CovenantEyes

Internet Accountability and Filtering

Your

Brain
on Porn
Luke Gilkerson

5 proven ways pornography

warps your mind and 3 biblical
ways to renew it.
The Great Porn Experiment
It seems so obvious, says Damon Brown, Does this really matter? Some people would
a regular writer for Playboy. If we invent say there is no documented research showing
a machine, the first thing we are going to the damaging effects of pornography.
doafter making a profitis use it to watch Some people dont believe pornography
porn. In the last 150 years, pornography can harm us.
has ridden on the heels of new technology,
from the photograph to the film projector, Those people would be wrong.
from VHS to DVDs, from the World Wide Web In the early 1980s, Dr. Dolf Zillmann of Indiana
to smartphones. You name it, Brown says, University and Dr. Jennings Bryant of The
pornography planted its big flag there first, University of Alabama wondered whether
or at least shortly thereafter.1 continued exposure to video pornography
had any impact
Wed like to believe Christians are immune
on peoples sexual Porn doesnt have
to the prevalence of pornography, but
beliefs and their
Paul Fishbein, founder of Adult Video
attitudes towards
a demographic
News, is right when he says, Porn doesnt
women. For their it goes across all
have a demographicit goes across all
demographics.2
experiment, 80 demographics.
male and 80 female
Pastors agree. In March 2005, Christianity college-age participants were divided into
Today published the results of a study called three subgroups, and each group was shown
Christians and Sex in their Leadership 4 hours and 48 minutes of media.
Journal. Out of 680 pastors surveyed,
57% said addiction to pornography is the  The first group, the Massive
most sexually damaging issue to their Exposure Group, was shown 36
congregation.3 non-violent pornographic films over a
six-week period.
We are only beginning to see the effects
of mass-produced porn on our culture. The  The second group, the Intermediate
Internet generationthose who have grown Exposure Group, was exposed to 18
up with online media in the homeis only just pornographic films and 18 regular films
now entering adulthood. Surveys from young over a six-week period.
adults confirm it: many saw pornography for  The third (control) group, the
the first time when they were very young, and No Exposure Group, was shown 36
today consuming Internet pornography is a non-pornographic movies over a
weekly, or even daily, affair for many college- six-week period.
age men and women.4

2 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

Later, these groups were asked a variety But like all good things, sin aims to twist this
of questions ranging from their personal pleasure.
preferences to social issues. 5 The results are
In their experiment, Zillmann and Bryant
interesting from a psychological perspective,
found a direct correlation between the
and also because of what the Word of God
amount of pornography one viewed and ones
says about the nature of lust and sexual
overall sexual satisfaction in real relationships.
immorality.
Participants from the Massive Exposure Group
reported less satisfaction with their intimate
Finding #1: Watching Porn Decreases partners: they were less likely to be pleased
Our Sexual Satisfaction with their partners physical appearance,
affection, and sexual performance.
God is not the enemy of pleasure. He is the
Creator of it. The Bible proclaims it. Even the Zillmann and Bryant concluded that porn
demons know it. But is it human beings who consumers eventually compare their spouse
are most likely to forget it. with images of porn models. Another study
appearing in the Journal of Sex and Marital
The demon Screwtape, in C.S. Lewis The Therapy in 2002 found similar results. When
Screwtape Letters, reminds his young demonic men and women were exposed to pictures
apprentice of this truth. [Gods] a hedonist at of female centerfold models from Playboy
heart. All those fasts and vigils and stakes and and Penthouse, this significantly lowered
crosses are only a facade. Or only like foam on their judgments about the attractiveness of
the sea shore. Out at sea, out in His sea, there average people.7
is pleasure and more pleasure. He makes no
secret of it; at His right hand are pleasures When people become more and more
forevermore....He has filled the world full of entrenched in pornography, this ends up only
pleasures.6 deluding and deadening their libido. Dr. Mary
Anne Layden concludes, Having spent so
Sex is one of these God-created pleasures. much time in unnatural sexual experiences
To highlight the goodness of sexual with paper, celluloid and cyberspace, they
pleasure, God inspired King Solomon to write seem to find it difficult to have sex with
a little book of romantic melodies a real human being. Pornography, she
called The Song of Songsa title that says, is toxic miseducation about sex and
means the best love song of all. This book relationships, training men and women to
expressesat times in erotic detailthe expect online designer sex in the real world. 8
pleasure and joy of marital sexuality.

