Member-only story
The Church Is Obsessed with Porn — But Not in the Way You Think
What purity culture got wrong, what shame can’t heal, and why the real issue might not be lust
I still remember the first time I heard the word “porn” in church.
It started like every other youth group night — games, songs, and pizza. But it didn’t end that way. The youth pastor took the mic and said, “We’ve got a special guest tonight — someone with a powerful story.” No one really knew what to expect. Another missionary? A guy who used to deal drugs and now runs a Bible study in a prison?
The guest speaker stepped onto the makeshift stage — jeans, soul patch, black wristband, just enough edge to make him seem legit but still holy. He held the mic like he’d been waiting his whole life for this testimony.
And then, without flinching, he said it:
“I was addicted to porn.”
The room went silent. We were teenagers in the conservative evangelical church— barely used to saying the word “sex” out loud, let alone hearing porn thunder through a church sound system.
He told us how it started — just one look, a click here, a video there. How it made him feel dirty. How it took over his thoughts, his relationships, even his time with…
