing sexuality at the identity level with youth in the Church and family.