2025
A Shield Against Pornography
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A shield against pornography
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“How were you first exposed to porn, and how old were you?”
This was a question posted on X (then Twitter) in 2019 by Fight the New Drug (fightthenewdrug.org), a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness of the harmful effects of pornography. The responses to the question were chilling.
“I tried to go on YouTube,” replied one X user, “but ended up spelling it wrong by accident and launched a porn site. I was 8.”
“The average 8-year-old can pull out any digital device and, in a couple of taps, access more debaucherous sin than the most licentious pagan king could have ever found in a lifetime of trying,” said Jacob Valk, co-executive director and co-founder of Into the Light Ministries.
He told The Stand, “They can find it in four seconds. You can’t overstate how easy it is to access pornography on phones, laptops, smart TVs, and tablets. Anything with a screen in our modern world is a portal to the worst content you can find online.”
Valk’s organization, Into the Light Ministries (intothelightministries.ca), is dedicated to addressing biblical sexuality and equipping both families and churches to confront the issue. The ministry publishes free, gospel-centered resources, including documentaries, video series, podcasts, and discussion guides that speak directly to the issues of pornography, sexual sin, and gender confusion. The materials are intended for people seeking freedom from sexual sin, parents looking to protect their children, and church leaders or counselors guiding others through recovery and discipleship.
According to Valk, modern pornography is designed to hook and draw consumers into an addictive cycle by introducing escalating and extreme content with the sole intent of keeping viewers engaged. The most popular search terms on porn websites often reflect perverted and disturbing concepts. This combination of addictive design and extremely deviant content creates a deadly trap for anyone – especially children who haven’t developed the capacity for discernment or even a basic understanding of human sexuality. And it’s all readily accessible with a few taps on a touch screen.
“One person said to me, and it captures the urgency of the situation well,” said Valk, “that it’s easier for a child to access pornography than get a glass of water, because at least you have to get off the couch to get a glass of water.”
Practical solutions for parents
Despite the bleak situation, Valk emphasized that parents aren’t helpless in the fight to protect their children.
“Practical and effective tools exist for parents willing to invest time in learning and implementing them,” he said. “There are some amazing Christians, and non-Christians, who are brilliant tech wizards who have been working tirelessly for the past decade to build tools for parents who aren’t tech wizards themselves.”
Specific tools include filtering software like Covenant Eyes, which reports websites visited on specific devices to a trusted accountability partner. On its website, Into the Light Ministries has released an online video series called TechSafe that details how to protect oneself from objectionable material across all technological platforms – from smartphones to gaming consoles.
However, Valk warned that these safeguards are not a guarantee that children will avoid exposure to pornography. In fact, he asserted, it’s not a question of if, but when.
“Your children, if you’re a parent, will encounter pornography. Period. You should prepare them to recognize it. They should know what it is. They should know to stop looking at it and go tell you about it, knowing that you won’t be angry with them,” Valk explained.
Hidden avenues of access
An internet filter may block porn websites. But is that enough?
“No,” Valk emphasized. “All social media has … pornography … on it. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. … There is pornography and explicit sexual content on all these sites, even if it’s not officially allowed. And in some instances, some of these social media [sites] have … explicit pornography allowed in their usage.”
Social online games are also of concern. In 2022, the BBC published an article about sexual content in the popular video game Roblox, which is heavily marketed to children. While the game itself is innocent enough, it allows players to design custom digital experiences, games, and appearances in a difficult-to-monitor system, which becomes a magnet for predatory adults. This has led to minors having virtual sexual encounters with others on a platform that is supposed to be safe for children.
That is why parents must maintain open communication about these topics with their children.
“There is no substitute for open, honest conversations with your children … because you can’t close every hatch,” Valk admitted. “As God intended, they will eventually leave the house and encounter the wide world.”
Pornography in the pews
Shielding children from pornography access in the home can be challenging, but a healthy parent-child relationship helps provide a foundation for open communication and protective measures. However, dealing with pornography use among church members presents different challenges, as pastors must navigate issues of confidentiality and pastoral care while addressing deeply personal struggles.
Recent data from the Barna Group continues to paint a stark picture of the reality of pornography use. Just over half of practicing Christians report consuming pornography with some frequency, including 22% who view it weekly or daily. Despite this widespread issue, only 10% of churches offer programming to help those struggling with pornography, although 58% of Christians say it’s vital that their church addresses the topic.
“When I’m looking at the problem of churches not addressing pornography, I come at it with a lot of sympathy,” Valk said, “because pastors and church leaders are trying to be faithful, they’re trying to do their best. But they are up against two things: One is how complex pornography addiction is. The other is a multibillion-dollar porn industry that’s doing its best to recruit customers from every angle.”
Valk explained that pornography use is far from a simple matter. It is a spiritual issue that involves sexuality, a technological issue requiring technological solutions, and a psychological issue often involving deeply ingrained patterns that began at a young age.
“A lot of men and women got hooked when they were young,” explained Valk. “So, their entire development, their entire growth and understanding of God’s design for sexuality – or misunderstanding of God’s design – has been shaped by an addiction to pornography since they were very young.”
He reiterated how weighty this issue is on the shoulders of church leaders who are working with individuals whose very foundation of sexuality was laid by the pornography industry and exposure to perverted materials instead of healthy conversation with parents. The solution requires serious accountability, ministering to the individual’s heart, and months or years of hard work.
A proactive church approach
A church may find itself in a state of reactively dealing with the issue of pornography use among its members, but Valk advocated for a different emphasis: a proactive and celebratory approach to God’s design for sexuality.
“I think the best way churches can be proactive is never let the foot off the gas [when] talking about God’s good design for sexuality,” he said. “God knew what He was doing. Genesis to Revelation, but particularly in Genesis, God’s divine will regarding human sexuality is clear and good. It is good to be a man. It is good to be a woman. Marriage is a beautiful gift. Sex in marriage is a beautiful gift.”
This shift in emphasis recognizes that, to put sin into perspective, Christians must understand the good thing that sin distorts. Many believers lack a clear understanding of why God’s design for sexuality is good, or they avoid the subject by reducing it to concepts of partnership and childbearing. By consistently presenting God’s design for marriage and sex as a beautiful and good thing, a design that brings joy and fulfillment, churches can present a stark contrast to the emptiness and joylessness that pornography offers.
“One of the best ways to fight against the dark is by shining a light on the good,” said Valk. “It’s compelling to fight sin when you realize that you’re pushing into an intended design from God for your benefit. It was made for you to flourish.”
The Into the Light Ministry team understands that the struggle against darkness is fruitless unless paired with a celebration of God’s light. The ministry prioritizes addressing sexual sin through the lens of worship and God’s character, acknowledging that His goodness is the basis of their work.
“We at Into the Light Ministries spend a lot of time soaking in the beautiful goodness of God – who He is, His design, and the church,” Valk added. “That shapes everything we do because we’re here to worship. And that’s amazing. The best way to understand sin’s nature is that it distorts God’s good.”
This perspective radically changes the conversation around pornography. Instead of beginning with condemnation, the approach becomes one of restoration by focusing on helping people understand the emptiness of sexual sin and the fullness of what God has designed.
“Pornography is only as powerful as it is because God’s gift of sex is as wonderful as it is,” said Valk. “And that’s the perspective with which we want to approach our ministry, because it’s hopeful and truthful and glorifies God.”
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