3 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

This comparison isnt merely about body type was richer than Bill Gates, more spiritually
or sexual performance. Someone exposed influential than Billy Graham, smarter than
again and again to pornography can also end Einstein, and yet he had a harem bigger than
up comparing the whole fantasy experience Hugh Hefners.
to their sex lives. Instead of being drawn
Pornography essentially trains men and
to one woman or one man, they end up
women to be consumers, not lovers; to treat
being turned on by the variety and novelty
sex as a commodity; to think about sex
porn offers them.
as something on-tap and made-to-order.
Neurobiologist Peter Milner explains that As Dr. Judith Reisman rightly concludes,
our brains are wired to be attracted to that pornography castrates men visually, training
which is unfamiliar and novel. This inward them to retreat into the realm of fantasy if
drive is what helps us to learn new things they want to be aroused.10
and adapt to our
environment. Pornography Finding #2: Watching Porn
But, he explains, essentially trains Disconnects Us from Real
it is possible to
men and women to Relationships
become addicted
to novelty and be consumers, not Casual sex is not new to our generation.
uncertainty.9 lovers; to treat sex Even 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul
Over time the as a commodity; to planted churches in places like Corintha
brain that feeds
think about sex as city with a reputation that would make a
on erotic media Las Vegas pimp blush. In Corinth, sex was a
is trained to something on-tap religionliterally. The temple to Aphrodite was
equate sexual and made-to-order. home to thousands of priestessesglorified
excitement prostituteswho serviced the worshippers.
with the novelty and variety of pornography. The loose sexual mores of Corinth were even
Eventually the familiar face, body, and sexual lower than those of the rest of the Roman
performance of a spouse doesnt arouse the Empire, and the verb corinthianize
way it used to. was coined to describe this lifestyle of
decadent sin.
For all of Solomons romantic wisdom and
marital passion, even he was ensnared by Pauls word for this way of life was porneia:
a lust for variety. In 1 Kings 11 we learn a persistent lifestyle of sexual immorality. To
Solomon eventually accumulated 700 wives the church in Corinth, surrounded by these
and 300 concubines because he loved many depraved influences, Paul writes, Flee from
foreign women (v.1). Solomon was a man who sexual immorality....Because of the temptation

4 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

to sexual immorality, each man should have in a relationship. They also showed a greater
his own wife and each woman her own acceptance of premarital sex.
husband (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2). Paul commends
Dr. Gary Brooks, author of The Centerfold
a habit of regular sexual intimacy between
Syndrome, explains how pornography
husbands and wives because the temptation
alters the way men think about romantic
to sin is, at times, very strong (7:3-5). For Paul,
relationships. The glossy
sexual passion found its proper
magazine pictures or pixels on
expression in marriage, not in The glossy magazine
the screen have no sexual or
the sensual Corinthian culture. pictures or pixels on
relational expectations of their
Today, watching pornography the screen have no own. This essentially trains
is one expression of casual sex, sexual or relational men to desire the cheap thrill
the opportunity to experience expectations of of fantasy over a committed
sexual pleasure without the relationship. Pornography trains
bother of marital commitment.
their own. This men to be digital voyeurs, to
We see this especially among essentially trains prefer looking at women more
the younger generations who men to desire the than seeking out genuine
have taken up the habit of cheap thrill of fantasy intimacy.
12

sexting, sending racy photos

or videos of themselves to
over a committed We might say the real problem
othersessentially becoming relationship. with pornography isnt that it
someone elses pornography. shows us too much sex, but that
As one 17-year-old girl put it: Theres it doesnt show us enoughit cannot possibly
a positive side to sexting. You cant get give us an experience of real intimacy. Porn
pregnant from it, and you cant transmit STDs. treats sex one-dimensionally, packages it in
Its a kind of safe sex.11 pixels, and rips it from its relational context. It
only titillates us with images of sex but cannot
Pornography is not only an expression of offer the experience of closeness with another
casual sex but feeds a desire for it. After their person.
experiment, Zillmann and Bryant concluded,
the more porn someone saw, the more likely Finding #3: Watching Porn
they were to prefer sex without emotional
Lowers Our View of Women
involvement. After watching less than five
hours of pornography over a six-week period, You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady
the Massive Exposure group was more likely Eve, said C.S. Lewis Aslan. And that is
to devalue marriage, the idea of having both honor enough to erect the head of the
children, and the importance of faithfulness

