God, Porn, and "Missionary Positions"
Billed the #1 Christian porn site, XXXchurch seems like it could be a joke. The same goes for Missionary Positions, a documentary about the trials and tribulations of two nice, cute pastors who make it their mission to help people who have been caught up in porn. From Amsterdam to a porn studio, from puppet shows to Sin City, they travel the US speaking, praying, and working on their website.
I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t a joke, a FARK prank, or a publicity stunt. Screened at GirlFest Hawaii, “Missionary Positions” winds up somewhere between a documentary about two guys with a mission (a la American Movie) and a documentary about a social ill (a la Michael Moore or Super Size Me). It can’t seem to choose, and though it manages to keep both threads moving, it suffers from a desire to do and show too much.
Parts of the film were hilarious (the Adult Expo in Las Vegas), and parts were fairly discomforting (the porn director’s explanation and discussion of why “hardcore” sexual acts are becoming ever more “hardcore”)- and a few parts were unnecessary (the Pornmobile). It avoided becoming preachy, but also lacked the power of a strong message or any in-depth look at the history or psychology of adult material.
The topics that the film broaches though are totally worthy of exploration and discussion. Sex and pornography addictions are poorly understood, ignored by media, and relatively unstudied. Through a Prayer Wall (a forum/bulletin board), a free software program that encourages personal accountability, and the creation of Porn Sunday (which isn’t likely to be a national holiday anytime soon), the two pastors are continuing the work shown in the film. It’s far too easy to joke about how “passionate” they are, and certainly the website flirts with innuendo (Dirty Little Secrets, Save the Kittens, the Noho Zone) but no one can deny that a lot of the material is pretty serious. There are hundreds of thousands of posts on their message board, and the vast majority appear to be earnest individuals who are having problems- some of whom have had their marriages or relationships damaged or destroyed by their addictions to porn, or just their unrealistic expectations.
While their advice isn’t all that helpful (turn to God being the primary tip), they are at least addressing the topic. There are sections aimed at women, others for men, and even a blog which quickly dispels any notion that these are anything but fairly normal guys.
“Missionary Positions”, XXXchurch, and Porn Sunday might not be able to stop porn from working its way onto most of our computers- but they may force us to take a second look at the effects adult materials can have on families, society, and our lives.
