On Wednesday Feb 8 @ 7pm at New Life CRC in Abbotsford, B.C., Classis BCSE Safe Church Ministry is airing Over 18, a feature length documentary that provides a clear-eyed examination of pornography, its effects on kids, teens, parents and porn stars. The goal is to educate youth on the realities of pornography, help their parents to understand the growing epidemic of hardcore porn usage, and propose solutions for preventing exposure and addiction in the first place.
The information provided in this documentary is critical to each parent, spouse, grandparent, church leader, pastor, educator and more. The documentary tackles an issue many within the church community would rather ignore: the serious effects of pornography on young people. The documentary includes interviews with experts from around the world, as well as people who are still active in the porn industry today. It also follows the true story of a boy who became addicted to pornography at the age of 9 while playing on the computer in his family's living room.
Statistics surrounding the viewing of porn are staggering. They point to a sobering picture that includes our faith communities. 60% of girls and 90% of boys have seen pornography before the age of 18. The content includes both body punishing and group sex. All of this is accessible by just a click to a link on every computer, laptop, iPad, handheld device or phone that has internet access.
British Columbia Safe Church ministry has conducted a Ministry Needs Assessment with 26 BC churches. Across the board, leaders expressed concern for education & response to this growing epidemic of porn usage. Our hope in hosting this screening is to open up a broad conversation about pornography and addiction in our churches and community. We also want to equip churches & people with tools and resources to both protect their kids from harmful sexual content on line as well as help those struggling pornography addiction themselves. We plan to work with the CRC communities throughout BC to continue the airing of this educational documentary.
The documentary trailer can be viewed at www.over18doc.com. For more information on the BC Safe Church visit www.bcsafechurch.com.
Faye Martin
Abuse Prevention & Response Coordinator - BC Safe Church Team Ministry
Comments
So glad to see safe church ministry in BC hosting this event. Hopefully, it will lead to much fruitful discussion. No problem goes away when we hide it or ignore it - bringing it out into the open is the first step toward change and toward healing. Safe Church Ministry offers many resources about internet pornography, and how the church can play a role in fighting this problem that causes so much destruction in our communities, and our congregations.
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