8 The Counsel of Chalcedon

Several years ago, Faith

Popcorn, Americas foremost
trend expert, hailed by the
New York Times as the
trend oracle and as the
Nostradamus of marketing
by Fortune magazine, declared,
Porn is norm. She was
not endorsing pornography,
but predicting that media
technology would push the
limits of what is acceptable
and would facilitate a culture
of instant gratication; thus
porn would be the norm. True
to her prediction, pornography
has moved out of the back allies
of the urban scene and onto
the main streets of America.
While most Internet businesses
were going bankrupt, the porn
industry was raking in huge
prots, making it perhaps the
most protable business on the
Internet. In the past, one had
to travel to sleazy backstreets
to nd porn; now, its only a
click away on the computer
and on the remote control of
the cable/satellite TV. Easy,
private and nobody knows
except God. At home or
in the hotel, porn is private,
available and acceptable.
Some estimate that as much
as 70% of in-room hotel prots
come from porn and that
over 50% of hotel patrons
participate. As people consume
it in private, porn becomes
the norm and goes public.
Whether its the infamous
Super Bowl incident or the
recent Paris Hilton hamburger
commercial, porn is seducing
its way into the mainstream.
The church needs to be on
guard against this tsunami
of trash. As it inundates our
culture, it is also seeping into
our churches. Shepherds must
be vigilant and use the rod
and staff to defeat this enemy
and guard Christs sheep.
A Reality in
the Church
I can hear you protest,
Thats the pagan world, not
the church! Are you sure?
My personal experience and
my pastoral experience have
taught me otherwise. Ive
been ordained for over thirty
years. Ive served as pastor
in two congregations, as a
theological professor and as a
biblical counselor. The threat
is real, present and dangerous.
It is much worse now than
thirty years ago. While I do
more counseling than most
pastors, I have discovered
that my experience is typical
of dozens of other pastors,
as Ive talked with them,
prayed with them and advised
them on numerous cases.
Personally, on our
home computer, spam
(unsolicited mass e-mail)
has included pornography
pushing heterosexual sins,
homosexuality, bestiality,
and sadomasochism. Yes,
Is Porn Norm?
Rev. George C. Scipione
First published in Evangelium, Vol. 3, Issue 4 (Jan/Feb 2005).
9 Making the Nations Christs Disciples
ancient Rome would love this
technological bonanza; Sodom
would shout for joy as sin
becomes so simple. Dear saints,
we are slouching towards
Gomorrah. As Professor Peter
Jones has shown well, we have
degenerated into a Roman
Empire of pagan passions. (1)
As a pastor of a local
congregation and a seminary
professor, Ive counseled pastors
and members of evangelical
and Reformed churches
enslaved to pornsingle and
married men, men and women
struggling with homosexuality,
fornicators, adulterers,
victims and perpetrators of
sexual molestation, cross-
dressers, transsexuals,
and other unmentionable
perversions. Porn, with the
rare exception, is always
involved. I have never dealt
with a sex offender who was not
deeply enslaved to porn. (2)
The Biblical Solution
To paraphrase a line from our
history, Heavenwe have
a problem! But we have a
powerful, loving, sovereign
Savior who rules and reigns in
heaven! He has the answers to
this dilemma and is more than
willing to help us overcome
the enemy of our souls and live
pure, victorious lives in this
evil and perverse generation
(Phil 2:14-16). The solution is
twofold. First, we must dene
these sins biblically. Second,
we must biblically dene
Gods solution to these sins.
Porn, and the lusts triggered
or deepened by it, are sins.
But they are sins in specic
ways. Such understanding
is necessary to defeat these
enemies. First, they are self-
centered perversions of Gods
design of human sexuality
as part of the image of God
and as a good gift to ones
spouse, (Gen 1, 2; 1 Cor 7).
Second, they run contrary
to reality and involve vain
imaginations of the worst sort
(Prov 17:24). Thus sexuality is
depersonalized and degraded
into mental and physical
self-stimulation. Third, they
involve coveting, a violation
of the tenth Commandment
(Eph 5:3-5). There are clear
connections between sexual
sins, coveting and idolatry.
Lust, at the core, is worship
of the creature instead of the
Creator and the neglect of the
good of others. The two great
commandments are sacriced
on the altar of self-love. Thus,
when a man turns to porn,
he says at least three things:
one, the Fathers love, the
Sons sacrice and the Spirits
fellowship are not enough; two,
sexual love of spousepresent
or futureis not enough;
three, Im lord and king over
me and can care for myself.
