Rush of Fools: Exposing the Darkness
03-06-2008
by Kevan Breitinger
The members of Birmingham rock band Rush of Fools knew they wanted to serve God from early ages. But they probably
didn’t suspect that that service would include taking a stand for freedom for sexual addicts. Frontman Kevin Huguley notes that none of them have found sexual addiction an issue in their own lives, but he adds, “We’ve all been affected by it, in our churches, and in friends and leaders we’ve seen fall.” It is for this reason that they are willing to be advocates for help. “Nobody is talking about these issues,” he says. “Marriage and sexuality are not being portrayed as God intended through this crisis and a whole generation is observing this distortion.”
Huguley is not exaggerating when he calls the situation a crisis. A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance had indulged in viewing pornography within one week of the event. A 2001 Leadership survey for Christianity Today reports 51% of pastors surveyed found cyber-porn a “possible temptation,” while 37% described it as a “current struggle.” 18% visited sexually explicit sites between a couple times monthly to more than once a week. A 2005 Survey of pastors found that 57% felt that porn addiction is the most sexually damaging issue to their congregation.
But it’s not only the guys. A 2003 Survey for Today’s Christian Woman indicated that 34% of respondents intentionally accessed Internet porn, while 1 out of 6 struggled with it as an addiction.
The Rush of Fools members partner with an organization called Freedom Begins Here (FBH), a group committed to coming alongside the church in this struggle. Hosted by leading marriage expert Dr. Gary Smalley and Pastor Ted Cunningham, FBH believes today’s statistics for porn addiction are significantly higher than those reported in past years. An online survey conducted by ChristiaNet.com in June of last year indicates that 50% of Christian men and 20% of believing women admit to being severely enslaved by this sin. FBH estimates that number to include 84 million Christians.
When Smalley and Cunningham first heard Rush of Fools’ hit single “Undo,” they were startled at the depth with which its lyrics expressed the struggle with sin. They contacted the band for permission to use the song in their resources to help addicted leaders, but instead found that the five band members (Huguley, Jacob Chestnut, Wes Willis, JD Frazier, and Jamie Sharpe) fell in love with the work of their ministry. “Our heart as a band is to be really honest about sin, about exposing it, and to help others to do the same. That’s what the gospel is all about,” explains Huguley. “Sexual addiction is an issue that has devastated the church for too long, and we know it is something that we need to start talking about. In the church culture, especially in Alabama where we live, if someone comes into the church and says they’ve been an alcoholic or a drug abuser for ten years, and they need people to gather around them to help, they are embraced by the church. But if someone were to walk into the church and confess they were a sex addict, addicted to porn, they would not find the same support. We think it’s because people feel guilty themselves, or they just don’t know how to handle it,” he adds.
“But the heart of FBH is to get people talking about this secret sin that has been hidden for many years. It’s not just perverts and pedophiles dealing with these things. It’s your aunts and uncles, your deacons and children’s workers, and in many cases your pastors. We want to use the platform God has given us to walk side by side with these guys, to help the church begin to deal with this issue.”
To that end the Freedom Begins Here campaign leaders have joined the Newsboys/Rush of Fools “GO” Tour for “Pre-Launch Events.” On the afternoon of the concert, several FBH speakers and facilitators join the band members in an area coffee shop for a few hours to meet with pastors, church leaders, and interested people to discuss the issue of sexual addiction and how FBH can help.
Gary Smalley and the FBH staff have created a series of DVD Tool Kits to equip churches to help people struggling with pornography and sexual addiction issues. The kit includes in-depth teaching from Dr. Mark Laaser, a recognized Christian authority on sexual addiction, and real life stories from men, women, and pastors who found freedom from sexual sin.
The FBH website offers the interesting commentary that pornography is the “new crack cocaine,” as it is available 24 hours a day, in a completely anonymous setting, without limits and with no regard for the age of its participants or its users. The Freedom Begins Here leaders and the Rush of Fools members see this analogy and the frightening statistics and anecdotal evidence as indicative of an emergency situation, a desperate issue that the church can no longer afford to ignore.
“We’re looking forward to bringing this issue forward from the stage on our next tour,” shares Huguley. “Right now we’re 
meeting with pastors and others in the coffee shops to share the heart of the ministry. But the next tour will involve a Freedom Begins Here presentation during the show.”
It s hard to argue with statistics like those quoted above. If any of these issues apply to you or someone you love, you can find more information at www.freedombeginshere.org, including a schedule of coffee shop meetings where you can speak with the FBH leaders and Rush of Fools band members. To read about the band, visit www.rushoffools.com.
Comments
No comments have been written about this yet. Be the first below!