5 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

poorest beggar and shame enough to bow the who are glad to be used and objectified. It
shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth.13 isnt surprising to find women increasingly
devalued in our
The Scriptures tell us both men and women porn-saturated Often pornography,
are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-
28). The implications of this doctrine are far-
culture. and even mainstream
reaching. As image-bearers we reflect God in In the Zillman- media, portrays
a way no other creature on earth does. As far Bryant women as people who
as God is concerned, to assault someone made experiment, are glad to be used
in His image is a great crime (Gen. 9:6; James the Massive
3:9). Knowing we are made in Gods image Exposure Group
and objectified.
should impact how we see ourselves and one was far more likely to believe women in
another. society really fit the stereotype of the women
they saw in pornographic films. They were
It is not only men who bear this image, but more likely to believe all women are really as
women as well. In human history the failure hysterically euphoric in response to just about
to appreciate this fact has led to all manner any sexual or pseudosexual stimulation, and
of abuses to women. And in our increasingly as eager to accommodate seemingly any and
sexualized culture, it is women who are often every sexual request as the porn girls.
the most dehumanized as they are constantly
rated for the size, shape, and harmony of their Participants in the experiment were asked
body parts. Often pornography, and even to rate their overall support for womens
mainstream media, portrays women as people rights. Men in the Massive Exposure Group

80
Male participants were asked:
70
Do you support womens rights?
60

50

40
Levels of Exposure
30 to Pornography:
20
None
10 Intermediate
Massive
0

6 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

showed a 46% drop in support compared to expendable. And just like in the case of Tamar,
the No Exposure Group. And among women a mind that only sees women as objects of
participants, this drop was an alarming 30%. lust, can also easily be numbed to cruelty
towards women.
Free porn is a misnomer. Pornography
always costs somebody something. And In Zillmann and Bryants experiment, when
its the women and girls in our culture, asked how common certain sexual activities
surrounded by boys and men with porn were in society activities like anal sex,
expectations, who often end up paying the group sex,
highest price. sadomasochism,
True love leads us to
and bestiality serve one another as
Naomi Wolf, writing for New York Magazine, the percentages human beings created
puts it best: Today real naked women are just given by
bad porn. The onslaught of porn doesnt train in Gods image.
the Massive
men to value women as people made in the Exposure Group were two to three times
image of God, but instead trains people to see higher than the No Exposure Group.
fewer and fewer women as porn-worthy.14 Pornography led them to believe these sexual
activities were more common.
Finding #4: Watching Porn
Watching pornography also conditioned
Desensitizes Us to Cruelty
participants to trivialize rape. Participants
Davids daughter Tamar was beautiful, and were asked to read about a legal case where
Davids son Amnon secretly loved her from a man raped a female hitchhiker and then
a distance. Amnon described his obsession recommend a length for the rapists prison
and lust as so great, it tormented him to the sentence. Males in the No Exposure Group
point of being ill (2 Sam. 13:2). Eventually he said 94 months; the Massive Exposure Group
hatched a plan to get her into bed. When the cut this by nearly half, recommending only 50
moment came and they were alone, he forced months.
himself upon her and raped her. Then, the
Pornography essentially desensitizes us to
Scriptures say, after he had his way with her,
sexual violence and cruelty, even when the
he hated her with very great hatred (v.15)
pornography is considered non-violent
and threw her out of his house.
in nature. Unfortunately, aggression is
A story like this shows the insidious nature of common in pornography today. A 2000
lust. True love leads us to serve one another study discovered the presence of violence in
as human beings created in Gods image. Lust 42% of online pornography.15 Today, it is not
leads us to use one another, to see others as uncommon for even the youngest Internet

7 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

users to be exposed
Female participants were asked:
to graphic material.
By the age of 18, for How many months should a
instance, 39% of rapist be incarcerated?
boys and 23% of girls
have seen acts of sex
involving bondage
Levels of Exposure
online.16 to Pornography:

