XXXchurch Has Balls (Literally)

Up front, I have to apologize; it's my second busiest week annually at work, and blogging has been on the back burner. A much needed trip to Minneapolis for a guy's weekend didn't help much for the site either. The good news is, I'm about to push through the web-equivalent of a Venti and Oat-Prune Muffin on all of my backlogged blogs, which have some hearty (and high-fiber) content.

The first (and overdue) blog involves my opportunity two weeks ago to introduce and have lunch with Craig Gross, cofounder of XXXchurch.com - which touts itself as being the #1 Christian Porn site. Craig spoke at Pepperdine's convocation series, which is kind of like a big, weekly chapel - with less incense and more Starbucks. I may be assuming too much that most of my readers have heard of XXXchurch before; they boast an impressive 60 million visitors annually, and amidst much acclaim and controversy, are clearly a dominant voice in the church in dealing with pornography-related issues. No, they aren't a porn site... they are a ministry that provides help to men and women who struggle with/are addicted to pornography, and who take a genuine message of hope to those in the adult entertainment industry.

There are a lot of directions I could go with this, but I'm learning the bonuses of brevity in my blogging maturity: these guys are legit, and I think their approach and ministry is nothing short of fantastic. Are they perfect? Naw. Will you agree with all of their approaches? I can probably guarantee you won't. But I think they are getting a lot more right than wrong, and in my book, that's a lot better than keeping silent, or shouting obscenities at folk "caught up in sin" from the sidewalk pulpit. What I was most struck by in my conversations with Craig is their focus on loving people without an agenda. They share Jesus with people - which I believe is a way of showing love to someone - BUT they don't have a problem meeting folks where they are at, having authentic relationship with them, and loving them in a down-to-earth, practical sort of way.

These guys go to porn conventions, and bring bibles with covers that say, "Jesus Loves Porn Stars." People snatched them up like candy. They talk to people. Beyond being an industry that puts out stuff I would consider ultimately detrimental to relationships and a healthy perspective on sexuality, the industry itself chews people up and spits them out. Like Hollywood, there may be a few stars that "live the high life" - but the common porn actor isn't a restaurant server or admin temp by day - more often than not they will resort to prostitution or worse when the gigs dry up (see Trinity Project below). It's okay if every conversation doesn't end in "give your life to Jesus" - some conversations are just about listening to people's stories and journey of hurt, and communicating the simple truth: I care about you, and I think God does too.

Some Stupid Church People - as a frequent read of mine would call them - associate this with compromise of the the gospel... a watered down Jesus. After meeting them, I can unequivocally say, that's not accurate. They may not be perfect, but then again, I haven't met anyone other than me who is. Although Pat Robertson is a close, close second.

Some of their better (and slightly controversial ministry approaches):

Wally the Weiner: I'll be honest. To me, Wally kind of looks like a... you know. A twig and giggle-berries. A python that swallowed a baby rattle. A meat and two veg. Imagine walking into a porn convention, and, towering high above all the booths and boobs and whatever, is this giant, conspicuously phallic character named "Wally the Weiner." He has a simple challenge: do you have the balls to stop looking at porn? Why not? Are you addicted? Great conversations ensue. You gotta give Wally a hand - both for providing so many opportunities for saying something like that, and for being an in-your-face counter to the blatant bombardment of sexualized imagery that is everywhere in our culture - like him or not, it's impossible to ignore him, and that's kind of the point.

Pete the Porno Puppet: A pornographer writes to XXXchurch and offers to partner with them to create a commercial that encourages kids not to look at the naughty things their "mommies and daddies" may have lying around. XXXchurch says, "holla." National media attention ensues - pastors who are willing to interact with a sinner? *Gasp!* Despite the fact that Jimmy D (the director) has not become a born again Christian, they are legitimate friends.

X3 Watch: This could be considered the mainstay of the web-based portion of their ministry. It's a free program that you install on your computer that tracks and sends a list of questionable sites to up to 2 accountability partners you designate. The approach, I believe, is preferable to an internet filter in most instances - because the reality is, pornography, filter or not, computer or not, is available everywhere. If it's a temptation to look at it, the "Every Man's Battle White Knuckle It" approach will not last unless heart issues are faced with friends and the Father. This helps make sure those conversations happen - and it's free.

Trinity Project: Michelle, a (now former) actress in the porn industry (whose stage name was Trinity, hence the name of the project), calls Craig at 5 am one morning. She had met him about a year and a half prior at the porn expo in Las Vegas, and had a simple question: "You said then that you guys would be willing to help us get out of this industry - do you still mean that? Because I want out." After scraping by in the porn industry ($28,000 a year for several hundred low-budget porn flicks), prostitution seemed the only option left to not end up on the street. An internet campaign later, Trinity and her daughter have relocated back to the midwest and she is starting life over. Is life for her perfect? Did she fall on her knees and accept Jesus with the check? Not exactly. But was that the point, or was/is showing her love in a way that she's probably never seen it before the point? You can read her blog here. One word for both Michelle and XXXchurch: bravo.

I have no idea if this blog will be controversial or not - indeed, I don't know who most of my 900-ish "unique visitors" are in a given month (but don't you feel special, that you're all totally unique, in every possible way, except for the fact that you're all unique). But, having been familiar with their ministry before meeting them, and all the more so after having a chance to connect in person, I think the heart of this ministry is dead-on. They know how to love people. Period. Which is more than I can say for most of most of these people. And that speaks volumes about the Father that I know, all on its own. Check out their digs - let me know what you think.