Sexual Healing: Identity – Sexuality – Calling

£6.99 from Christian bookshops, Amazon and is available for Kindle downloads.
All proceeds boost development work in Uganda. See www.sexualhealingbook.com

MANY YOUNG MEN and increasing numbers of women are not putting themselves forward for church leadership or getting married because of pornography addiction.

That is the alarming view of Gerald Coates, former leader of the Pioneer Church network, who has just published “Sexual Healing” – his first book in 15 years and co-authored by former porn addict Nathan Ferreira.

Gerald, who now oversees Pioneer Engage Church in Leatherhead, Surrey, has been visiting churches all over the UK to help believers find freedom from pornography. He believes it is the single biggest issue affecting both unmarried and married men. Reports of related suicides have also greatly concerned him.

Gerald said: “Originally I had a trickle of guys talking to me in personal one-to-one meetings about it and I treated it like any other pastoral problem. I had no idea how deep this issue was. But then I realized this is much bigger than I thought.

“Porn addicts are often brilliant, gifted young men who are well-educated and scripturally competent. But they who will not put themselves forward for ministry or worship leading, or even get married, because eventually their addiction will be discovered. This is of enormous seriousness with proportions which could affect the future of the Church.”