On the one hand, the worlds
view is that porn and lust are
not serious problems, since,
after all, Everybody (almost)
indulges. On the other hand,
our culture has little hope
of change for sex offenders
who engage in criminal
behavior. But we Christians
know better. The gospel of
Gods free, sovereign grace
through the life and death of
Jesus the Messiah is the only
effective answer to these sins.
What does the gospel say
about these lusts? What would
a pastoral approach to them
look like? Is there any realistic
hope for victory? Lets try to
summarize a biblical plan of
care. I believe there must be at
least the following seven things
in a biblical pastoral plan that
will result, LORD willing, in
the renewal of a soul scorched
by sexual sin: regeneration,
renewed repentance and faith,
a renewed mind, renewed
obedience, regular use of
various means of growing in
grace, regular reporting to
responsible shepherds, and
reading good literature on these
subjects. I address the issue
of lust in men, but the same
is true for women. Consider
each one in sequential order.
REGENERATION: Jesus made
it clear that the new birth is
not optional, but absolutely
essential. The unregenerate
church member is incapable
of producing the fruit of the
Spirit as opposed to the deeds
of the esh (John 3:3-8; 15:4-5;
Gal 5:16-26). If the disciple is
Is Porn Norm?
10 The Counsel of Chalcedon
a goat and not a sheep, chaff
and not wheat, deep and lasting
change is impossible. While a
subjectively oriented inquisition
is not helpful, a gentle probe
can help. If Dr. C. John Miller
had not probed my heart
when I was in my rst year
of seminary, I might still be
ghting a losing battle against
my sins of the esh, failing
and on my way to a Christ-less
eternity in hell! The pastor who
is counseling should not try to
be the Holy Spirit, of course;
but he should ask questions
and observe responses in ways
that bring to light the true
condition of the disciples heart.
RENEWED REPENTANCE AND
FAITH: If there is evidence that
the disciple is truly converted
and he is a member in good
standing of a Bible-believing
church, then he must be
renewed in his relationship
with the Father through the
Son by the power of the Spirit.
Unless the brother can, to
some extent, pray Psalm 51
with a straight face and heart,
he is still trapped in sin and
self-deception. Most believers
caught in sin know they are
wrong, just as David did. Yet it
took the Spirit, using Nathan,
for David to crack and repent (2
Sam 12:1-14). C. John Millers
Repentance and the 21st
Century Man is very helpful.
Repentance is simply the ip
side of the coin of faith. The
brother must look to Christ for
forgiveness in a fresh way (1
John 1:9-2:3). He must realize
he is a new creature in Christ
justied, adopted, united
with the Vine and sanctied
(1 Cor 6:9-11; Heb 11-12).
RENEWED MIND: If the
brother is to win, he must
know his enemiesidolatry,
covetousness, impurity. His
mind must begin to perceive
life in general and sexuality in
particular in the light of Gods
word (Eph 4:17-24, 5:3-21; 1
Tim 5:1-2). He has to see and
respond as Gods adopted son,
not as a pagan or an orphan.
RENEWED OBEDIENCE: He
must understand the nature
of covenant faithfulness
and his part in progressive
sanctication. This process
is called mortication and
vivication by the Puritans
or put off and put on by
Jay Adams. Adams works
and those by Kris Lundgaard
are helpful here. (3)
REGULAR USE OF VARIOUS
MEANS OF GROWING IN
GRACE: The disciple cannot
win the battle while he is
weak. Public worship including
the preaching of the good
news of Gods grace in Christ,
the Lords Supper, prayer
alone and with others, Bible
reading, and fellowship with
the saints is foundational
to spiritual vitality.
REGULAR REPORTING TO
RESPONSIBLE SHEPHERDS:
This may be the most
underused tool in the battle
against these sins (Jas 5:13-
18). Shepherding starts with
the pulpit but must never
end there (Matt 18:15-20;
Luke 17:1-10). Someone must
monitor the brother as a coach
or trainer would (Gal 6:1-2).
Accountability is essential. A
man who will not submit to a
shepherd whom he sees will
not submit to a Shepherd that
he does not see (1 John 4:20).
READING ABOUT THESE
ISSUES: To ignore the wisdom
of the elders of past generations
and the developing classics
of today is folly (Prov 1-9).
