A must-read article on a tough topic: Facing Up to Sex Trafficking
Justin Holcomb is one of my heroes. He is one of the few Biblically grounded voices speaking out about abuse today. His book Rid of My Disgrace is a must-read for anyone who has been touched by abuse in any way, or anyone who desires to minister to abuse victims and their families (which should be every church member). His article on sex trafficking on the 9 Marks blog is a hard but excellent read.
The story with which he begins the article is all-too-familiar. "Kim" could very well have been a young girl I worked with when I was at DHS...except that our "Kim" was 13 when I met her and had been prostituted for several years already. She had already had her first child at that point and was hard as nails. And in case you are wondering, no, I never worked in the inner city. This was right here in our small southern city in the middle of the Bible belt. I actually worked with more than one "Kim"...this one was just the youngest and most memorable. :-(
Our family also came all-too-potentially-close to the world of sex trafficking several years ago. As the article says, "at risk" kids are particularly targeted, but that doesn't mean that children in stable homes are "safe". Given the right opportunity, any child can be a target. Not nearly all go willingly.
Holcomb's questions about how Christians and the church should respond to women/girls like Kim are vital. More importantly, he gives some practical answers. He shows how one church is digging in and meeting this need, and then addresses what the rest of us can do.
I challenge all my readers to take the time to click over to Justin Holcomb's article, and read it through to the end. I would add this to his list of what we can do: pray. Pray for those involved in trafficking, as victims or perpetrators. Pray for those involved in the fight. Get educated about trafficking and pray about how God would have you to be involved. (And as I said in the Anthony Case post, "...pray for me as I seek to do that as well...it's easy to type those things sometimes, and harder to actually get up and do them...")
Related Posts:
The Anthony Case...My Thoughts (Well, Mostly Mine...)
Moralistic Therapeutic..What?
Protecting Children, Part 1
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