Excerpts taken from A Call to Righteousness, Warner Press. Inc. Anderson, Indiana, 1984
Jesus said, “you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14. Go now, in the name of Him who said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8.
Consider following these 10 Actions Steps in our united front against pornography and obscenity.
Action Step 1: YOU CAN PRAY. This is a spiritual battle. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12). Begin with serious and continuous prayer.
| 1. | Pray for those who are producing pornography. Our outrage at what pornographers publish is so strong that it may not occur to us to pray for them. But Jesus said, “pray for those who mistreat you.” (Lk 6:28) “Forgive your enemies.” (MT 6:14) It was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8) |
| 2. | Pray for all the organizations that God is raising up to expose and turn back the tide of this evil. All have a single purpose, to expose light to darkness. |
| 3. | Pray for the young men and women who pose and perform in these pictures. Pray that whatever causes them to do it will be removed. |
| 4. | Pray for the victims of sexual abuse, especially children. Pray for people who have been violated by rapists. Pray for children who have fallen into the hands of greedy pimps and walk the streets of prostitutes. |
| 5. | Pray for young people who have no models or morals in the home to serve as a bulwark against these sins in our society. |
| 6. | Pray for the church — ECC and the whole body of Christ. Pray that we may have boldness to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph 5:11) |
| 7. | Encourage the formation of prayer groups to pray for a return of our nation to a high standard of morality and a renewal of the body of Christ. |
| 8. | Host a prayer walk in areas that are ripe with this material. |
Action Step 2: YOU CAN READ
| 1. | Read again what the Bible says about morality, purity, and holiness. In your daily devotions become alert and make note of verses that apply to this issue. Read specifically Leviticus 18 through 20 and Paul’s writings in ROM 1:18-32; ROM 13:8-10; 1 Cor 6:13-20; Eph 5:8-21; Col 3:3; Gal 5:16; Eph 5:3. |
| 2. | Read books that speak to the seriousness of the problem: * Hall, Laurie. An Affair of the Mind. Wheaton, Tyndale House Publishers, 1996. * Means, Patrick. Men’s Secret Wars. Grand Rapids, Fleming H. Revell, 1999. * Rogers, Henry. The Silent War. Arkansas, New Leaf Press, 1999. * Roberts, Ted. Pure Desire. California, Regal Books, 1999. |
| 3. | Read local newspapers to become aware of needs and opportunities for action. |
| 4. | Read publications issued by the professional groups working against pornography. |
Action Step 3: YOU CAN BECOME MORE AWARE. Pornography can cause us to become desensitized. Take note of how pornography has perverted and pervades our society. Consider x-rated movie theaters; magazines, advertisements, videos, MTR stations, etc.
Action Step 4: YOU CAN KNOW THE LAW
| 1. | Research and learn what the anti-obscenity and display laws are. These are often available through the government offices and/or public library. They can at least direct you to where to get this information. |
| 2. | After becoming acquainted with the laws, discover which ones are actually being enforced. It may be that the only thing necessary for the enforcement of the law is for one person to notify the responsible law enforcement agency. |
| 3. | List the names and addresses of all officials in your community, who are in the position to either enact or enforce laws. |
Action Step 5: YOU CAN SPEAK
| 1. | Neil Gallagher suggests that “if every Christian, every time he or she enters every store, would praise or complain to the management (as is appropriate) about the sale of pornography, it would soon disappear.” (Neil, Gallagher. How to Stop the Porno Plague. Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis) |
| 2. | Begin with an olive branch. Kindly go to the manager and in your own words tell him or her how you feel about the store’s sale of materials that are so destructive to the moral climate of our country and community. Sometimes that is all that is needed. Save your threats not to purchase for later. Don’t argue. |
| 3. | Speak to your friends. Tell them what you have learned and what you are doing. Loan your books. Ask them to join you in speaking to these purveyors of pornography. |
| 4. | When you become aware that laws are being broken, speak to the proper law enforcement officials and issue a complaint. Be specific and ask for an investigation and a report of the results. |
Action Step 6: YOU CAN WRITE. Personal letters and letter campaigns make a tremendous difference. To whom should you write?
| 1. | Write to local store owners or managers. Follow up personal visits and phone calls with a personal letter. Be sure to thank local businesses for any positive action they take. |
| 2. | Write letters to the editor of your daily paper. This is a good way to get public audience with the whole community at no expense to you. Write concerning both positive and negative activities. |
| 3. | Write TV sponsors. Letters of approval, as well as disapproval are appropriate. |
| 4. | Write to local TV stations as well as the networks, especially if it is a locally produced program. |
| 5. | Write to local law enforcement officials, either about laws that need enforcing or enacting. |
| 6. | Use your influence to get other persons to write. Several personally written letters will be more effective than one. |
| 7. | Write to stores that use questionable material for advertising in their catalogues or billboards. |
| 8. | Write to the publishers of comic books and raise the standard of the content of this material. |
Action Step 7: YOU CAN MOBILIZE
| 1. | Gather together interested persons in the local congregation to study, pray and plan. |
| 2. | Find other existing groups in the community and get together to share your findings and concerns. See if you can form a local chapter of one of the national organizations. |
| 3. | Expand your local church organization to include occasional meetings with civic leaders in the community for two-way communication. |
| 4. | Encourage church leaders to mobilize all the churches for a united effort. |
Action Step 8: YOU CAN MODEL YOUR MESSAGE. If we do not model our message, the validity of the message must be in question. To believe literally means “by-life,” or “by-my-life.” The history of the early church was not written in a book called “I Believe” but rather “The Acts.” The emphasis was on doing. Your action can make a difference.
| 1. | Cancel at once any subscription to any magazine, cable network, newspaper or video service that caters to the obscene, indecent, or pornographic material. |
| 2. | Lift up the standard by what you read, by what you watch on TV, by how you talk, and by what you value. Your friends will quickly know the difference. |
| 3. | Witness to your children, grandchildren, and friends about your Christian values and your interest in the New Testament purity of life. |
Action Step 9: YOU CAN BE PROACTIVE. With the rise of the internet, you may be exposed to unsolicited pornographic or obscene material.
| 1. | Complain to the ISP (Internet Service Provider). |
| 2. | Complain to the sender’s ISP. Most providers don’t want their services to be used for this. |
| 3. | Complain to the HKSAR government, asking them to investigate the situation. |
| 4. | Monitor your computer at home and at your child’s school. Install a computer filtering system on your home computer (surfwatch.com; net-nanny; cyber patrol; or American family filter). |
| 5. | Investigate if public libraries or your child’s school have such filtering systems. |
| 6. | Sponsor a billboard promoting Anti-pornography. (One city in US sponsored one that said “Real Men Don’t Use Porn”). |
| 7. | Create and distribute stickers, bumper stickers, business cards or magnets that mention a negative effect of pornography. |
Action Step 10: YOU CAN UNITE IN SPONSORED PROJECTS
| 1. | National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families |
| 2. | Enough is Enough |
A single voice counts, but when that voice is multiplied by one thousand it becomes strong. Together as we unite our voices, we can make a difference in America – TODAY!