Just over a year ago I wrote about the Number One Christian Porn site, and Craig Gross, who has website called XXXchurch.com. [Gross] has become something of a chaplain to the porn industry, writes the Leadership Journal. He has traveled with porn star Ron Jeremy to debate the dangers of pornography on college campuses, in public forums, and on news programs like ABC's Nightline. More recently, he's been taking teams of volunteers to adult entertainment tradeshows around the world.
In 2008, Craig, his wife, and the small team that runs XXXchurch moved their families from Michigan to Las Vegas to launch a ministry they call The Strip Church. Their focus is to reach the people who come to the town for conferences, and help them avoid the innumerable temptations that await anyone who goes to Vegas. (The other churches in Vegas tend to focus on the people living on the outskirts of the town.)
Gross says, "Our plan is to reach people on the Strip at trade shows with the gospel, give them the support they need to avoid making bad decisions while they're in Vegas, and then hopefully connect them with a church back in their home town."
"One pastor said, 'I like the plan, but what about the other fifty-one weeks out of the year?' I told him, a few days in this town can screw up your life and your marriage forever. Vegas wants us to believe that what happens here stays here, but it never does. We may only have contact with people one week a year, but it is a really important week."
Gross and his team go into porn shows, strip shows - anywhere where there's a need for the Gospel, and for Christ. And find there are spiritually hungry people everywhere. And Gross talks about it at churches across the country: 'Yes, but there are still a lot of pastors who are uncomfortable with the subject. Every time I speak at a church, like clockwork, a woman comes up to me crying and says, "Pornography is why I lost my marriage." If I'm a pastor and I know this is happening in my church, why wouldn't I address it? People want to hear about the things they are dealing with. Not to knock sermons about the end times, but porn is killing people in our churches. We've got to talk about it.'
He notes that in one study it was estimated 48% of pastors have struggled with porn. On the XXXchurch site there are over a 100 confessions from pastors who have admitted to problems with it.
He says that while porn is something churches will talk about more, there are still many other addictions that aren't so 'popular' in church circles: food disorders, and cutting. All these things need to be dealt with from the pulpit, because there are people in every congregation who are struggling with these and similar addictions.
