• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Anchored in Christ

KevinHalloran.net

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Popular Posts
  • Speaking
  • Resources
    • The Gospel
    • Free Prayer Tools
    • 100+ Book Recommendations for Christians
    • 100+ of the Best Christian Biographies
    • 250+ Free Online Seminary Classes, Courses, Programs, and Book Recommendations
    • Accessible Theology Book Series
  • When Prayer Is a Struggle
  • Videos
  • Español

Kevin / February 20, 2015

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Sexuality (or Godliness vs. Porn)


Pornography is one of the biggest challenges the church faces in this generation. It is vital to understand Scripture’s teaching on it and also be aware of devastating consequences that come from consuming it.

William Struthers shared this helpful chart* in Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain comparing healthy and unhealthy sexuality:

Godly/Healthy SexualityPornography/Unhealthy Sexuality
CaringUsing
Sharing with someone“Doing to” someone
HonoringShameful
AuthenticDeceitful
Enhances your identityCompromises your identity
Emotional bondingEmotional separateness
Spiritual unitySpiritual separateness
Morally saturatedFree of moral convention
Communication is essentialCommunication is optional
Other-directedSelfish, self-directed
Biblical boundariesHas no limits
Involves all of the personIs visual and genital
Naturally drives us toward intimacyUnnaturally drives us toward compulsions
Naturally drives toward sanctificationUnnaturally drives toward depravity
Matures into responsible habitsEscalates toward irresponsible risks
Nurtures the spouseHurts the partner
Is an expression of loveIs an expression of usefulness
HumanizesObjectifies
Honors the image/imaging of God in youDishonors the image/imaging of God in you
Honors the image/imaging of God in spouseDishonors the image/imaging of God in another
Provides emotional, moral, psychological and relational clarityProduces emotional, moral, psychological and relational confusion

A Few Quotes from Wired for Intimacy

Pornography dishonors the image of God in an individual by treating him or her as a sexual object to be consumed directly or indirectly.

Pornography and our response to it alter our brain in a way that is difficult to undo. Pornography is the consumption of sexual poison that becomes part of the fabric of the mind.

A classic piece of art that is a nude can become a piece of pornography to a warped mind.

It is not the shouting of pornography that gives it so much power over men. It is the whispering of the lie of sexual fulfillment that prey on our human insecurities.

Pornography shapes and rewires us in such a way that we become unable to see women as we should. We no longer direct our sexual drives in appropriate ways. Porn narrows our ability to live a good and holy life.

Pornography has numbed the healthy sexuality of men who are active consumers of it.

Pornography corrupts the ability to be intimate. It pulls consumers and producers in with the promise of intimacy, but fails to deliver the connection between two human beings.

One of the greatest victories that a man recovering from an addiction to pornography and compulsive sexual acting out has is when he can look at a beautiful woman and not feel the need to mentally treat her as a sex object. A man with a properly oriented conscience and filled with the Spirit has a healthy view of sexuality. He values the image of God in the women (and men) that he meets and has trained his mind to take these sexual thoughts captive.

So how do men respond to the confusion produced by pornography and unhealthy practices of sexually acting out? Many employ common cognitive defense strategies. Viewing porn can be denied, minimalized, normalized, rationalized, or even celebrated.

Pornography teaches its students to focus on the physiology of sexual sensations and not on the relationships for which those sensations are intended.

Shame only offers the lie of worthlessness, and a sense of worthlessness creates fertile soil for the continued exercising of sexual brokenness.

Bonus Video: Dr. William Struthers on Pornography

Bonus Resource: How to Stop a Porn Addiction with Biblical Truth and the Power of the Holy Spirit

*Chart found at Kindle location 426

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly

Related Posts

  • Why Families and Ministry Teams Should Consider Covenant EyesWhy Families and Ministry Teams Should Consider Covenant Eyes
  • 10 Christian Books on Lust, Pornography, and Purity10 Christian Books on Lust, Pornography, and Purity
  • Christians and the Struggle Against Porn: Q&A with Benjamin VrbicekChristians and the Struggle Against Porn: Q&A with Benjamin Vrbicek
  • Pursuing God, Not Pornography: Sermon on 2 Timothy 2:22Pursuing God, Not Pornography: Sermon on 2 Timothy 2:22
  • John Owen Quotes: 34 Quotes from “The Mortification of Sin”John Owen Quotes: 34 Quotes from “The Mortification of Sin”

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Print

Filed Under: Marriage & Relationships Tagged With: Purity

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Coram Deo ~ 3.5.2015 | Coram Deo ~ says:
    March 5, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    […] A Chart Contrasting Healthy and Unhealthy Sexuality (or Godliness vs. Porn) Our friend and fellow blogger Kevin Halloran writes “Pornography is one of the biggest challenges the church faces in this generation. It is vital to understand Scripture’s teaching on it and also be aware of devastating consequences that come from consuming it. William Struthers shared this helpful chart* in Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain comparing healthy and unhealthy sexuality.” […]

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Now Available in Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook

Recent Posts

  • 10 Free Tools for Prayer You Can Use Today
  • Top Links for July 2022
  • A Short Prayer for Anxiety
  • Pray This Simple Bible Verse for Your Kids
  • How to Prepare Yourself for the Lord’s Supper
  • My Social Media Guardrails
  • The Disciples Wouldn’t Have Died for a Lie
  • Spiritual Lessons from Baseball’s All-Time Greats
  • How to Focus in Prayer: 7 Tips
  • Praying the Lord’s Prayer for the Ukrainian Church

Blog Sponsors

Blog Categories

Bible & Theology Books & Reviews Christian Living Culture Evangelism Humor Leadership Life Links Marriage & Relationships Ministry Missions Prayer Quotes Resources Social Media & Technology Uncategorized






Footer

About Me

I serve with Open the Bible. I wrote When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer (P&R). Learn more about the book.

Learn More

Let’s Connect!

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Instagram

Subscribe to my channel on YouTube

Videos: When Prayer Is a Struggle

FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: I sometimes share affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through a link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you to cover blogging expenses.

Copyright © 2022 · Digital Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.