Abuse Awareness Sunday was this past Sunday, September 24, with a focus this year on the sex industry and the church. Why is Safe Church talking about the sex industry? Because it’s not primarily a problem “out there,” it’s an industry of systematized abuse that in many ways already darkens our homes and neighborhoods, and is a force contributing to many other forms of abuse.
Safe Church isn’t the only ministry alarmed by the severity of this issue. It’s equally a global justice issue, and as such is a focus of the Office of Social Justice and the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue as well.
Knowing our role in a battle this complex and pervasive can be difficult, but as an industry that “holds more slaves captive today than the transatlantic slave trade of a prior era,” the sex industry is one of the primary forces of evil the enemy is using, and one the church is called to confront. And it starts with small steps, steps like familiarizing yourself with the scope of the problem and the way it touches your local community.
To begin, please take a look these resources provided through the CRCNA:
- “Fighting the Darkness: The Sex Industry and the Church” by Bonnie Nicholas
- “ Porn Use: It’s About More than Personal Sin” – on the way the demand for pornography, which mainstream culture normalizes and jokes about, horrifically victimizes those trapped in the industry. (From the Do Justice blog).
- “Is She My Sister?”: On the victimization of indigenous women and girls in Canada through prostitution as well as the way in which childhood sexual abuse contributes to their exploitation. (Also on the Do Justice blog).
As you begin to open the door to understanding this dark underbelly of our broken world, seek to prayerfully discern how God may be calling you to resistance and to be a voice of hope and change.
Comments
My prayer is that we, as the Church, will open our eyes, and stand against this devastating injustice. Though it may seem overwhelming, even small steps, by many people, can make a difference. It begins with understanding. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks for this post, Monica, and for linking to some helpful resources.
Another article in the "Do Justice" blog talks about using a "Gulliver Strategy", which means using multiple and creative tactics to bring down the giant that porn has become in our culture. What steps, however small they seem, can you and your congregation take? I recently returned from Montana, where I participated in presentations by Protect Young Eyes, which were designed and adapted for students of various ages in both Christian and public schools, as well as an evening program for parents. These were small, but very valuable and important actions! Feel free to contact Safe Church Ministry for additional information about these events, or how to plan something similar where you live.
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