For Pete's Sake

Sojourners Magazine, Jul 2004 by Berger, Rose Marie, Bolton, Brian

How can a Christian tick off both porn filmmakers and religious conservatives? Ask youth pastors Mike Foster and Craig Gross, who created XXXchurch.com, "the #1 Christian Porn Site" on the Internet, calling children and adults to "get in the gutter" and educate themselves about the physical and spiritual dangers of pornography.

Foster and Gross grabbed the attention of ABC, CNN, FOX News, and The Daily Show with their provocative television spot "Pete the Porno Puppet." The public service announcement-produced for free by California porn director James DiGiorgio (a Catholic who believes "adult" videos should be for adults)-warns children to be wary of pornography in locked drawers, parents' closets, and the Internet. The ad also tells parents to say "no" to pornography.

"XXXchurch is here to make you think, react, and to decide where you stand on the issues of porn," Craig Gross told Sojourners. "We're not here to sling mud, but to shove the envelope and try and do some good."