CHRISTIAN ACTION- SEXPO OUTREACH

“Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?” Psalm 94:16



When a “Sexpo” was advertised to take place in the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) for the second year in a row, the Christian Action Network launched a campaign to expose and oppose this. Through a vigorous letters to the editor campaign and complaints sent to the Advertising Standards Authority, letters to Acting Mayor Grant Haskin, many phone calls, e-mailings and radio programmes, Taryn Hodgson and Dr. Peter Hammond alerted Christians in Cape Town and sought to mobilise opposition to this outrageous event.



By God's grace, the heavy downpour of rain stopped for most of the duration of the placard demonstration.



Newspapers reported how outraged citizens had defaced a lewd Sexpo billboard on the N2 near the Cape Town airport. Other streetlight Sexpo posters were torn down or had pro-family stickers placed on them. All over town bumper stickers declared: Real men don’t use porn; Pornography ruins a mind, and other pro-family slogans in Afrikaans and Xhosa.



In answer to prayer, this year Sexpo organisers were not allowed to have lewd images on their streetlight posters. Last year, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Sexpo advertisements used in Durban were unacceptable because they "reinforce a stereotype that women, especially provocatively dressed women, primarily serve as 'eye-candy' and should only be regarded as valuable for their sexual potential" and that "the only area of her body focused on effectively reduces her to a sexual object."



On Friday 15 May the Christian Action Network held a placard protest, prayer vigil, literature distribution and personal evangelism outreach at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Demonstrators held placards declaring: Porn exploits women; Porn is the theory – rape is the practice; Pornography fuels crime; Women are not objects; Sexpo = gateway to perversion; Child sexual offenders have ALL used child pornography; Women need protection and respect – ban porn! Execute rapists! and “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36.



In addition to the placard protest and prayer vigil, missionaries of Waymakers and Frontline Fellowship engaged in vigorous literature distribution and personal evangelism of customers entering and exiting the Sexpo and journalists reporting on the protest.



The placard protest attracted much media attention - with news coverage on SABC and e-TV news. Photographs and prominent articles were published in Die Burger and The Weekend Argus. Radio KFM and Radio Tygerberg came and conducted spot interviews with protestors and evangelists at the CTICC. Taryn conducted a total of 15 interviews with the media, and continues to receive invitations from magazines to deal with the subject.



The protestors and evangelists came under some pressure from the CTICC security officials who insisted that they move away from the main entrance to the CTICC. We informed them that we most certainly had a constitutional right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to protest. They insisted that we were not allowed to be near the entrance. Taryn reminded them that if there are under 15 people (by that stage some of the protesters had split up) then it cannot be considered an official "gathering" according to the Regulation of Gatherings Act. We pointed out that in fact no one was trespassing inside the Convention Centre. We reminded the police that distribution of Gospel literature falls under freedom of religion, and is a constitutional right.



By God’s grace, many hundreds of leaflets warning of the dangers of porn addiction (and giving the Biblical solutions) and Gospel tracts were handed to Sexpo visitors and many evangelistic conversations resulted.



Gail Gregoriades from Livingstone Fellowship spent over 20 minutes sharing her testimony and answering questions and objections about Christianity with a tourist from Switzerland. He left saying he will seriously think about making a commitment to Christ.



After being interviewed by a reporter, Brendon Schafer from Frontline Fellowship asked the reporter if he could ask her a few questions, most importantly, "Where will you spend eternity?". A lively Gospel conversation ensued with the atheist journalist.



Pinelands Baptist Church was allowed by the Sexpo organisers to have a free stall inside the event. They handed out copies of the Biblical book "Songs of Songs" and distributed flyers inviting couples to a marriage enrichment course run at their church. Several couples who visited the Sexpo signed up for the course.



“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11



Contact Africa Christian Action for "How Tos" on asking your local shop manager to remove smutty magazines, complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority and Film and Publications Board, holding outreaches and demonstrations outside porn shops and strip clubs and other resources to help you get your congregation involved in the fight against pornography and prostitution.

Click here to download the tract Finding Freedom from Pornography.

Obtain: Finding Freedom from the Pornography Plague – for just R10 a copy; and Make a Difference - A Christian Action Handbook for S.A. - for R59 a copy.

Africa Christian Action

P.O. Box 23632

Claremont, 7735

Cape Town

Tel: (021) 689-4481

Fax: (021) 685-5884

E-mail: info@christianaction.org.za

Website: www.christianaction.org.za