I introduced Advent last week by writing about God as our Father. This is our identity that we live out of: that through faith in Christ, God has adopted us and loves us as He does His only begotten Son. I did this intentionally because we always need to be reminded of this truth. I also did this because I intended to follow up last week’s post with focusing upon a sin issue that afflicts far too many in our society: pornography.

Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has written a free book called “Porn-Again Christian.” He wrote this primarily for MEN who struggle with lust and porn. This is not to deny the sad reality that porn is now enslaving more women in our society (via the internet). But the truth is that porn is a fundamentally a male issue (God made our sex drive to be directly connected to visual stimuli: women). As a pastor he sees the devastating impact of porn in the lives of many men.

I am posting this book because I am a pastor and agree with Mark about this impact. But I am also a man and know all to well the allure of porn. As a young Marine it was a constant part of my life. While it is no longer, the temptation remains. I also want to remind all who struggle with this, that only in the power of Christ can one overcome sin. Only by living and resting in our identity as a child of the Father will we walk in holiness. Not by focusing on the sin itself. But we must be bold to approach this issue with honesty and boldness.

Last caution: Mark is not for everyone. This book is bold, frank and forthright. So be forewarned. If you find it helpful, great, if not, that’s ok as well. Here is an excerpt from the introduction:

You are part of a culture that spends more money each year on pornography than country music, rock music, jazz music, classical music, Broadway plays, and ballet combined…As the pastor of a large and growing church filled with strong men, many of them young, I have seen the secret sins of pornography and masturbation paralyze many men with shame, guilt, and embarrassment. I have written this booklet to discuss these matters in a manner that is both theological and practical, in hopes of contributing to each of you experiencing the power of the gospel to forgive, renew, and empower you by grace…For men wanting to encourage other men to lives of purity, I pray this booklet would be a useful and readable piece of literature that you could pass on to as many dudes as possible as a pedagogical tool for cranial-rectal extraction.

Download and read the book for free: Porn-Again Christian

Shane+