Pure Life Ministries in KY?

[steve-in-kville]

https://www.purelifeministries.org/

Does anyone know of anybody that went through this program? It appears to be counseling for men with sex addiction. PM me if you want.

[ontariomartin]

My brother was there in 2008/2009 for the 9 month program.
I think it helped him a lot, unfortunately his wife wasn't interested in doing the wive's program at the time and I feel like that was quite detrimental to the overall success.
My brother now is not in a much better place than when he went there, he's been on a roller coaster for 15 years.

If there is a marriage at stake for the man you are inquiring about, I would strongly recommend that the wife participate in the program as well.

It is going to be extremely hard for this to be successful if he gets back home and his wife is not ready to start the new journey with him. Or hasn't had any help to understand the level of support required going forward.

[steve-in-kville]

Thank you for the reply.

A family acquaintance is starting their 9 month program and his wife is moving into our area for some of the time. I am naturally cautious about such programs, especially when it breaks up a family like that for such a long time (plus the sheer financial cost of it all)

[Sliceitup]

I’m curious whether some of these people really have a sex addiction, or just sexual behavior that is considered culturally inappropriate. I don’t doubt that it’s a real thing. But often when I hear the term used in conservative circles it feels like they use it even in situations that are not even close to addiction.

[ontariomartin]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of "culturally unacceptable" sexual behaviours that are not out and out sin. If it is absolute sin, I don't know that it matters much what else it is called as long as there are people willing to come alongside to help a person be free.

I'd say there is a bigger tendency to not call habitual sexual sin addiction, rather than over using the word addiction, in my interactions.

I do know that PLM had a rigorous screening process to get in. I'm sure everyone in their program experiences very legitimate sexual bondage when they arrive. But they start at the core of the issues. For my brother the first 2 months were spent working on his attitude and getting him to stop feeling sorry for himself and hating everyone around him. He went there just oozing bitterness towards the church, he did not respond well to the traditional disciplinary action of the old order system.

The biggest asset today from his stay there is that he can look all those people in the eye with no hard feelings. He learned to forgive and not let it eat him up.

I think their program works, but Satan works harder than ever on a graduate with a clean slate. There needs to be a very secure accountability network in place afterwards. Unfortunately that was not done well enough for my brother.

[steve-in-kville]

I’m curious whether some of these people really have a sex addiction, or just sexual behavior that is considered culturally inappropriate. I don’t doubt that it’s a real thing. But often when I hear the term used in conservative circles it feels like they use it even in situations that are not even close to addiction.

Thank you for that insight. This is something that I've pondered for a long while.

My wife has been in touch with this other guy's wife for some time and it appears there is a very real addiction to porn. He claims a bigger deal is being made of it than it should be... I honestly don't know. Both him and her came from good family stock and I wonder if this is why things were over looked for so long... again, I really don't know.

[Josh]

I’m curious whether some of these people really have a sex addiction, or just sexual behavior that is considered culturally inappropriate. I don’t doubt that it’s a real thing. But often when I hear the term used in conservative circles it feels like they use it even in situations that are not even close to addiction.

It is considered “culturally appropriate” in the mainstream world these days for men to be addicted to pornography and consume it multiple times per week whilst engaging in indecent acts the scripture teaches against.

If someone can’t stop consuming pornography and engaging in wickedness as they do so, I would say they are addicted. These behaviors will prohibit entrance to the kingdom of heaven, and also really hurt a man’s wife and children. When a man gives in to being a pervert, it deeply hurts everyone around him.

I consider it a form of abuse.

[silentreader]

FYI, Steve Gallagher, the founder of PLM, has written a couple of thought provoking books about the church:
"Standing Firm through the Great Apostasy" and "Intoxicated with Babylon, the Seduction of God's People in the Last Days."

[nett]

I’m curious whether some of these people really have a sex addiction, or just sexual behavior that is considered culturally inappropriate. I don’t doubt that it’s a real thing. But often when I hear the term used in conservative circles it feels like they use it even in situations that are not even close to addiction.

Children who are exposed to pornography pre-adolescence, which is most children now, are very likely to develop addictive sexual behaviors, which includes escalating into more and more deviant fetishes, which results in a complete inability to be aroused by normal sexual stimuli.

Once again, you show very little care for abuse when it doesn't match w/e worldview you seem to have ingested.

[temporal1]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of "culturally unacceptable" sexual behaviours that are not out and out sin. If it is absolute sin, I don't know that it matters much what else it is called as long as there are people willing to come alongside to help a person be free.

I'd say there is a bigger tendency to not call habitual sexual sin addiction, rather than over using the word addiction, in my interactions.

I do know that PLM had a rigorous screening process to get in. I'm sure everyone in their program experiences very legitimate sexual bondage when they arrive. But they start at the core of the issues. For my brother the first 2 months were spent working on his attitude and getting him to stop feeling sorry for himself and hating everyone around him. He went there just oozing bitterness towards the church, he did not respond well to the traditional disciplinary action of the old order system.

The biggest asset today from his stay there is that he can look all those people in the eye with no hard feelings.
He learned to forgive and not let it eat him up.

I think their program works, but Satan works harder than ever on a graduate with a clean slate.
There needs to be a very secure accountability network in place afterwards.
Unfortunately that was not done well enough for my brother.

(i think) because science+medicine+psychiatry have made SOME incredible advances, we lay folks are tempted to think advances have been made “across the board” much moreso than reality.

Psychiatry is probably the furthest behind. Much more unknown than known.
Psychiatrists, neurologists, specialists are the first to admit it. Of this, spiritual matters are probably least of the least understood.
From a human science+human reasoning perspective. The pros try. THEY DON’T KNOW.

Your posts do a very good job of describing one family’s experience. i give them credit for trying. Most don’t get that far.

i wholeheartedly agree with you, involving the entire family is probably best. To attempt to get those directly impacted on the same page. It’s not a guarantee, it very likely improves possibilities.

To make matters worse, as Josh suggests, the world is hard at work attempting to deny sins+crimes are sins+crimes. Flatly deny.

Loads of people flounder around in misery (not always sexual) - not understanding why. Not knowing God’s Truth, only the world’s, they THINK they are behaving within acceptable norms! Yet, misery. Misery is a sign of error.

Jesus came to offer His life-giving Peace in all circumstances.