Family Physician: The Poison Of Pornography -- By: William R. Cutrer

Journal: Journal of Discipleship and Family Ministry
Volume: JDFM 03:2 (Spring 2013)
Article: Family Physician: The Poison Of Pornography
Author: William R. Cutrer


Family Physician:
The Poison Of Pornography

William Cutrer, M.D.

William R. Cutrer (M.D., University of Kentucky) serves as C. Edwin Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry and as the Director of the Gheens Center for Family Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After a successful medical career, he served as a senior pastor in Mesquite, Texas. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous colleges, churches, and other institutions. Dr. Cutrer is the author or co-author of several publications, including Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, and his most recent release The Church Leader’s Handbook: A Guide to Counseling Families and Individuals in Crisis.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you (Phil 4:8-9).”

We live in dangerous times. A battle with high stakes rages among us and even inside us. It’s a battle for the mind, and it has an ancient history. The apostle Paul exhorts his Christian believers to “war not according to the flesh, but with divinely powerful weapons, destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Clearly, God expects His people to think rightly in order to live rightly. God, by His grace, has accomplished salvation for all who believe in Christ; He is worthy of Spirit-empowered holy living.

Sadly, however, statistics tell us that the enemy has taken new ground in the war against pure thoughts. Surveys suggest that 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are addicted to pornography. Focused research reveals that many church leaders and even a higher number of church members have visited sexually explicit websites within the previous year. Men, and increasingly women, sacrifice marriages, ministries, reputations and their Christian testimonies for the fleeting pleasure of pornographic stimulation. Though men outnumber women ten to one when faith is not considered, by putting the images into the context of story, such as explicit romance movies and soft-porn novels such as the Fifty Shades series, the industry increasingly lures women into the trap.

Scope Of The Problem

The multi-billion-dollar pornography industry thrives because no clear legal definition exists that would effectively protect the vulnerable. According to S...

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