Jesus Loves You, This I Know, Pt. II

Jesus Loves the Porn Star.

This chapter alone may have been worth the price of the book. Craig, founder of XXXChurch, went on a speaking tour with one of the most well known porn stars in America, Ron Jeremy, to debate the merits and dangers of pornography. Pretty bold huh? Pastor vs. Porn Star. It may seem unlikely but Craig has gotten to know the man behind the wild career and he and Ron have formed a strong friendship despite their striking differences in lifestyle and beliefs.

During this speaking tour Craig makes mention of many Christians who expressed much hate for him and his cause, believing that Craig associating with a known porn star is hurting Christendom more than it is helping. He also makes mention of Ron’s friends and how they were much more accepting of him, a pastor, than the Christians were of Ron, a porn star. Think about that. The pastor is embraced more openly by the porn industry than Ron would be at most churches.

Do we see the problem here? Didn’t Jesus come not for the healthy, but for the sick? Not to call the righteous, but the sinners? And shouldn’t we be known for the same? Shouldn’t the Christian community be known as the most welcoming community in the world? After all, we all at one time were no different than Ron as far as our soul was concerned; separated from God. And we needed the grace of God to ensure us that we were indeed welcome in His presence, just as we are. As it currently exists, we often want people to come only have they’ve left their sickness at the door. Craig is living out a great example of how we can meet anyone, chief sinner or saint, and love and respect that person, even if they show no interest in “conversion.” This is how we can show the unconditional love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.