XXXchurch.com
Encyclopedia
XXXchurch.com is a non-profit Christian
website that aims to help those who struggle with pornography
. Its targets are consumers and those in the adult entertainment industry
. The organization describes itself as "the #1 Christian porn site designed to bring awareness, openness and accountability to those affected by pornography."
in Las Vegas
to promote the website
as an alternative to porn, and it continues to attend porn conventions worldwide.
In 2005, the independent film Missionary Positions was released, which documented the origins of XXXchurch. The film was produced and directed by documentary film maker, Bill Day. The film documents Mike Foster's departure from XXXchurch in 2004.
The organization has received support from prominent Christian
pastors such as Bill Hybels
, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren and Rob Bell
.
Craig Gross is also a published author, having written Questions You Can't Ask Your Mama About Sex, The Gutter, Dirty Little Secret, Pure Eyes Eyes Of Integrity Jesus Loves You This I Know and Starving Jesus. Craig Gross appeared on an episode of MTV
's True Life
, in which he counseled a man addicted to porn.
s with "Jesus Loves Porn Stars" on the cover at these conventions, a facet of their ministry which has been featured in American national media.
in an event called "The Porn Debate" on college campuses across the United States. In the summer of 2007, the duo embarked on a theater tour across the eastern US. In 2008, the debate was featured on ABC News
' Nightline both on air and online, with the segment becoming the most watched in Nightline's online viewing history.
called X3Watch, which logs all questionable websites that a user accesses based on content type, and then sends a report to an "accountability partner" of the person's choosing. The program, which can be turned off at any time, has the goal of helping individuals to be open, honest and accountable to each other about their web surfing.
. It also has several radio public service announcements airing across the US and abroad on various radio stations and syndicated programs such as RadioU, Refuge Radio, Malone University Radio, The Full Armor of God Broadcast and Fuel Radio
XXXchurch.com's video, "Operation: Save the Kittens", used the popular Internet meme
"Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten
", to talk about masturbation
.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
website that aims to help those who struggle with pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. Its targets are consumers and those in the adult entertainment industry
Sex industry
The sex industry consists of businesses which either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment...
. The organization describes itself as "the #1 Christian porn site designed to bring awareness, openness and accountability to those affected by pornography."
Organizational history
The organization launched in January 2002 when the founders, Mike Foster and Craig Gross, set up a booth inside the AVN Adult Entertainment ExpoAVN Adult Entertainment Expo
The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Adult Video News Magazine . The 2010 AVN Awards show was held during the Expo at the nearby Palms Casino Resort. The AEE is the largest pornography industry trade show in the United...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
to promote the website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
as an alternative to porn, and it continues to attend porn conventions worldwide.
In 2005, the independent film Missionary Positions was released, which documented the origins of XXXchurch. The film was produced and directed by documentary film maker, Bill Day. The film documents Mike Foster's departure from XXXchurch in 2004.
The organization has received support from prominent Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
pastors such as Bill Hybels
Bill Hybels
William Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, one of the most attended churches in North America, with an average attendance of nearly 24,000 as of 2011...
, Craig Groeschel, Rick Warren and Rob Bell
Rob Bell
Robert Holmes "Rob" Bell Jr. is an American author and pastor. He is the founder of Mars Hill Bible Church located in Grandville, Michigan and is also the featured speaker in a series of spiritual short films called NOOMA.-Education and ministry:Bell is the son of Judge Robert Holmes Bell, who was...
.
Craig Gross is also a published author, having written Questions You Can't Ask Your Mama About Sex, The Gutter, Dirty Little Secret, Pure Eyes Eyes Of Integrity Jesus Loves You This I Know and Starving Jesus. Craig Gross appeared on an episode of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's True Life
True Life
True Life is a documentary series running on MTV since 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.-Topics covered:True...
, in which he counseled a man addicted to porn.
Porn convention exhibitions
XXXchurch garnered national press coverage and notoriety through exhibiting at pornography conventions across the world. The group has given out thousands of BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s with "Jesus Loves Porn Stars" on the cover at these conventions, a facet of their ministry which has been featured in American national media.
Porn debates
The founder of XXXchurch.com, Craig Gross, regularly debates porn star Ron JeremyRon Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
in an event called "The Porn Debate" on college campuses across the United States. In the summer of 2007, the duo embarked on a theater tour across the eastern US. In 2008, the debate was featured on ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
' Nightline both on air and online, with the segment becoming the most watched in Nightline's online viewing history.
Accountability software
XXXchurch.com also offers accountability softwareAccountability software
Accountability software, or Internet accountability software, is a type of computer software that provides detailed reports that account for one's actions on the Internet.- Concept :...
called X3Watch, which logs all questionable websites that a user accesses based on content type, and then sends a report to an "accountability partner" of the person's choosing. The program, which can be turned off at any time, has the goal of helping individuals to be open, honest and accountable to each other about their web surfing.
Podcast and radio
In 2008, the organization launched a video podcast that documents the current campaigns of XXXchurch. It is released every two weeks on XXXchurch.tv and iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. It also has several radio public service announcements airing across the US and abroad on various radio stations and syndicated programs such as RadioU, Refuge Radio, Malone University Radio, The Full Armor of God Broadcast and Fuel Radio
XXXchurch.com's video, "Operation: Save the Kittens", used the popular Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
"Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten
Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten
"Every time you masturbate… God kills a kitten" is the caption of an image created by a member of the website Fark.com in 2002. The image features a kitten being chased by two Domos, and has the tagline "Please, think of the kittens".According to a New York Times Magazine article on Domo-kun, "Any...
", to talk about masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
.
Media appearances
- XXXchurch.com has been featured in TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, GQ, The Today ShowThe Today ShowToday is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
, CNN, Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, the CBS Evening NewsCBS Evening NewsCBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
, Anderson Cooper 360, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the New York Times and ABC News Nightline. - The organization's "Porn and Pancakes" event was mentioned on the February 3, 2007 episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
during the Weekend UpdateWeekend UpdateWeekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
. - The organization was discussed in an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit relating to porn and attempts to do away with it.