By: Shane James O’Neill
Every January all the big pornography organizations release their growth numbers. And every year the numbers double and then triple as the porn industry grows from a garden snake into a dragon. Of course, this growth has an immediate affect on sex trafficking, as nearly all trafficking is advertised through pornography. So, before January hits us with the worst of our sins, let’s take a minute and celebrate a few of the victories which occurred in 2018.
Peace out Tumblr
A massive shift came this year when a bill was passed that makes website platforms liable for any sex trafficking content or prostitution ads that appear on their website. The bill, called FOSTA (Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act), is forcing websites to be accountable for their own content — imagine that.
Already, this law is creating significant waves as Reddit removes their subsections for Escorts, Male Escorts, Hookers, and several others. Craigslist has removed their personal ads section, which now prevents the prostituting options that Craigslist has been so famous for. And most recently, Tumblr has banned all adult content from its platform. This last one is especially significant seeing that Tumblr has been the flag ship for normalizing self-pornography through blogging and vlogging (video blogging).
It’s important to note that FOSTA was catalyzed by the death of a 16-year-old girl, Desiree Robinson, who was being prostituted through the website backpage.com. Tragedy upon tragedy, this wasn’t the only time something like this has happened. Since President Trump signed this law, backpage.com has been shut down by the federal government. You can see Desiree’s mother standing next to President Trump as he signs the bill into law.
So long Cosmo
Due to the work of a non-profit organization, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the hyper-sexualized Cosmopolitan Magazine has gotten the boot from Walmart. No longer will this magazine — which endeavors to teach their readers about casual, fun sex — be publicly visible at Walmart. Imagine being able to get groceries without having to make sure your kid isn’t learning about group sex in the checkout line. What a brave new world.
Beginning in 2019, Starbucks will be blocking pornography from their Wi-Fi. The non-profit organization Enough is Enough has been applying pressure on Starbucks since 2014. In 2016 Starbucks said it was working to keep illegal and obscene images from its customers, but for 2 years nothing has happened. Finally, after Enough is Enough received 26,000 signatures, Starbucks officially decided to remove adult content from their Wi-Fi. I guess illegal porn and coffee pair well together. It’s nice to know 4 years and 26,000 objectors is all it takes for Starbucks to develop a moral sense.
Lastly, the leader of an international sex-trafficking ring was arrested in Minnesota. Sophia Wang Navas was exploiting foreign women who moved to America through the website Backpage.com. Sophia was charged with racketeering, as well as aiding and abetting sex-trafficking. So long Sophia.
Why does this stuff matter?
This is a lot of content. The very act of celebrating is made bitter by the nature of this evil. So here are three reasons this content matters, a lot.
One, we shouldn’t avoid the celebration of good over evil just because the evil is so horrific. Nor should we avoid evil because we feel repelled by its face.
Two, we need to see the face of our sins. Evil is everywhere, which makes us think that it isn’t such an issue or that we are powerless against it. The hard link between pornography and human exploitation is a magnified glimpse into the landscape of hell. But if we don’t take our sin seriously then we can’t take our salvation seriously. Christians are those who can look their sin in the face because our sin was imprinted onto the face of our Savior. We are those who can look at the sin in creation, weep, yet not give into despair because we offer the world the certainty of a new creation.
Which brings us to the last point.
Passive Christianity is not Christianity. To follow Christ is to be in motion, on mission. We need to be aware so that our prayers and actions carry meaning. 1 Peter identifies Christians as being priests. The priestly role of the Christian is to celebrate the triumph of good, as well as ache in grief over the heartbreak of evil. Faith without works is dead faith. Your actions matter, as does your inaction.
You’re more powerful than you know – the resurrected Christ dwells in you. Let’s fight the lie that our sins don’t matter. We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed but of those who persevere and are saved (Hebrews 10:39). To be a Christian is to confess our weakness apart from Him, and to be a Christian is to confess our empowerment in Him.
January will roll around with the boasts of the pornographic empires, and another person will come to you, confiding about their secret addiction, their failing marriage, their childhood abuse. In the midst of the storms, let these stories of justice be rays of hope puncturing the clouds, carrying the promise that the Son is coming.
Victories matter — Invest into 2019 by Financially SUpporting Proven Men. An Investor is matching Every gift given by the New Year!
Shane James O’Neill is the Editorial Director for Proven Men Ministries. He is currently working on a graduate degree in apologetics at Liberty University’s Rawling School of Divinity.