In a 2007 None
presentation, Robert Intermediate
Massive
Wosnitzer, Ana
Bridges, and Michelle
Chang released the results of their study of
the 50 top selling adult DVDs. After analyzing
Finding #5: Watching
304 distinct scenes in these films, they found Porn Makes Us Want to
3,376 acts of verbal or physical aggression Watch More Porn
thats an act of aggression every minute and
As Solomon said, sex is intoxicating (Song of
a half. About 90% of scenes contained at least
Songs 1:4). To his students he wrote, Rejoice
one act of aggression. Verbal aggression, such
in the wife of your youth...be intoxicated
as name-calling, was present in about half
always in her love, but do not get drunk on
of adult video scenes. In 73% of instances,
the embrace of a forbidden woman (Prov.
men were the aggressors, and when women
5:18-20).
were the aggressors, most of the time they
were being aggressive to another woman. In Solomon had no knowledge of the human
95% of the scenes, the person receiving the brain the way we do today, but his words
aggression reacted neutrally or positively to it. on the intoxicating nature of sexuality take
Positive or healthy sexual acts, such as kissing on a new richness as we study the effects of
or compliments, were found in only 10% pornography on the mind and body.
of scenes.17
Two weeks after the Zillmann-Bryant
These numbers give us a glimpse of the sexual experiment, all participants were given
education porn consumers receive. Routinely, an assortment of pornographic and non-
pornography depicts acts of aggression, pornographic films to watch in private. Those
cruelty, and degradation, and teaches viewers who were exposed to more pornography were
that women enjoy these acts. significantly more likely to want to watch
hardcore porn.

8 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

Continually watching pornography repeatedly traveled with each exposure
has been shown to produce an to pornography. They become the
escalation effect. Fifteen years after automatic pathway through which
this experiment, Dr. Zillmann continued interactions with women are routed.
research in this area, finding that the The neural circuitry anchors this process
habitual use of pornography led to solidly in the brain. With each lingering
greater tolerance of sexually explicit stare, pornography deepens the Grand
material over time, requiring the viewer Canyon-like gorge in the brain through
to consume more novel and bizarre with images of women are destined to
material to achieve the same level of flow. This extends to women that they
arousal or interest.18 have not seen naked or engaging in
sexual acts as well. All women become
The hot-button issue today is the potential porn stars in the minds of
question of porn addictioncan these men.20
someone become literally addicted to
pornography? In a 2008 survey, over Ultimately, the addiction label may or
90% of therapists believed a person may not be helpful. There is no medically
could become addicted to cybersex.19 diagnosable line one crosses from being a
Some have proposed calling this non-addict to being an addictit is a gradual
hypersexual disorder, and recent move. Author Michael Leahy, a self-proclaimed
studies in neurochemistry confirm these recovering sex addict, has been to more than
findings. In his book Wired for Intimacy, 200 college campuses with his Porn Nation:
Dr. William Struthers discusses at The Naked Truth presentation, and he says the
length the various hormones and No. 1 question he hears from college students
neurotransmitters triggered by is, Can I look at porn recreationally without
watching pornography. He writes: becoming addicted to it, and is there anything
wrong with that? Even in light of his past,
As men fall deeper into the Leahy chooses not to focus on the addictive
mental habit of fixating on these character of pornography, but rather on its
images, the exposure to them sexually exploitative message. So, Leahy
creates neural pathways. Like a responds, do you think its okay if I beat and
path is created in the woods with berate my wife just once a month? I mean,
each successive hiker, so do the Im not addicted to it.21 Usually reframing
neural paths set the course for
the question this way helps young men and
the next time an erotic image is
women to see the problem of pornography
viewed. Over time these neural
differently.
paths become wider as they are

9 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

Regardless of the specific labels we use, the anywhere from five to 20 hours per week.
intoxicating nature of pornography cannot What used to be massive exposure is now
be denied. The more we watch pornography, common practice.23
the more pornography we want to watch: it
Furthermore, the Internet has not only
is like a toxin that gets into our blood. This is
increased the publics exposure to porn, but
one great example of what Paul calls the law
has also changed the way it is consumed. Dr.
of sin, sins persuasive pull, which he says
Jill Manning believes Zillmann and Bryants
resides in the physical members of our bodies
findings have greater applicability in the
(Rom. 7:22-24). We can become captive to the
modern age because Internet porn tends to
impulses of our brains and bodies when they
be more interactive and consumer-driven.
are trained by sinful indulgence.
Viewers can select exactly who and what
they want to see, custom-tailored to their
25 Years Later: The Explosion greatest specifications.24
of Internet Porn
At a 2011 conference, Dr. Mary Anne Layden
commented about Zillmann and Bryants
25-year-old research. When this study was
done, that was called the Massive Exposure
Groupseeingfive
hours of porn over a 80
six-week periodI now Participants were asked:
call that the Friday 70 How many hours do you spend
Afternoon Group.22 online for Internet sex per week?
60
Her statement is far
from an exaggeration. 50
Hours spent online
A recent survey of for Internet sex sites:
40
29,000 people at North Up to 5 hours
American universities 30 5-20 hours
shows 51% of men and
Over 20
16% of women spend 20
up to five hours per
week online for sexual 10
purposes, and another
11% of men spend 0

