Facebook/Perry Noble) Perry Noble says he has not committed any sexual sin.
Pastor Craig Gross from XXX Church, an online ministry dedicated to helping people with porn and sex addictions, was upset when Pastor Perry Noble, who was recently fired from NewSpring Church, said his alcohol addiction was not as bad as porn addiction.
On their website, Gross writes that he does not want to talk about Noble’s behaviour or argue whether or not drinking alcohol or getting drunk are acceptable things for a Christian to do.
“You can have your own opinion about that. I’m just glad that he’s taking responsibility for himself and I hope for the best for NewSpring Church,” he says. “What I want to point out is something that was in Noble’s statement, toward the end: ‘Let me be very clear, neither [my wife] nor I have committed any sort of sexual sin. I have not stolen money. I have not been looking at porn and there was absolutely no domestic abuse.'”
Instead of admiring Noble for owning up to his mistakes, Gross says the pastor’s statement made him want to puke.
“In case you haven’t caught it, let me make it clear: Noble is saying that being consumed by alcohol is NOT AS BAD as having an affair or beating up your spouse, or looking at porn,” he says.
Gross does not appreciate Noble’s own hierarchy of sins after the pastor listed porn, cheating and domestic abuse as the worst possible sins man can commit. In Gross’ view, Perry thinks it’s better to “hit the bottle than to hit up a porn site.”
Gross hates that kind of mindset because it’s what keeps people trapped on porn. “They feel like they can’t come clean about their porn usage because they’ll be looked at like they’re some kind of abusive spouse or someone who has hooked up with a coworker,” he explains.
All sin might be equal in God’s eyes, but unfortunately, men don’t think the same way. And because people’s perspectives are flawed, they put more weight on some behaviours than they do with others.
“I just really wish Perry Noble hadn’t equated porn with affairs and abuse. Because it’s not,” says Gross. “If we want people to get free of this thing, then we need to encourage people to talk about it. And they’re not going to talk about it if they think just admitting to an addiction is going to cost them friends, family, or their job in ministry.”
