And while I hope that I do not, I have to write this. I have to say this because I spent a week ashamed at some of the things people do in the name of Christ. I have to write this because we live in a world where slavery will, more than likely, be the biggest global crime industry by the end of the year, and thus, we no longer have the time to worry about offending other people.
I recently heard a story of a young prostitute who escaped from her “life” in the industry and attempted to find help at four churches. Each church turned her away because of the way she was dressed. No one bothered to ask her about her story or offer her some more clothing, they just turned her away.
As I sat in my seat and listened, I was so angry I thought I was going to explode. Once the anger subsided, I was heartbroken. We are the Church. The Body of Christ. Called to be His hands and feet. And we have forgotten. We have forgotten that we are called to love, not judge. We are called to care and provide hope and healing. The same day I heard this story, I also had a conversation with a pastor who is running safe houses all across Southeast Asia that minister to girls rescued from trafficking. Do you know what he said was the answer to the abolition of the growing human trafficking industry?
The church.
And with my whole heart I want to believe him. We have the answer. We have resources. We have more then we could ever need or use. We are called and commanded to be the answer. And yet, I look around me and I see a church that has turned a blind eye and plugged its ears to the cries of the innocent. I see a church that is not only standing still in its fight, it is, sadly, sometimes involved in the very act of trafficking itself. I see a church way too involved in politics and business and worldly affairs; so involved it has forgotten that it was called and commanded to “love the least of these.”
Why? Why are we ignoring the facts? Why are we failing to encourage our members to become abolitionists, to fight for freedom, to educate against and eradicate an awful industry? Why have we forgotten our calling to care for those around us? We could do it. I strongly believe that. But I am afraid by the time the church believes that, it will be too late.
However, for today, I simply want to challenge your thinking about one word. Just one tiny word.
Prostitute
What immediately comes to your mind when you think of that word? I was curious so I asked some Christian friends of mine the following question.
In one to two sentences, tell me what you think of when you hear the word prostitute?
And here are the responses..
A broken human trying to get by and maybe even searching for love or worth, but like most of us, she’s looking in all the wrong places.
When I hear the word prostitute, I usually think of a drug addict that needs a fix, but that is just my experience with prostitutes.
I think of someone who has never been truly loved or affirmed or valued, and more likely, has been devalued (physically, mentally, emotionally, and more…) to a degree that most of us can’t even begin to grasp; someone, who has lost all hope, and out of desperation, seeks some sort of control of her life.
When I hear the word ‘prostitute’ I think of more than just someone having sex for money. I think of all of us (especially in the west) who whore ourselves out for money, sex, fame and power.
A prostitute is someone who sells him or herself for sexual pleasure of another person for money or other means of income. Most of them do not want to be doing what they are doing but something either through addictions or trafficking have forced prostitution to be their only choice.
When I hear the word prostitute, I think of a woman who is so lost that she feels her only option to survive is selling herself. I also think of a child in other countries who has been forced into prostition. It’s one big heartbreaking word.
When I hear the word prostitute I think of a slut with several STDs.
A victim.
A whore.
I can tell you with almost absolute certainty that no one, and I mean NO ONE, wakes up and has as their dream to sell their body for sex. No little girl rightly dreams of letting men use her for sex numerous times everyday. No one wakes up and thinks, “I want to sell myself today.” No one willing wants to be beaten and raped everyday. Are there prostitutes out there freely working in the industry of their own accord? Of course, it is a profitable industry and it pays a whole lot better then the counter job you could get at McDonalds. But I do not believe that scenario means that they want to be doing that-no matter what they may say.
This year 1.2 million people will be bought and sold all across the world. They will be forced into an international slave industry that is netting profits we can’t even imagine. And we walk by with a blind eye. We think only of our own ability to resist the temptation and never consider the deeper reality. We see –>”I even had an oriental woman solicit me for a “massage” not but a couple blocks from our apartment.” And we think–> “It just goes to show you how Satan tries to influence us through whatever we are involved in.” We look at the prostitute and we label her with words we wouldn’t utter in church. We despise what she is doing and what she stands for. We think we are better because we are not like that. We fail to see her as a daughter of Christ. And the most awful part is, we often glamorize the pimp. Think about how commonplace this word has become. “Pimp My Ride” anyone? And in fact, in courts, most often the pimps come out further ahead then the prostitute. The man responsible for the buying, selling, and brutality against women is the same guy our teens want to be like. They want to be “pimp.” And the sad reality is, according to one FBI special agent, “If you have adult prostitution going on in your area, you have child prostitution going on.”
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
This is the Jesus I serve. The loving Savior that came to bring life. That loved all He came in contact with. What does Jesus think when He hears the word prostitute? He doesn’t think. He just loves. One of my favorite quotes comes from Shane Claiborne in his book The Irresistible Revolution. He writes of a conversation he had that went like this-
Friend: The amazing thing about Jesus is that he never talked to a prostitute.
Shane: Oh yeah he did. And I started whipping my Bible open.
Friend: No Jesus never talked to a prostitute because he never saw a prostitute. He saw a child who he was madly in love with.
This is to be our heart. It should never matter what a person is wearing, how many tattoos or piercings they have, or where they come from.
A recent study came out that surveyed prostitutes that had recently left their jobs. The results showed that 89% wanted to leave their lives of prostitution long before they did. 89% is enough to be a majority by any stastical study. And the 11% that didn’t probably have lost all hope that there is another choice, another life.
So my heart begs and pleads with you. See with Jesus’ eyes. See children He loves. See broken people in need of grace and love. See beyond the outside and the past and the current life. See the soul that is crying for rescue. And once you have seen, do something. Learn more. Get involved. Be the hands and feet we were called to be. And if you are unwilling or unable, please please stop giving a bad name to the ones of us who are.
National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-3737-888