10 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

First Steps to Freedom:
Renewing the Mind
This paper outlined five ways pornography For the follower of Christ, the ultimate goal
warps our minds. is not merely quitting pornography, but is
something far richer and more comprehensive.
1. Watching Porn Decreases Our Sexual If merely modifying behavior was the most
Satisfaction. It trains us to desire the variety important thing, there are any number of
and designer sex of porn more than the psychological tips and tricks one can use.
familiar sexuality of marriage. But for the Christian, as it should be for all
2. Watching Porn Disconnects Us from Real people, the goal is not merely recovering
Relationships. It trains us to detach emotional from pornography, but being remade by God
involvement from sexual experience. Himself into the image of the perfect Man,
Jesus Christ.
3. Watching Porn Lowers Our View of
Women. It trains us to see women as sexual This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
commodities, not people created in Gods Just as sure as pornography stirs up lustful
image. cravings in us, the Holy Spirit is a source of
4. Watching Porn Desensitizes Us to Cruelty. new, holy cravings. Romans 8 tells us all true
It numbs us to the seriousness of verbal and Christians have the Spirit of Christ within
physical aggression. them (v.9). Galatians 5 says we are given the
desires of the Spirit (v.17), and when we keep
5. Watching Porn Makes Us Want to Watch in step with these desires (v.16) the lusts of the
More Porn. It taps into the neuro-circuitry of flesh (leading to sexual immorality, impurity,
our brains, making us desire the rush of sexual and sensuality) will not have their way in us.
energy from porn again and again.
This is what the old Scottish minister Thomas
For those who have been entrenched in Chalmers called the expulsive power of a
pornography, how do we reverse these mind- new affection. Laws, rules, and regulations
warping effects? How do we renew our minds can only tell us what is bad and why it is bad,
(Rom. 12:1-2)? but they do not change our desire for sinful
things. These sinful longings can only be
Keep in Step with the Spirit conquered by implanting new affections,
new cravings, that counter our sinful cravings.
The Bible does not describe us merely as This is what the Spirit does in us: He shares
wayward, broken, and needing a moral His own desires with us, changing us from the
boost but as those who are dead in sin inside out.
(Eph. 2:1). Dead men and women do not
need reform: they need resurrection.

11 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

Paul tells us we must keep in step with the not a perfect hope. We all suffer from the
desires of the Spirit with us (Galatians 5:16). distractions of the world and sin. It is for this
How do we do this? reason the apostle Peter urges us: set your
hope fully on the grace that will be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
1. Actively Hope in the Gospel.
(1 Pet. 1:13, italics added).
Walk in the Spirit. In the original language,
Practically speaking, this means just as we
Pauls phrase literally means, walk as you
have fed our minds on pornography, we
have been walking in the Spirit. How had
should now feed our minds on eternity. Just
the Galatians been walking in the Spirit? In
as we have spent hours engrossed in sexual
Galatians 5:5 he says, For through the Spirit,
media, we should spend time filling our
by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the
imaginations with the eternal promises of God.
hope of righteousness. Keeping in step with
We must, as Paul says, set our minds on the
the Spirit, therefore, first has something to do
things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5), on the glories of
with hope.
our inheritance as Gods children (v.17).
The gospel Paul declared is a message of
It is amazing how this renewed hope combats
anticipation and expectation, what Paul calls
the mind-warping impact of pornography.
the hope of righteousness. Our great hope
When our imaginations are filled with
is that one day Christ will judge the world
anticipation of the coming kingdom of God,
(Acts 17:31). He will destroy sin and death
we become more and more determined to
forever. He will recreate the world, and we will
taste this future hope in the here and now.
be just like Him (1 Cor. 15:51-55). This is our
The apostle John reminds us that though we
astounding hope.
are now children of God, what we will be
For Paul, faith in the gospel does not merely has not yet appeared, but we know when
mean we assent to these grand promises but Christ appears we will be like him, because
that we give ourselves wholly to them: we we shall see Him face to face (1 John 3:2). He
center our lives on them. Far from being a follows this glorious promise with the practical
passive thing, faith is active. It engages application: Everyone who thus hopes in him
the mind and the heart. As the author of purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3:3).
Hebrews says, faith is the assurance and Knowing we are destined for an eternity of
essence of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1): it is breathtaking purity and holiness, we purify
the delightful conviction that the things we ourselves here and now because we want to
hope for are real. have a taste of this future hope.