Conclusion
Jesus is exalted at the Fathers
side and rules over all His
enemies, including sexual
sins. He is crowned, thus
the victory is ours. On this
pagan planet, in a crumbling
culture saturated with sleazy
sex, porn is norm. But for you,
child of God, Christ is the
norm and purity is possible.
Dont exchange your eternal
inheritance and reward
for some temporary sexual
stimulation (Heb 12:16-17).
Is Porn Norm?
(continued on page 28)
20 The Counsel of Chalcedon
Dont be led like an ox to
the satanic slaughterhouse
(Prov 7:6-23). Keep your eyes
xed in faith upon Jesus
and follow His footsteps to
glory (Heb 12:1-2). (4)
FOOTNOTES
1 Jones, Peter, Capturing
the Pagan Mind (Nashville:
Broadman & Holman, 2003).
2 In addition, the Internet poses
a problem for women as well.
While not as drawn to porn as
men, the Internet replaces the
romantic or raunchy novel as
a major polluter of womens
hearts. I know of several
instances of women leaving
their husbands and children
for a total stranger met online.
3 Lundgaard, Kris,
The Enemy Within
(Phillipsburg: P&R, 1998).
___, Through the Looking Glass
(Phillipsburg: P&R, 2000).
4 Please refer to
suggested references.
This article is not intended
to be comprehensive due
to the limits of space.
For further information,
here are some suggested
references on this topic:
BOOKS
Harris, Josh, Not Even a Hint
(Sisters: Multnomah, 2003).
Wilson, Doug, Fidelity (Moscow:
Canon Press, 1999).
Hall, Laurie, An Affair of the
Mind (Colorado Springs:
Focus on the Family, 1996).
Journal of Biblical Counseling,
Vol. 13, No. 3 (available at
Christian Counseling &
Educational Foundation,
www.ccef.org).
AUDIO
The Pain of Porn by Jim
Newheiser, # ibc0111
Purifying the Heart of
Sexual Idolatry by John
Street, # ibc0314
(These can be ordered from
www.soundword.com)
2006 Westminster Seminary
California All rights reserved
Website: www.wscal.
edu. E-mail: mail@wscal.
edu. Phone: 760.480.8474
Rev. George
C. Scipione
associations, bail-breaking,
treachery against a lord, church
freedom (including the need
for double compensation for
thefts perpetrated on Sundays),
church stealing, ghting in
the Kings Hall, fornication,
slaying a pregnant woman,
seizing hold of a woman, the
Elders Roll, wood-burning,
compensation for injuries
sustained while working,
cattle-rustling, child-care, kid-
napping, aiding and abetting
assaults, debt, rape, homicide,
pledges, fettering, negligence
regarding dangerous weapons,
house-breaking, immovable
property, and wounds etc.
To Be Continued...
End Notes:
1) J.H. Kurtz: Church
History, Hodder & Stoughton,
London, 1892, I pp. 541f.
2) Sir. W. Churchill:
The Island Race, Corgi,
London, 1964, II, p. 219.
3) R. Holinshed: Chronicles
of England, Scotland and
Ireland (1586), AMS Press, New
York, 1965 rep., I pp. 662f.
4) W.W. Lehman: The First
English Law, in Journal of
Legal History, Cass, London,
May 1985, p. 29 n. 19.
5) Art. Alfred, or Aelfred (in
Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Britannica, New York, 14th
ed., 1929, 1:588f); & art. Alfred
the Great (in Encyclopedia
Americana, American,
New York,1951, I:380).
6) E. Gibbon: The History of
the Rise and Fall of the Roman
Empire, Oxford University
Press, London, 1907-14
ed., IV p. 115 & V p. 178.
7) Bede: Ecclesiastical
History of the British
People (A.D. 731), I:1-6.
8) Ib., I:2-4.
9) Ib., I:14f.
10) Ib., I:22 (Alfreds
chapter heading).
11) R. Holinshed: op.
cit., I 247f & 619f.
12) Chs. 1-48, in ed. R.D.
Giless Whole Works of
King Alfred, AMS Press,
New York, I-IV, 1969.
13) Chs. 20-23.
14) Mt. 5.
15) Acts ch. 15.
16) Law Code, ch. 49:1-7.
17) Ib., ch. 49:8.
18) ealleum minum Witum.
19) Alf. 49:9.
Written by
Dr. Francis
Nigel Lee
http://www.
dr-fnlee.org/
King Alfred the Great and Our Common Law
(continued from page 10)