Churches must tackle porn, says app founder

The use of pornography has become a “civilizational crisis” that churches need to address, according to Ronald DeHaas, founder and CEO of the accountability app Covenant Eyes.

DeHaas, who also serves as clerk and an elder in his Michigan church, pointed to a 2016 Barna study that found that although porn addiction is rampant among churchgoing Christians, most churches do not have programs specifically designed to assist those struggling with porn use.

The landmark study conducted in partnership with the Josh McDowell Ministry found that 93 percent of pastors and 94 percent of youth pastors discern that porn is a bigger problem in churches than it was 20 years ago and that 57 percent of pastors and 64 percent of youth pastors have personally struggled with it, either currently or in the past. Of the pastors who were still using porn, 87 percent said they felt great shame about it, and 55 percent said they live in constant fear of being discovered.

Seventy percent of the youth pastors who participated in the study said they have had at least one teenager come to them for help with porn addiction in the past year. The majority who sought help were high school or middle school boys, though many said the problem is also emerging among girls.

“They need to be talking about it, they need to recognize that most of the 12-year-old kids in their church have already viewed pornography,” DeHaas says. “Some of the 12-year-old kids are probably addicted to pornography.”

He noted that among the approximately 850 applicants for last year’s Covenant Eyes scholarship, which potentially offers $5,000 to full-time college students who use the software, the vast majority revealed in the first sentence of their essay that they were either addicted or profoundly struggling with pornography by the age of 12.

“We’re talking about, by and large, Christian families and 12-year-old kids in Christian families who are struggling with pornography,” DeHaas said. “And so, this has become their sex training, their sex education. And the boys, of course, are learning, ‘This is how I’m supposed to treat girls,’ and the girls are learning, ‘This is how I’m supposed to be treated.’ And so, it’s not good. It really isn’t.”

DeHaas said the importance of accountability in the battle against porn addiction is crucial. He urged those who are struggling with despair regarding their habit to be transparent with another person, which is a key aspect of the Covenant Eyes app.

“When you’re transparent about it, you realize everybody around you is struggling,” he said. “You’re not alone, and there is an answer. And that ultimate answer is Jesus Christ. But if you go into the recovery process with an ally and you focus on Christ, that really is the hope. There is hope, and there is success. Faith and transparency are the keys.”

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice