XXXchurch Going to Canadian 'Sex Show' to Evangelize
A California-based web ministry devoted to combating porn addictions and evangelizing those in the porn industry will have a booth at a major sex show held in Canada this weekend.
XXXchurch.com of Pasadena will be witnessing to producers and consumers of pornography at the "Everything To Do With Sex Show" in Toronto, Ontario. Carl Thomas, pastor at XXXchurch, told The Christian Post that the ministry had been going to sex shows since 2002, when they sent volunteers to the Adult Video News (AVN) Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.
"The concept there was basically we started this website, we're trying to reach out to people not only in the industry but people also that are impacted by the industry in terms of their usage," said Thomas. "We did the AVN 11 years ago. Part of our mission, part of our goal is to try to do more and more so we started doing exoticas in the US and then stepped into Canada."
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Thomas also told CP about XXXchurch's plans to attend shows in Australia, the United Kingdom, and possibly South Africa. "We have a booth at this show, which is like the biggest difference between us and the crowd that would be the protesters. We're not the protesting crowd, we don't come here protesting," said Thomas.
"We hand out Bibles to tell people Jesus loves them. We have conversations, we build connections, try to build bridges, get the conversation rolling and then just pray that God takes it to the next step."
Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Friday until Sunday, the "Everything To Do With Sex Show" describes itself as an expo for adults to "spice up their life." "If you want to see seminars, stage shows, celebrities, erotic art, kinky demonstrations, and much more, this is the perfect expo for you," reads an entry on the event's website. "Every year we add new elements to the show so there is always something for our returning attendees."
The sex show will also hold events at Montreal, Halifax, and Niagara Falls in 2014. Thomas told CP that this was the second year that XXXchurch had been involved.
"One thing that I think that the Church at large has at times dropped the ball…is that we've turned it into this thing where it's like hey everything happens inside the four walls," said Thomas.
"You want to find Jesus? Come to church. You want to talk about Jesus? Come to church. You want to talk about this? Come to church. And it's like, well that's great for people that go to church but there's an awful lot of people out there that don't want to step foot in a church."
XXXchurch is not the only Christian ministry that has sought to reach out to those in the porno industry. Last month, The Salvation Army sent volunteers to the "Health, Sexuality & Lifestyle Expo" (or "Sexpo" for short) held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Major Carin Holmes, public relations secretary for TSA in Southern Africa, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview about their outreach. "Our mission for being at Sexpo is to speak into the fact that many of the prostitutes we have in our country are not there by choice," said Holmes. "Many have been tricked into the world of sexual trafficking, they are owned by the pimp and endure the most terrible of lives."
Holmes also told CP about how it was the first Sexpo the Salvation Army had been part of to preach a biblical message on sexuality. "As a Christian movement, we believe human sexuality to be a gift of God's grace and its proper expression to be a privilege, created, ordained and blessed by God," said Holmes.
"The Salvation Army believes that this expression of sexuality requires self-discipline, restraint and the control of natural desires from single and married alike."