Walking in the Spirit means we stir up this As intense as pornography is, it cannot
hope in us, or as Paul says, we eagerly wait compare to the life-sustaining hope we
for it (Gal. 5:5). We all have hope, but it is

12 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

have in Christ. Far from shutting down our We cannot claim to keep in step with Gods
desires, actively hoping in Gods promises Spirit if we ignore or disobey the writings He
fully engages our desires in ways we never inspiredthe Scriptures. Through the Bible,
dreamed of. C.S. Lewis reminds us, the Holy Spirit speaks clear words to the
church. Growing up in a Jewish context, Paul
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing understood this. He knew all the writings of
promises of reward and the staggering the prophets were breathed out by God
nature of the rewards promised in the (2 Tim. 3:16). No less than 32 times in Pauls
Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord letters he uses the phrase it is written,
finds our desires not too strong, but too pointing to the writings of the prophets who
weak. We are half-hearted creatures, came before him. Paul also knew the Spirit
fooling about with drink and sex and was inspiring him and his fellow apostles (Eph.
ambition when infinite joy is offered us, 3:5). For whatever was written in former days
like an ignorant child who wants to go was written for our instruction, Paul says,
on making mud pies in a slum because that through endurance and through the
he cannot imagine what is meant by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might
offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far have hope (Rom. 15:4).
too easily pleased....Do you think I am
trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but To keep in step with the Spirit we must know
remember your fairy tales. Spells are used and obey the Book He inspired. We must
for breaking enchantments as well as for explore the Bible and learn what God thinks.
inducing them. And you and I have need We must renew our minds with His thoughts.
of the strongest spell that can be found
Take, for instance, the five main ways
to wake us from the evil enchantment of
pornography warps the mind. Exploring
worldliness.25
the Bible, we can reverse engineer the
bad training pornography has given us and
2. Actively Obey the Word. replace it with Gods thoughts.

When Paul writes, keep in step with the 1. God is the creator of sexual satisfaction
Spirit, the word he uses is the same as that of and has designed marriage, not
an army marching in line, a platoon following pornographic fantasy, for its enjoyment
their marching orders. Lest we think keeping (Song of Sg. 4:9-16; 1 Thess. 4:1-8).
in step with the Spirit is a purely mystical
experience, Paul says it is very practical. 2. God has defined good sex as an
Keeping in step with the Spirit means obeying expression of oneness, not emotional
His clearly revealed orders. detachment (Gen. 2:24).

13 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

3. God has created women in His image. confessing our sins to God we are promised
They are not sexual commodities but are forgiveness. In confessing sin to others we are
worthy of great honor (Gen. 1:27; 1 Pet. 3:7). made whole.

4. God has designed sex as an expression Sin must be habitually exposed to the light
of affection, not aggression of confession. This is called accountability:
(Deut. 22:25; Eph. 5:28-30). being honest with another trusted believer
about our temptations, sins, and the state of
5. God redeems our fallen sex drive so sex is our heart. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of
an act of love and giving, not selfishness Eden, after eating of the forbidden fruit, our
(1 Cor. 13:4-7; Gal. 5:22-23). knee-jerk reaction is to hideto hide from God
Each of these ideas is only a seed, but the and from one another. Accountability is the
more the mind engages with the Bible willingness to habitually and regularly allow
around these truths, the more our thoughts others access to your heart, your motives, your
are renovated. Over time our minds will be secret desires, your dark thoughts, and, of
rewired to see things Gods way. As we do this course, your sinful actions.
we are sowing to the Spirit and in time will How does this relate to pornography? The late
reap a harvest of eternal life (Gal. 6:8). psychologist, Dr. Al Cooper, believed three
main factors draw people into online sexual
3. Actively Engage in Community. activity:26

