Protecting Purity - Part 2

The Internet pornography industry is a multi-billion (with a "b") dollar business. According to some researchers, there are more pornographic websites online than all other types of website combined. Most everyone will tell you that any average web-surfer is only two clicks away from free hardcore pornography. And for many of my friends, even those in ministry, that temptation is more than they can bear.

But pornography is not the only danger to purity on the Worldwide Web. There are Internet sites to help you cheat on your spouse by signing you up for an answering service that will pretend to be a hotel where you've gone for a business meeting, Internet sites that will arrange an "escort" for your evening on the town, and websites that will allow you to conceal your identity while you carry on romantic chats with the opposite sex.

Again, as believers we have a responsibility to set the moral pace for the rest of the world to follow. And for those of us who are pastors, we have an even greater responsibility to remain above reproach in this area. So here are a couple of ideas for protecting your purity.

1. Have every computer in a public room with a screen that faces the door. No exceptions. I do this in my house, in my office, and even when I work on my laptop in Starbucks. Make sure everyone can always see what you're doing. At the very least, this will help you avoid ever being accused of impropriety. If your office or home computer is setup where nobody can see what you're doing, move it. Today.

2. Give your spouse, or a trusted friend your email and login passwords. The idea isn't that they'll check your email for you; the idea is that they could. Kari has every single email password, as well as my login information for facebook, and message boards I participate in. She could check my deleted emails, my sent items, and anything else she wants if she ever gets the urge. That's a layer of accountability for me, and a layer of comfort for her. We both need that.

3. Never delete your browsing history. If someone wants to look at your browsing history, it should go back as far as the history itself will allow that data to go.

4. In "accidental" situations, bring someone else in the loop. A couple of years ago I was working on a project at church when a pornographic image popped up on my screen by accident. I immediately flipped off my monitor and went to my boss to let him know exactly what I had been working on and exactly what happened. Then he and I together called the IT guy to come remove it from my computer. That way, if the spam site ever showed up on a network check, my boss knew and I knew exactly what had happened without ever having to wonder. It would never be just my word against the person who found stuff on my computer. That's not a good scenario, even if you're being honest.

5. If you need an extra level of accountability, subscribe to some type of monitoring service or filter service. XXXChurch.com has a great download that will email your browsing history to someone else for accountability. Other sites have filters in place that will keep you from visiting sites that they deem questionable. These options are only an extra layer of accountability, not an only layer of accountability. We all know that people who are smart enough to work a computer are generally smart enough to figure out workarounds for almost any software that's available... especially when those people are desperate. So apply this step only in addition to the top four suggestions, not in place of them.

When it comes to being a pastor, I'm not the best at much of anything. But this is an area I am completely serious about, because I've seen some of my buddies' lives, marriages, and ministries crash and burn because they didn't do the easy things early enough, and I'm committed to making sure that doesn't happen to me. There's too much at stake in a world that needs to hear about Jesus for one more Christian to fall prey to this garbage.