Anti-prostitution curriculum merits discussion
I want to ask you a question, and I don't want you shrinking
from the answer. Have any of you heard a sermon in the past five years that
discussed the problem of prostitution or any of the many aspects
of the commercial sex industry? No? I thought that would be the response. Not one person has heard
a sermon about the sexual exploitation of young men and women?
My guess would be that of all the churches in America, only a
handful would ever hear a sermon about one of the great threats
to urban youth. Did you know that the average age of entry into prostitution,
strip dancing, Internet nude modeling and many other sexual jobs
is 14? No, of course you didn't. Because of all the places you
get your information - including church - nobody wants to talk
about this problem. I am convinced some weird things are happening in our culture
because of the availability of sexual products and services. Recently, I talked with the Rev. Al Erickson, a pastor of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who for more than a decade
has been trying to get Lutheran clergy and congregations to think
seriously about the threat of the commercial sexual industry.
Now he has a new curriculum, designed for confirmation-age children,
that appears to be right on the mark. Erickson, who was drawn
into his ministry by the involvement of a family member in prostitution,
says the sex industry is bigger than we think. "I think there is a lot of stuff going on with men,"
Erickson said. "Of course, sex - we've had our explosions
in recent years. But nobody has opened the windows, and we have
so much material in the Bible. Look at King David, willing to
risk everything for one night with Bathsheba. No preacher deals
with that text. And if a pastor is caught, they're just kicked
out. There is never any possibility for healing. "But ask people in a congregation," Erickson said.
"They will tell you there is no molestation, no use of prostitutes.
How can we not talk about this stuff in the church?" Erickson believes since the Internet became a popular tool
for communication that temptations for people have increased dramatically. "I think of the American male - how lonely we are, how
stressed we are, and some of these sexual products and services
can look awfully good." Erickson's six-week curriculum features a videotape and printed
material that clergy and lay teachers can use to talk honestly
with eighth- and ninth-graders. Pastors might think this is a
phony issue and most of their parishioners behave themselves when
they spend hours on the Internet or reading in a private part
of the house. But something is happening when you consider that
pornography is by far the most desired information on the World
Wide Web. And it is easy to access thousands of Web sites where beautiful
young women pose for the men of the world. And don't think all
of those men are non-believers who never darken the doors of the
church. What are the odds that some of those guys are checking
into the sex-for-sale pages of the Internet on a regular basis? Of course, all kinds of men - and women, too - have looked
at sex products on the Internet and have not been damaged psychologically.
But I also don't know what, if any, long-term problems might arise
from the practice. If you have the courage, take a look at Erickson's anti-prostitution
curriculum and start the discussion at your church. To contact the Rev. Al Erickson about his anti-prostitution
curriculum, call (612) 869-5450.
Clark D. Morphew
Posted For August 14, 1999