Psychologists call Internet pornography the “new crack cocaine” and youth are especially vulnerable in today’s cyber-saturated society. 

One in every three teens access pornographic Web sites intentionally and many others access these sites accidentally — 40 percent of these hits are innocent and result from a search for other information, said Donna Rice Hughes from Enough Is Enough.

Hughes spoke at Convergence: Uniting Leaders to Combat Sexual Exploitation in the Mobile Age, which was a conference Linthicum Heights, Maryland, organized by the Religious Alliance Against Pornography and pureHOPE.

Representatives from the Global Ministry Center’s Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International and Clergy Development attended the conference, which its organizers geared toward their missional goal.

Religious Alliance Against Pornography is a network of top religious leaders representing a constituency of more than 100 million U.S. residents. The nonprofit organization wants to unite diverse faith communities, social and parachurch organizations, members of the judiciary, educators, and others to form partnerships to combat the effects of pornography in today’s society. 

The Church of the Nazarene is represented in the alliance by J. K. Warrick, general superintendent, and Woodie Stevens, SDMI global director.

In the opening address of the summit, retired Salvation Army Commissioner Israel Gaither challenged attendees to awaken the U.S. from her moral sleep and to unite in opposition to the advancement of pornography and human trafficking. 

Gaither was one of 20 speakers, which included college researchers, judges, and directors of parachurch organizations.

According to Hughes, among Generation X, 67 percent of young men and 40 percent of young women think viewing pornography is acceptable, with 87 percent of them reportedly using porn. She further suggests that pornography is a greater threat to the country's well-being than the economy or other factors, because the use of pornography alters the ability to know how to relate and understand humanity.

In addition to the presentations, attendees participated in two working groups to develop strategies and goals. 

Representing the Church of the Nazarene at the event, Stevens; Dan Copp, Clergy Development director; Leslie Hart, Children’s Ministries director; Linda Hardin, Women’s Ministries coordinator; and W. Marshall Duke, Men’s Ministries coordinator, met with others at the conference to formulate strategies to educate others on these issues. 

To access videos of the speakers at the Convergence summit and useful resources for families, click here. 

Watch for other helpful resources through SDMI on the Children’s Ministries International and Adult Ministries International Web sites.