How We Became A Pornified Culture
We Live in a Porn Culture
This isn’t an overstatement. Current stats tell us that roughly 60% of adult men and about a third of adult women engage with pornography weekly. That’s not a “struggle some people have.” That’s a normalized cultural pattern.
So the real question isn’t just “How did I get here?”
It’s: How did we get here—collectively?
What shaped this porn culture? And more importantly, what does Scripture actually say about it?
God’s Design for Sex: A Theology of Wholeness
Let’s start where everything starts: Genesis 1 and 2.
Sex wasn’t man’s invention. It was God’s. He called it good. But—and this is important—it didn’t start as an act. It started with design and identity.
Here’s the progression:
God →
Gender (male and female, embodied complementarity) →
Relationship (our need for one another) →
Marriage & Family (the safest and most formative space) →
Sexual Intercourse (a covenantal, life-giving act)
Sex is the final expression in a long line of relational realities. It’s sacred. Powerful. Neurologically bonding. Life-creating. A gift.
So when Satan wants to cause destruction, guess where he starts? He goes after the image of God. He distorts each step of that progression.
Distortion Starts Early: From Genesis to Modern Day
You don’t even get out of Genesis before things go sideways. Polygamy, incest, rape—it’s all there within the first 20 chapters. Satan has been twisting God’s good gift since the beginning.
But let’s zoom in on our modern moment. How did we go from biblical design to today’s porn culture?
A Historical Timeline of Sexual Deformation
Pre-Industrial Revolution (Pre-1800s)
Before factories, before mass media—life was local. Families worked together. Faith shaped the culture. Divorce rates were under 3%. Families averaged 8–10 children. Roughly half the population attended church.
God’s design—while imperfectly practiced—was largely preserved.
Industrial Revolution (1800s)
Everything shifted.
Dads left the home for factory work.
Kids left the home for public schools.
The family unit was fractured.
Church attendance dropped.
Divorce rates began to rise.
Meanwhile, intellectual thought was moving toward modernism:
Darwin: Biology without God.
Freud: Sexualized psychology.
Marx: Religion as oppression.
Nietzsche: God is dead.
Francis Schaeffer called it a “two-story worldview”:
Science and facts on the bottom floor. Faith and morality up in the attic—optional, subjective, and mostly irrelevant.
This shift laid the groundwork for sexual confusion and detachment from biblical authority.
The Rise of Pornography in Media
Obscenity Laws and Cultural Restraint
Initially, U.S. laws strictly prohibited obscene material—print, film, dress, even speech against religion or authority. These were called the Comstock Laws, and they shielded society from a lot of what we now consume daily.
But that didn’t stop underground porn from forming. “Stag films,” funded by mafia rings, circulated secretly—early signs of commercialized sexual exploitation.
Alfred Kinsey and the Sexual Revolution
Then came Alfred Kinsey, a professor who published “scientific” reports on human sexuality in the 1940s and ‘50s. His research:
Claimed humans are sexual from birth.
Promoted sexual experimentation as normal.
Hired known pedophiles to study child sexuality.
Yes. Really.
Kinsey’s work influenced Hugh Hefner, who started Playboy and actively fought in courts to weaken obscenity laws. His goal? Normalize porn in the name of freedom—and he won. Over time, protections eroded. Sexualized media went mainstream.
1960s–1990s: Sexual Liberation Goes Public
Birth control legalized → sex detached from procreation.
No-fault divorce → marriage commitment weakened.
Porn clubs legalized → sex became public entertainment.
Internet (1990s) → porn entered every home.
iPhone (2007) → porn now lives in your pocket.
Every step of the progression we talked about—God → gender → relationship → family → sex—has been slowly dismantled.
Where Are We Now?
Marriage rates are plummeting.
Divorce rates still hover around 50%.
Birth rates are declining—more people are dying than being born.
Gender confusion is now mainstream.
Porn is normalized, even in adolescence.
This isn’t random. It’s a strategic teardown of God’s design.
So, What Do We Do?
This culture is like a trash compactor. The walls are closing in. You feel it on your phone, your TV, your feed, your mind.
But you don’t have to stay in that mold. Like the Star Wars scene where the heroes escape the compactor—you don’t beat it by bracing harder. You get out by finding a new environment.
That’s where the Gospel comes in.
Step One: Come to Jesus
Before anything else—strategies, tools, habits—you need a new heart.
You need the living presence of Jesus Christ inside of you.
This isn’t about sin management. It’s about surrender.
Say it plainly: “Jesus, I’m stuck. I can’t get out. I need You to rescue me, forgive me, and rebuild me.”
He promises to do it.
“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:24
Step Two: Choose What Molds You
You were made to be moldable. That’s not weakness. That’s design. The question is: Who’s shaping you?
Let’s talk about three key areas where you can regain agency:
1. Body: Steward Your Physical Health
Your body matters to God. It’s not spiritual to neglect it.
Focus on the basics:
Sleep (Google “sleep hygiene”)
Movement (regular exercise)
Fuel (nutrient-dense diet)
These aren’t secondary issues. They shape your cravings, your mood, your resilience.
2. Mind: Filter Your Inputs
Entertainment isn’t neutral.
What you read, watch, scroll, and stream forms your thinking. Take inventory of:
TV shows
Podcasts
Music
Social feeds
Ask: Does this content make it through the Philippians 4 filter? Is it pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy?
If not—swap it out.
3. Spirit: Build an Identity, Community, and Purpose
A friend of mine calls this the “ICP” of spiritual formation:
Identity: You are God’s beloved. Root your worth in His love, not people’s approval.
Community: You need a few solid people walking with you in honesty, encouragement, and spiritual direction.
Purpose: Ask God how you’re meant to push back the darkness. Serve in your church. Engage the world. Don’t just heal—help.
Conclusion: Don’t Settle for Survival. Walk in Freedom
Our culture didn’t get here by accident. It was shaped over time by powerful people with perverse agendas. But the good news is this:
You don’t have to stay in the mold.
You were created for more—more connection, more meaning, more wholeness.
Jesus offers freedom, not just from porn—but from the entire system that keeps you numb, ashamed, and stuck.
So take a step.
Get out of the trash compactor.
Choose what shapes you.
And remember: He will surely do it.
If you’re ready to take your next step out of sexual brokenness and into lasting freedom, click Get Started or connect with us on social media.
We’re here for the journey.
—Nick