Higher Ground Conference to feature 3-part documentary series on harmful effects of pornography
Since its inception in 2013, the Higher Ground Men’s Conference has been committed to raising the conversation about the rising accessibility and detrimental impact of pornography.
At its 2019 event, Saturday, March 23 at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue, WA, Higher Ground will show in its entirety the new 3-part documentary series Brain Heart World, produced by Fight the New Drug, an organization that provides education on the harmful effects of pornography, and Catapult Concepts, a Christian media consulting firm that scripted and filmed the series.
Brian Goins is the President of Catapult Concepts, the Christian consulting firm that partnered with Fight the New Drug to produce Brain Heart World.
“I’ve always said that if I was 15 today, I wouldn’t make it. I’d be hooked on porn,” Catapult Concepts president Brian Goins said. “We aren’t giving today’s teenagers a chance at real love. Their “love-script” is being written by the porn industry. As a parent of two teens, my hope for my kids is to be truly connected with Jesus and another person – porn sabotages both of those relationships.”
In April of 2016, the state of Utah declared by formal resolution that pornography was a public health crisis. Since then, 11 states have issued similar resolutions, with the latest state to consider the declaration being Arizona. A “resolution” does not have a legal consequence, but is intended to increase awareness and education.
These resolutions have come on the heels of multiple, science-driven research projects detailing porn’s impact on the brain, with some researchers drawing conclusions that porn acts on the brain similar to cocaine. This prompted Goins to take a closer look at creating a vehicle that could relate this critical information to today’s teens and young adults.
“I realized so much of what is being said about the negative effects of porn was coming from the scientific and academic community,” Goins said. “Science had finally caught up to God’s truth. In that moment, I felt a burden to become a ‘burning bush.’ Someone needed to turn the megaphone on and help our younger generation realize the truth about porn and say, ‘Porn: it’s just not worth it.’ I didn’t know what it meant at that time, but that’s where this journey started.
Our goal is for the youth of the world to be the first filter against porn. – Brian Goins
“My dream is that by the time by 11-year-old son gets into middle school and someone shows him some pictures on a phone saying, “Dude, check this out,” he can say with confidence: ‘Dude, you know how that stuff will mess you up? Forget it.’ Our goal is for the youth of the world to be the first filter against porn.”
Higher Ground is a one-day, annual Pacific Northwest Christian men’s conference designed to encourage and equip attendees – including teenage young men – with tools for living with whole-life integrity in today’s hyper-sexual and fragmented culture. In addition to main stage presentations by The Seattle School’s Dr. Dan Allender and Seahawks legend and XFL Seattle Head Coach and General Manager Jim Zorn, the 2019 event will feature multiple breakout sessions for attendees to dig deeper into various topics relating to authentic brotherhood, biblical masculinity, marriage enrichment, father-son relationships, dating with integrity, social justice, sexual integrity, and more.
The 3-part Brain Heart World series will be featured as a part of the breakout sessions. Question and answer discussion time will be provided after each video.
While Goins developed the 3-part series to be most relevant to public-school teenagers and college-age young adults, anyone who works with or has a heart for youth or college-age young people will find it to be a very powerful educational tool.
“We hope every dad within driving distance of Bellevue, WA will consider bringing his son to see this important documentary series,” Prodigals International President Steve Dulaney said. (Prodigals is the presenting organizer of the conference.) “There’s a lot of information – and misinformation – in the media right now about whether or not porn is a ‘public health crisis’ in today’s culture. Dads and teens can watch this science-based documentary and then decide for themselves. This series will equip them with excellent information and food for thought.”
The Higher Ground Men’s Conference is produced by Prodigals International, a non-profit Christian 12-step recovery and counseling ministry for men wanting freedom from unwanted sexual behaviors and addictions. The 2019 event is co-sponsored by Covenant Eyes, 820AM The Word, 1680 AM Radio Luz Seattle, Marked Men for Christ, Every Nation Church Seattle and Westminster Chapel, Bellevue.
See a quick preview of the series here:
Trailer: Brain. Heart. World. – A documentary series from FTND from Fight the New Drug on Vimeo.
The Higher Ground Men’s Conference is the premier gathering of PNW men of faith for encouragement, straight talk and practical tools for winning the battle for integrity. The 2019 event is Saturday, March 23 at Westminster Chapel and will feature Dr. Dan Allender, Jim Zorn and a special video address from 710 ESPN’s Brock Huard. Event will also feature a separate interactive main stage experience for teenage young men (13-18) – THE CLIMB at Higher Ground – and breakout session content specifically designed for teens and fathers & sons, including:
- Father-Son Accountability: Beyond the “Sex Talk”
- UnMasked: from Shame to Intimacy
- Four Lessons from The Song of Songs
- Brain Heart World Docu-Series
Special discounted tickets for Students and Fathers & Sons available
