Introduction

The book’s introduction begins by describing the growing use and acceptance of pornography in the United States in order to frame the dilemma confronting conservative Protestants. Conservative Protestants’ connections to modern media and technology leave them vulnerable to the allure of pornography. Today, Christian leaders lament that many young Christian men (and increasingly women) are being ravaged by porn use, with devastating consequences for their spiritual lives, service to the church, and families. The introduction also explains how the book advances research on pornography’s effects by focusing on how culture links sexual practices like porn use with human identity and relationships. Conservative Protestantism provides a prime example of a subculture with a relatively coherent and salient approach to pornography use that can be contrasted with what is becoming a more coherent, secular approach. The introduction defines several subcultural distinctives of conservative Protestantism that shape their experiences of pornography in unique ways.

Every Man’s Battle?

Chapter 4 considers how the influence of complementarian gender ideology differentially shapes the experiences of conservative Protestant men and women who view pornography. While the moral incongruence involving pornography use can often be crippling for conservative Protestant men, this chapter shows that conservative Protestant women often experience a “double shame” from their porn use, in that they are violating God’s design for women. More so than men, this shame leaves these women feeling particularly isolated and condemned. The chapter also discusses the challenges women face when it comes to seeking help in their struggle against lust and pornography use.

Fleshly Lusts That War Against the Soul

Chapter 3 explores the consequences of the dissonance conservative Protestants experience in porn use, shaping their religious lives and even mental health. The chapter goes deeper into the history and prevalence of what the author calls “sexual exceptionalism” among conservative Protestants, focusing on porn use in particular. The chapter then draws on numerous interviews with conservative Protestant men and women who describe how their habitual porn use has often caused them to back away from spiritual disciplines like praying or reading the Bible, serving in their churches, or being involved in religious community or leadership. The chapter also makes use of various quantitative data sources to show how pornography use can be associated with religious decline and depression for Americans who violate their own moral convictions by using it.

Fifty Shades of Gray Area—On Masturbation

Chapter 2 explains the paradox of conservative Protestants’ interpretations of pornography use and masturbation. Though pornography and masturbation are functionally related, conservative Protestants seem to draw a distinction between the two. Conservative Protestants typically condemn pornography unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms, and yet they often take a rather ambivalent view toward solo masturbation, especially if it is done without the aid of pornography. This chapter shows that because conservative Protestants are committed to “biblicism” and “pietistic idealism,” they are more likely to focus on pornography use as the greater sin because it can more clearly be connected to explicit biblical proscriptions against lust and sins of the heart, while masturbation is not explicitly addressed in the Bible and does not necessarily involve the heart. Also, the rise of psychology within conservative Protestantism over the past few decades has served to heighten concern about pornography addiction, while debunking myths connecting masturbation with mental health issues.

Conclusion

The conclusion briefly recapitulates and integrates previous chapters in order to outline implications both for research on pornography use and for religious life in the United States. It ends by drawing out important takeaways and challenges for conservative Protestant communities for whom pornography is not only a moral problem but also one that has severe consequences for their psychological well-being and relationships. The conclusion offers a critique of the conservative Protestant distinctives that are discussed in previous chapters and proposes practical adjustments on the part of Christian leaders and communities. These critiques involve conservative Protestants’ complementarian views on differences in gender and sexuality; their adherence to “sexual exceptionalism,” and their individualistic approach to pornography recovery.

So Help Me God (or Whatever Works)

Chapter 6 describes how conservative Protestants approach the challenge of trying to stop using pornography. It begins with the observation that different groups within conservative Protestantism advocate for different approaches to quitting pornography use. Some advocate more practical approaches based on contemporary psychology. Others advocate a more “biblical” and “idealistic” approach, believing that true transformation must take place in the heart first. Drawing heavily on content from sexual-purity manuals along with interviews with pastors and lay conservative Protestants, this chapter shows that conservative Protestant pastors seem to give rather mixed counsel when it comes to their parishioners regarding quitting pornography. Also, lay conservative Protestants seem to employ a pragmatic approach to quitting pornography use, and are often most successful when they combine close relationships of accountability with proactive steps to eliminate access to pornography.

Till Porn Do Us Part?

Chapter 5 shows how pornography use shapes the romantic and family relationships of conservative Protestants in ways that are uniquely destructive. Specifically, he chapter draws on both quantitative data and qualitative interviews to explain why the sex lives and relationship quality of conservative Protestants tends to suffer more from pornography use compared to those of other Americans. Conservative Protestant men are more likely than other American men to hide their pornography use and lie about it, creating additional sources of conflict and distance between couples. Moreover, conservative Protestant women are more likely than other American women to consider pornography use as a form of “adultery” or “betrayal” and thus when pornography use is discovered, they are more likely to be traumatized by the incident or threaten divorce.

From Obscenity Outside to Addiction Within

Chapter 1 provides a historical and statistical overview of how the relationship between conservative Protestantism and pornography has changed over time. Conservative Protestants generally did not seek to confront pornography as a threat to the church until the 1960s and 1970s. Initially, conservative Protestants wanted to ban pornography through legal means. However, as pornography became more available to the general public and was accepted in the broader society, conservative Protestant leaders became more concerned that church members were also regularly viewing pornography. Today, conservative Protestants describe pornography use as an addiction and believe it is affecting a large proportion of churchgoers, especially men. Conservative Protestant leaders no longer operate under the belief that they can keep pornography away from young people but, rather, feel they must focus their efforts on helping those who are already addicted.