About 30 students and 10 faculty members gathered in the Caf Banquet Room for a luncheon and discussion about pornography and masturbation Thursday afternoon. Hosted by the student apologetics ministry, Apologia, the meeting featured Talbot professor, Clay Jones, whose master thesis focused on sexual temptation.

Although the session was titled “Pornography: A Discussion,” Jones spent the time speaking not just to the issue of pornography, but also on lust and masturbation. He opened by sharing that Christians tend to explain the need for sexual purity by talking about the consequences of sexual impurity, and that when we “give a reason why sexual chastity hurts you, [people] will always do a round about” and offer an excuse or reason against it.

Impact of pornography on marriage

Jones continued the discussion by addressing the effects of pornography and masturbation on marriage. “Statistically speaking, most married men masturbate, and many married women do too,” he said. Jones stated that this occurs so often in marriage because “sex with a real person is a lot of work [because] you actually have to care about the person’s emotions.” The primary reason why pornography is so damaging to marriages is because it causes women to be less needed by their husbands.

Masturbation a Biblical grey area

Jones addressed the issue of masturbation by stating that there is a lot of grey area in the Scripture, and since masturbation is one of those, it comes down to a matter of conscience. He stated that we need to change the way we think about the issue. “Masturbation is the result of uncontrolled lust…control lust and masturbation will take care of itself,” he said.

In closing, Jones offered two final pieces of advice. The first emphasized the necessity for individuals to make the cognitive decision to remain sexually pure. He quoted Dallas Willard who said that “a Christian is one who decides to stop sinning.” Lastly, individuals need to flee anything that encourages sin, especially those that lead to lust.

Practical steps for purity

When asked about practical ways to manage lust, Jones mentioned the importance of monitoring what movies are watched, specifically those whose content labels contain sensuality, sexual content, or nudity. He also stated that in his own personal life, he has made his wife an accountability partner and tells her when he sees anything inappropriate online, and also has made a personal commitment to fast if he clicks on a pornographic image, and read the Bible for five minutes whenever he struggles with lustful thoughts.

Student reactions to luncheon

Tony Lopez, a junior Biblical studies major and a leader within Apologia, commented that the luncheon was a good format to address the issues of masturbation and pornography, which are topics people generally do not like to talk about. Friends Jennifer Myers and Tessa Myers, who were two of only three female students that attended the luncheon, echoed Lopez’s thoughts stating that it was necessary to bring the issues out into the open.

Tessa Myers, a sophomore communications studies major, shared her thoughts on the discussion, stating that she thought the information provided was very practical and that Jones’ responses offered information on which students “could take active steps” in addressing the issues of pornography and masturbation.