A couple of months ago, I tested the bounds of your Christian compassion by attempting a humor column in this space.

Well, I’m going to challenge you again. But not with humor.

Rather, I dare to broach a subject that most of us would prefer to keep behind a brown paper wrapper — out of sight, out of mind, as it were. The only problem: Those brown paper wrappers aren’t what they once were.

When our church elders were growing up, getting a glimpse of a sexually explicit photograph required slapping down a seedy magazine on a store counter or walking into an adult video store. Fortunately, most Christians were much too afraid of getting caught to ever attempt that.

Nowadays, it’s much easier to access all manner of bare-skinned images. In the Internet age, the filth flows easily into our bedrooms or our offices.

And no one ever has to know.

As we report starting on Page 17, three A’s — accessibility, affordability and anonymity — combine to make Internet porn a major temptation, and many church members succumb.

Some of us probably can’t imagine that a person could call himself — or herself — a Christian and fall victim to something so unholy.

Others of us prefer to ignore the subject for a different reason: It strikes too close to the pew where we sit. But we’re all human, all of us in those pews.

Vital piece of information for the indecent Web surfers in our midst: Your husband or your wife might not know what you’re doing late at night, but God does. And so does Satan.

So, who among us struggles with this? Well, it could be that erratic-attending member on the back row. But it could just as easily be the Scripture-spouting minister with the perfect wife and sparkling-toothed children. For example, some counselors suggest ministers are even more susceptible to this particular sin than members.

Ministers work so hard at helping others that they can burn out. Moreover, the often-unstructured nature of their job allows plenty of time when they’re not directly accountable to someone.

Add to that the depression ministers sometimes feel — thinking they’re underpaid or underappreciated, or that after giving so much to others, they’re entitled to something for themselves — and porn may masquerade as an easy escape.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got too many personal hang-ups to pick on ministers. I just make the point that the lure of X-rated images touches a wide spectrum of us.

Nonetheless, it’s typically not something you hear much about from the pulpit. Part of the reason could be a generational gap: Most of our church leaders grew up in a different era, when this wasn’t an issue.

But in a survey last year, nearly three out of four Christian men ages 19 to 29 indicated they struggle with Internet pornography as a temptation. While the findings were not scientific, the responses came from church of Christ members.

In that same survey of 4,000-plus church members of all ages (available at www.campbellstreet.org/survey), half the respondents said they had heard one or fewer sermons in the last year that mentioned Internet pornography.

Given what we know, does that sound like enough?

So, what can our churches do?

A few ideas based on my interviews with the experts:

• We can acknowledge the problem.

• We can become safe havens for confession, repentance and healing.

• We can take practical steps to help. Our Currents story highlights some examples.

Finally, if you’re caught in the porn trap, there is hope.

God provides a way of escape, as Steve and Holly Holladay — who are profiled in Currents — can attest. I appreciate so much their willingness to expose their most personal details to help others.

Here’s what Holly told me about their decision to do so:

As a teen growing up in the church, I had the perception that everyone was perfect. Everyone except me. When I found myself caught in a cycle of sin that I couldn’t get out of, I lived in mortal fear that someone would find out. At the same time, there was a part of me that wanted to be found out so that I could be free.

No matter how miserable I was, the fear of disappointing all those who seemed perfect helped keep me trapped. Eventually, as I grew up, I realized that all those people coming to church all dressed up every Sunday had skeletons in their closet too. At first I was relieved.

That was quickly followed by disappointment. Why hadn’t any of them shared their real lives with me? It would have given me hope.

Individually and as a couple, Steve and I have been through numerous experiences that were extremely difficult. We both firmly believe that those experiences weren’t only for our benefit. If we are honest with others, we may be able to spare them some of the pain we went through.

As scary as it is, my life isn’t about me, and it sure isn’t in my control. If I have truly surrendered every aspect of my being to the Lord, then I can only be obedient. And obedience is rarely comfortable.

Thank you, Holly and Steve, for your courage.

April 1, 2006