When Paul says we are to walk in the Spirit 1. Accessibility (porn is accessible easily from
he is writing to a church community, not just any Internet connection)
to random individuals reading his letter in
2. Affordability (millions of free or very cheap
their private corners. Keeping in step with
images are available online)
the Spirit of God is a community activity,
something we do together. 3. Anonymity (home computers and
Smartphones have made it very easy to
In other words, we keep in step with the Spirit
be secretive)
by keeping in step with one another. We
must live lifestyles of encouragement and He dubbed this the Triple-A Engine of
accountability. Internet porn.
Nothing slays the power of sin like confession. These three factors work like three legs on a
James writes, Therefore, confess your sins stool: remove just one of the legs and the stool
to one another and pray for one another, will fall (or at least make it awkward to sit on).
that you may be healed (James 5:16). In

14 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

The easiest leg to remove is the leg of neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of
anonymity, or secrecy. We do this by some, but encouraging one another, and all
becoming accountable to others about the the more as you see the Day drawing near
time we spend online, taking away the option (Heb. 10:24-25).
to hide our Internet activity.
This can be called responsive accountability.
When we give an account of our sins to
someone else, in return, they should listen and
then give an account of Gods gospel promises
to us.

In this text, God calls us to stir up one

anotherthat is, to urge, to spur on, to
provoke, to motivate each otherto love and
good deeds. Each time we meet together we
should be contemplating and praying, God,
show me how I can really motivate my friend
to resist temptation and instead love You and
others wholeheartedly. We are to have a
hardcore intentionality and thoughtfulness in
One way to do this is through the use of
our friendships.
Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability.
This software program monitors your home Like the embers of a red-hot fire, we stir up
computer, work computer, or smartphone and the fire not by adding heat to it, but rather
then sends a detailed report of your Internet by exposing the glowing embers to the air,
activity to a trusted friend, spouse, or mentor. helping to bring out of the embers the energy
Covenant Eyes, which pioneered this concept, that is in them already. If the Spirit of God is
also rates websites for mature content, in us, He has already planted His holy desires
flagging specific web searches and sites. into our hearts. He has etched his law on our
hearts (Jer. 31:33-34; Ez. 36:25-27). But He
Confession of sin is not the only goal of
has also placed us in the family of the church,
Christian community. In the face of each
among trusted friends who are also filled with
others weaknesses, we need to encourage
His Spirit, in order that we might stir up in
one another to fight sin. The author of
each other what God has already put in us.
Hebrews says, let us consider how to stir
up one another to love and good works, not

15 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

Endnotes
1. Damon Brown, PCs in Ecstasy: The Evolution 8. Dr. Mary Anne Layden, The Science Behind
of Sex in PC Games (Computer Games Magazine) Pornography Addiction, U.S. Senate Committee on
DamonBrown.net, May 1, 2006. http://www. Commerce, Science, & Transportation, November 18,
damonbrown.net/2006/05/01/pcs-in-ecstasy-the- 2004. http://www.ccv.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/
evolution-of-sex-in-pc-games-computer-games- Judith_Reisman_Senate_Testimony-2004.11.18.pdf
magazine (accessed November 18, 2011). (accessed November 18, 2011).

2. Rich Frank. Naked Capitalists: Theres no 9. Judith Reisman, The impotence pandemic
Business like Porn Business. New York Times, May WorldNetDaily. September 27, 2007. http://www.
20, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/20/ drjudithreisman.com/archives/2007/10/the_
magazine/20PORN.html (accessed November 18, 2011). impotence_p_2.html (accessed November 18, 2011).

