Pornography and the United Methodist Church

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Problem Dynamics

Reverend Miller is a leader in the local Methodist community. As such, he serves as a role model and someone who is responsible for embodying the teachings of Christ as best he can. Yet Reverend Miller is also human, and therefore fallible. No church leader can be expected to be saint-like, removed from sin, or perfect. Yet all should ideally aim for high standards, for personal spiritual progress, and for ethical behavioral comportment. One of the main problem dynamics in this case is the conflict between Reverend’s obvious guilt evidenced in his need to confess to a friend, versus his seeming lack of remorse evidence by his admission that “over time, it didn’t feel so wrong anymore.” The Reverend also does not say that he plans on changing his behavior, even though it can be assumed that he would prefer not to be a pornography addict because of the way it conflicts with his identity as a religious man and a church leader.

His choice to come to me as a friend to confess his consumption of pornography demonstrates a remarkable willingness to be honest and take responsibility for his actions—even though right now it appears that he is not taking responsibility at all. The Reverend knows that he “shouldn’t” be looking at pornography given that church teachings remain firmly against it, and yet right now, he does not indicate any desire to change his behavior. His conflicted mental state is understandable; he gets pleasure from looking at pornography, and receives few if any punishments. Viewed from a simple cost-benefits analysis or from the perspective of basic behaviorism, the Reverend’s behavior makes sense. Unless he does experience negative consequences from consuming pornography, it is unlikely that he will cease his behaviors. Yet I am in no position to punish the Reverend or to expose his secret. Exposing him would constitute a worse ethical violation than his private consumption of pornography, which technically harms no one but himself.

His willingness to confide entrusts me with a tremendous responsibility. At his friend, I am in no position to offer any sort of advice that would preclude the Reverend from again trusting me with his secret or any others he may have. Keeping the dialogue open is essential because I may be able to help the Reverend understand why he has become addicted to pornography and to prevent his addiction from getting worse, preventing it from affecting his relationships with others, and preventing his addiction from harming his position in the church.

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I am also placed in the unique position of keeping the Reverend’s secret from the congregation: not an ideal position but one that must be considered in light of the Reverend’s overall comportment in the community.

The Reverend also trusts in my ability to keep his confession private and confidential, respecting that his use of pornography has no bearing on how he treats his wife or any other woman. It would be a gross violation of my ethical duties to report the Reverend, or to pass judgment upon him. At the same time, the Reverend does have a moral obligation to his congregation and would be well advised to at least cultivate the willingness to consider the ramifications of his behavior. Ultimately, the Reverend’s confession may reveal some problem dynamics in core church teachings about what pornography is and the role it plays in normal sexual and psychological functioning. Not all pornography “portrays violence, abuse, coercion, domination, humiliation, or degradation for the purpose of arousal,” as official church literature suggests (“Book of Resolutions,” n.d.). In fact, the Methodist Church recognizes that “sexual images can celebrate the goodness of human sexuality through positive depiction in art, literature, and education,” and simply differentiates between healthy representations of sexuality and those that are potentially harmful (“Social Principles: The Nurturing Community,” n.d.). In light of the multiple issues presented by this complex case, the following action plan can be implemented in accordance with Methodist ideology.

Action Plan and Methodist Ideology

First, I would establish further trust by suggesting more regular meetings with the Reverend to discuss this and any other issues in the context of our friendship. The Reverend did approach me as a friend: deliberately going outside of Methodist clergy to confess to someone he knew would not pass judgment or take any action that would jeopardize his reputation or standing in the community. Even if I do not like the Reverend’s approach now, I must also see that this is the first step that he was willing to take towards healing. I also must recognize the meaning of friendship, and to see that my primary duty is to the Reverend as….....

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