#66 Freedom From Porn - Eric Hovind

Season 6
Written By Paul Hastings
 

Eric Hovind grew up in a Christian household and served faithfully in his family's Christian ministry, volunteered at church, and always knew the right answers.

Yet, at the same time, he was harboring a secret double life of sexual addiction.

But one night, he came face-to-face with a shocking realization... he was the product of Christian culture and teaching... but he was a total stranger to Christ.

The following is a summary of the podcast interview above with Eric Hovind. Many more details are included in the original podcast episode and we encourage you to listen.

Written by Jace Bower

Growing Up Christian

Eric Hovind was born into a family with loving Christian parents who practically lived out what they deeply believed about the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Eric’s father was loving and taught his children from the Bible all the time. He was a science teacher and loved watching his children grow in the knowledge of God’s word and God’s world.

The family attended an Independent Fundamental Baptist church that was sincere in its beliefs. There wasn’t widespread hypocrisy in the church or the family that Eric grew up in. He lived around Christians who knew what they believed and really lived it out.

Eric never questioned God’s existence or goodness growing up. He was blessed with a childhood surrounded by godly Christian influences in a loving and healthy environment. But over time, he would realize that simply growing up in this environment didn’t actually make one a true Christian.

Exposed to Sinful Influences

Meanwhile, Eric was being exposed to other influences that were in direct conflict with his godly upbringing. He was exposed to the reality of homosexuality by a schoolmate in the third grade and by the fifth grade he was exposed to pornography by his classmates.

Eric was shocked by this exposure to pornography but it gripped him and wouldn’t let him go. He was deeply involved but was struggling. He didn’t want to keep falling into sin but he couldn’t seem to break away.

He told himself that as he aged and matured his struggle with pornography would naturally get better. But as he progressed through his teen years, it didn’t get better on its own.

Living as a Pharisee

In the meantime, Eric was living a double life. Secretly he was struggling with porn but publicly he was playing the role of a young Christian leader. He was involved in leading his youth group and put on a shiny exterior of self-righteousness. He was a “Pharisee”, knowing the law and doing his best to appear lawful while indulging in sin on a regular basis. 

Amid this struggle, Eric was encouraged to seek accountability. He found accountability with some friends but sometimes their conversations actually did more harm than good by delving into each other’s sins in too much detail.

Marrying Tanya

Eric was surrounded by youth pastors and mentors who had a godly influence on his life during this time. One youth pastor in particular wasn’t afraid to address the subject of sexual purity and holiness. He encouraged Eric to fill his mind with Scripture. He gave the illustration of a hard drive: the more Eric’s mind was full of God’s word, the less room there was for sin to take root.

In 1999 Eric met and married Tanya. Despite the beauty of their new marriage, Eric was still in the clutches of his secret sin. Shortly after their wedding, Tanya found out about Eric’s pornography addiction and confronted him about it. He confessed right away without attempting to conceal it any longer.

“Hell’s Best Kept Secret”

Not long after his wife found out about his porn addiction, Eric watched a film by evangelist Ray Comfort called “Hell’s Best Kept Secret”. In the film, Ray told the stories of Joseph and David who were both tempted to give in to sexual sin. (Joseph successfully resisted but David fell.) 

Both of these men recognized that sexual sin was not primarily an offense against themselves or other individuals but was actually against God. In Genesis 39:9, Joseph asks, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

He understood that sinning with Potiphar’s wife was actually a sin against God Himself. Likewise, David recognizes that it was “against [God] only” that he had sinned in his adultery with Bathsheba (Psalm 51:4).

Eric was struck by the biblical gospel. He had never understood his sin in this way before. He was sinning against God! He called his brother-in-law over to watch the film again. Then they called their church’s youth pastor. The three of them watched the movie again and discussed it for an hour into the night. When they left, Eric watched it for a fourth time.

Real Heart Change

It was at that moment that Eric says he knows the Holy Spirit changed his heart and brought him to life. He had been influenced by Christianity his whole life but he hadn’t truly understood the gravity of his sin before God and the glorious good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for him until that moment.

An early sign of Eric’s changed heart was that his desire for porn was taken away. Instead of seeking it out, he was looking for ways to actively avoid stumbling into it. He set guardrails in his life by seeking true accountability from other men and by giving his wife and other individuals full and free access to his activity online. 

Furthermore, Eric set healthy boundaries for himself when it came to circumstances where temptations were strongest. For example, he didn’t allow himself to use a computer after 9 p.m. and he didn’t watch TV when on the road by himself.

Sharing God’s Work With Others

Eric developed a passion for reaching people with the gospel and the truth of God’s word. In 2007 he started an apologetics ministry called Creation Today which helps people understand the relationship between the Bible and science.

While his creation ministry bloomed, Eric was given more opportunities to share his testimony and help others who were in the same place he had been. He was invited to an interview by a man named Jeremy Wiles who had been a co-guest on a Christian radio program.

Jeremy was developing a video series for men about conquering porn and asked Eric for an interview. Jeremy had no clue that Eric had struggled with this sin for much of his life. Eric shared transparently about his struggle with pornography in the interview. It was the first time he had shared about his struggle beyond his family and close friends. 

Eric’s testimony has been viewed by millions of people finding victory in the fight against sin. And while his apologetics ministry to skeptics is fruitful he has a real heart for young people who, like him, grew up in the church. Many of these young people aren’t aware that they may not actually be Christians. They have simply grown up as products of their Christian environments without ever coming to a place of true faith and repentance. 

True Transformation

Eric’s heart is to engage these young people with the message that changed his life: their sin is serious and their Savior is great. Growing up in a Christian culture doesn’t save or change one’s heart. Only the Holy Spirit can bring that kind of change.

Eric’s story is a reminder to us all that the great news of God’s salvation isn’t something we can fake. We aren’t saved by who we hang out with or what church we grew up in. We are saved powerfully by the blood of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. True power to overcome sin is found in that heart change, not in attempts at behavior modification.

Furthermore, Eric’s story teaches us that when we allow God to use our testimony of His power to overcome our weakness, we never know what we might witness as God uses us to share His good news!

—
Jace Bower is a writer with a passion for justice and biblical principles. He writes at jacebower.com.

Win an autographed copy of Genesis: Paradise Lost

Note: We will select 2 winners. Winners must live within the United States.

Note: We will select 2 winners. Winners must live within the United States.

Go Deeper with Eric Hovind

Resources to Help Find Sexual Freedom

 
 
Paul Hastings
Previous

ENCORE: 9/11 Survivor at the Pentagon - Brian Birdwell
Next

#65 Among the Cannibals & Headhunters - Steve Richardson