Apr 21 2008
‘Porn pastor’ brings Jesus to Exxxotica
It was business as usual at the porn convention.
And then there was Jesus.
Thousands of attendees at this weekend’s Exxxotica in Miami Beach, the largest adult-entertainment event on the East Coast, would go home to find, deep inside their goodie bag, a sizable chunk of the New Testament under the title “Jesus loves porn stars.”
All this courtesy of Craig Gross, a 32-year-old former youth pastor in Southern California who had set up a booth for his XXXChurch — which he started six years ago to fight back against rampant Internet pornography use — deep inside the belly of the beast. Gross and his crew of volunteers, all women in their late teens or early 20s, were passing out the deceptively packaged Bibles to attendees; there was no preaching or judging, only smiles and friendly conversation.
”It’s a little light in a dark room,” said Gross, standing next to a pile of 4,000 Bibles he planned to give away this weekend. “I feel like we’re planting a lot of seeds.”
Gross, who is known to some as the Porn Pastor, is as unconventional in appearance as his methods: Piercing green eyes, jutting cheekbones, day-old stubble and straight dark hair that cascades over his forehead. He wears tattered jeans and a T-shirt, has black studs on both his ears and sports a heart-shaped tattoo on his right forearm.
As way of explaining his work, Gross brings up the story of Zacheus, a crooked tax collector who climbs onto a tree to see Jesus when he comes into town. Jesus calls him down and invites himself to spend the night in Zacheus’ home.
That sort of involvement is what Gross aspires to, and that’s exactly where traditional religion has let him down, he said.
”They’ve never gotten on the field,” said Gross, who was ordained in the non-denominational Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, Calif. “Shouldn’t we go where the problem’s at?”
Read about it here.
[From me]
I read Craig’s book “The Gutter” a few years ago. The ministry he and his group are doing is very difficult. But they are going where the sinners are. Most of those people at the convention and in that industry would never set foot in a church because they would be judged.
XXX Church calls porn “the dirty little secret.” It is so easy to get drawn into this sin. And no matter what others may believe, I believe that porn always affects other people. I have seen way too many lives and marriages destroyed because of Porn.
What do you think?
14 responses so far
When is deception used as a gambit for preaching the gospel justified and when is it not?
I’m glad they are reaching out to a lost group. They should be very, very careful not to put themselves in danger, though. I haven’t studied their methods and practices enough to comment further.
Here’s a passage on “trickery.” Not sure if their “deceptively packaged Bibles are in this category.
1 Thessalonians 2:2-6 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you,
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I don’t know what a “deceptively packaged bible” is. Maybe one that doesn’t have “bible” on the outside of it?
That’d be ok with me as it doesn’t say “bible” in the bible anyway. And Philippians 1:15-18 leads me to believe Paul would’ve approved, too.
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Yay for them! This group will definitely need lots of prayer to cover them against the temptation not to be drawn into the sin themselves. But I applaud their efforts. I agree porn affects others as well. I know from experience…
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A3,
XXX Church didn’t say they sent out deceptive Bibles. The author of the article did. I think Craig is well known in the Porn circles so he doesn’t hide anything.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..‘Porn pastor’ brings Jesus to Exxxotica
They are a great ministry and a very necessary one.
Besides going to porn conventions, they also put on events for churches. I was pushing to get them out to do a ‘porn and pancakes’ breakfast event at our church, but no one was interested saying that ‘it’s not a problem in our church’ and ‘we don’t want to advertise for something like that’… Is porn a dirty little secret in our churches today? You bet- one that we don’t want to acknowledge or admit.
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Stuart,
You and I both know it is a problem in our churches. Anyone who says it isn’t is fooling themselves.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..‘Porn pastor’ brings Jesus to Exxxotica
And AskAtheiest on the “deceptively packaged bibles” that’s someone’s opinion who wrote the article. I’ve seen the bibles you’re not going to mistake them for a free playboy mag. A book that says “Jesus Love Porn Stars” huge on the front deceptive? Way to miss the point of the entire article though. You get a gold star.
stuart’s last blog post..Community
I’ve found that the best cure for porn is a better understanding of biology. Once you recognise the biological reasons for our strong sexual urges the porn industry loses all of its appeal. Love and sex remains attractive but watching others becomes bizarre.
Damian,
I agree with you. That is why my wife and I take up the responsibility of teaching sex education to our children. Plus they see us loving each other.
Kevin Bussey’s last blog post..‘Porn pastor’ brings Jesus to Exxxotica
Man,
I just got spammed by a bunch of PORN sites. I guess you don’t go after those people without a fight.
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The description of the Bibles shows the writer’s bias. This guy has a special ministry and difficult mission field. XXXChurch also has excellent accountability software, too.
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Neil,
Glad we’re talking again
I’m not sure how 1 Thessalonians 2:2-6 applies to the question of when deception is OK as a gambit for preaching the gospel. Are you saying it is not OK because of Paul’s example?
Bob,
I’m guessing it is one that does not appear to be a bible until one examines it more closely, and the intent would be to get it into someone’s hand that might not accept it if it looked like a bible.
Good point! On the other hand, isn’t it possible to lose more people than you gain by a bad example (deception in this case)?
Kevin and Stuart,
Did I miss something? The article said that Craig Gross was “passing out the deceptively packaged Bibles.” Isn’t he the pastor of the XXXChurch?
Oh. Sorry. I should have realized that the point of the article was about sharing the “truth”
A3,
Craig doesn’t deceive anyone. The Bibles just have a different cover on them. The word “deceptive” came from the author of the article.
Everyone in the porn industry knows what Craig is up to. There is no deception at all. The XXX Church guys led a famous porn producer to Christ recently.