3. Safe Families official website, Statistics 10. Covenant Eyes official website, Sexual Sabotage:
on Pornography, Sexual Addiction and Online Pornography, Impotence, and the Mad Scientist Who
Perpetrators http://www.safefamilies.org/sfStats.php Started It All, Interview with Dr. Judith Reisman
(accessed November 18, 2011). on Covenant Eyes Radio, Episode 99. http://www.
covenanteyes.com/2011/04/09/sexual-sabotage-
4. Michael Leahy, Porn University: What College pornography-impotence-and-the-mad-scientist-who-
Students Are Really Saying About Sex on Campus started-it-all (accessed November 18, 2011).
(Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 2009), 155.
11. What Theyre Saying About Sexting New
5. Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant, Effects of York Times, March 26, 2011. http://www.nytimes.
massive exposure to pornography, in Neil Malamuth com/2011/03/27/us/27sextingqanda.html (accessed
and Edward Donnerstein Eds., Pornography and Sexual November 18, 2011).
Aggression (New York: Academic Press, 1984); Dolf
Zillmann and Jennings Bryant, Shifting preferences in 12. Gary R. Brooks, PhD. The Centerfold Syndrome:
pornography consumption, Communication Research How Men Can Overcome Objectification and Achieve
vol.13, no.4, 1986; Dolf Zillmann and Jennings Bryant, Intimacy with Women. (Jossey-Bass: San Francisco,
Pornographys impact on sexual satisfaction, Journal 1995).
of Applied Social Psychology vol.18, issue 5, 1988; Dolf
Zillmann and Jennings Bryant, Effects of Prolonged 13. C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian (New York: HarperCollins,
Consumption of Pornography on Family Values, 1998), 284.
Journal of Family Issues vol.9, no.4, 1988.
14. Naomi Wolf, The Porn Myth New York Magazine,
6. C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/trends/n_9437
Macmillian, 1950), 112-113. (accessed November 18, 2011).

7. Raymond M. Bergner and Ana J. Bridges, The 15. Martin Barron and Michael Kimmel, Sexual
significance of heavy pornography involvement for Violence in Three Pornographic Media: Toward a
romantic partners: research and clinical implications, Sociological Explanation, The Journal of Sex Research
Journal of sex marital therapy vol.28, issue 3, 2002. vol.37, no.2, 2000.

16 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

16. Chiara Sabina, Janis Wolak, and David Finkelhor, Leahy, Jan Meza, and Noel Bouche on Covenant
The Nature and Dynamics of Internet Pornography Eyes Radio, Episode 106, http://www.covenanteyes.
Exposure for Youth CyberPsychology & Behavior vol.11, com/2011/07/11/be-aware-porn-harms-is-porn-addictive
no.6, 2008. (accessed November 18, 2011).

17. Mapping the Pornographic Text: Content Analysis 22. YouTube.com, Dr. Mary Anne Layden: Porn
Research of Popular Pornography, Presentation by Culture in the Mobile Age, http://www.youtube.com/
Robert Wosnitzer, Ana Bridges, and Michelle Chang at watch?v=WAbAjr4zPl4 (accessed November 18, 2011).
the National Feminist Antipornography Conference,
Wheelock College, Boston, March 24, 2007. 23. Leahy, Porn University

18. Dolf Zillmann, Influence of unrestrained access to 24. The Heritage Foundation official website, Jill
erotic on adolescents and young adults disposition Manning, Pornographys Impact on Marriage & the
toward sexuality, Journal of Adolescent Health vol.27, Family, Before the Subcommittee on the Constitution,
issue 2, Supplement 1, 2000. Civil Rights and Property Rights, Committee on
Judiciary, United States Senate, November 10,
19. Peter D. Goldberg, Brennan D. Peterson, Karen H. 2005. http://www.heritage.org/research/testimony/
Rosen, and Mary Linda Sara, Cybersex: The Impact of pornographys-impact-on-marriage-amp-the-family
a Contemporary Problem on the Practices of Marriage (accessed November 18, 2011).
and Family Therapists, Journal of Marital and Family
Therapy vol.34, issue 4, 2008. 25. C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory: And Other
Addresses (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 26.
20. William M. Struthers, Wired for Intimacy: How
Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain (Downers Grove: 26. Al Cooper, Cybersex: The Dark Side of the Force
InterVarsity Press, 2009), 85. (London: Brunner-Routledge, 2000).

21. Covenant Eyes official website, Be Aware: Porn

Harms - Is Porn Addictive? Interview with Michael

17 Your Brain on Porn | Covenant Eyes

 Break Free from
INTERNET porn
When someone you trust receives a report of the websites you visit, it changes
how you use the web. It breaks the anonymity of web use, and reduces the
temptation to click on inappropriate links. These reports are designed for the
conversationto talk about where you struggle online and help you find freedom.

How Covenant EYES Works

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Reports Partners Button Internet Filtering
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1.877.479.1119 support@covenanteyes.com www.covenanteyes.com