I missed my chance to bring up this book when Kevin was talking about pornography several days ago, and I have almost missed another opportunity this week. Last Sunday was the day xxxchurch.com chose to campaign against pornography in the Christian church. They put together a video kit to aid pastors in preaching against the sin of viewing pornography.
One participant told the Dallas Morning News: “Pornography has been called America’s dirty little secret, and there are people inside the church dealing with this issue. One of the things I like about the approach they are taking is that they aren’t telling people how bad they are. They’re offering hope and a different perspective about what God has to say.”
From their website, you may agree with some critics of xxxchurch.com that their tactics are too edgy for their own good, but co-founder Mike Foster says they need to be provocative in order to be heard. “We’re living in outrageous times, and if you come out of the gate with a soft message, then no one is going to pay attention,” he said.
Think Before You Look is much softer approach, but it’s probably the right one and would make a great follow-up to the hard hitting wake-up message. In fact, xxxchurch calls it “a must read” for dealing with porn’s temptation.
It’s short, focusing on forty reasons men should avoid sexual temptation. Each chapter takes one reason in about four pages and ends with an exhortation which could easily be memorized by someone digging themselves out of a deep addiction. Reasons include:
- I avoid a life pattern of deception.
- I enjoy my spiritual freedom to its fullest.
- I protect the purity and power of my God-given imagination
- I learn to live in reality rather than fantasy.
Think concludes with a long list of suggestions for avoiding temptation, ranging from meek to bold.
Henderson doesn’t appear to condemn Internet surf all together, but he comes close in some chapters, writing as if being online means you’re watching or looking for porn. I’m sure he doesn’t mean this, but he could be more clear. That’s my only criticism.
Think doesn’t tell a dozen stories of men ruining their lives. It doesn’t spend any time on the psychology of addiction or describe the male brain when viewing porn. It gets to the basics, what do to to avoid pornography. Recommended.
