Billy Graham: Christians Should Overcome Lust Before It Gets Out of Control
With the help of faith, Christians can overcome lustful temptations before they become too domineering, the Rev. Billy Graham wrote in a recent post.
Graham, who is considered to be one of the most famous evangelical leaders in the world, made his comments in a column for the Kansas City Star, writing that such seemingly-innocent lustful acts, like looking at sexy magazines, can be a slippery slope to a greater obsession with pornography.
The evangelical leader cites Ephesians 5:3, which states: "Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity."
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Especially for married people, giving into lustful temptation goes against the vow you made on your wedding day, to your spouse, your friends and family, and most importantly God.
"In that vow you promised to be faithful to each other and to love each other exclusively, as long as you both are alive. Why break that vow by allowing lust to overtake you, even if it's only for an airbrushed image in a tawdry magazine?" Graham questions.
Although sinful hobbies, such as perusing erotic magazines, may seem harmless enough, Graham encourages Christians to turn from such desires "decisively and forcefully."
"Don't dabble with it; don't go near places where you'll be tempted to obtain it; avoid anything on the Internet that even hints of it," the Baptist minister encourages, referencing Paul's advice in 1 Timothy 6:11 that calls on Timothy to "Flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
"The most important thing you need to do, however, is to turn to Jesus Christ, confessing your sins to him and asking him to come into your heart and life. You need his forgiveness, and you also need his strength to resist temptation. Then — with God's help — recommit yourself to your marriage and put into practice the vows you once made," Graham concludes.
Pornography is a problem in the evangelical church, with a 2014 study finding that Christian men and secular men watch pornography roughly the same.
The study, conducted by the Barna group, found that among self-identified Christian men, 12 percent said they watched pornography at least once daily, compared to 10 percent of non-Christian men who answered "yes" to the same question.
The study also found that when asked if they watch porn "several times a week," 29 percent of non-Christian men answered "yes," while 18 percent of Christian men answered the same.
Additionally, a study from earlier this year, published in the Journal of Communication, found that pornography leads to sexual aggression.
The study, entitled A Meta-Analysis of Pornography Consumption and Actual Acts of Sexual Aggression in General Population Studies, looked at 22 different studies from seven countries for determining its results.
"The accumulated data leave little doubt that, on the average, individuals who consume pornography more frequently are more likely to hold attitudes conducive to sexual aggression and engage in actual acts of sexual aggression than individuals who do not consume pornography or who consume pornography less frequently," the study read.
