“Jesus Loves Pornstars” is probably not what you would expect to read on the cover of a Bible. But that is exactly what is printed on the cover of Pastor Craig Gross’ Bible.  

On Tuesday evening, adult film actor Ron Jeremy and Pastor Craig Gross debated whether porn is harmless entertainment or harmful sexuality at UK’s Worsham Cinema. 

“I think it went really, really well,” said Sydney Banks, a junior English major and the Director of Engaging Issues for the Student Activities Board. Banks was one of the organizers of the porn debate.

“It went better than the gun control debate, but I think that’s because obviously guns are a more sensitive topic,” she said. 

On the pro-porn side was Jeremy, who has appeared in over 2,000 adult films and has had sex with more than 3,000 women. On the anti-porn side was Pastor Gross, who has been married for 20 years and says his wife is the only woman he has ever had sex with. Gross is the founder of the website xxxchurch.com, which aims to help people who struggle with addictions to pornography.

The two men have been touring together and debating porn since 2006. Moderating the debate was Dr. Kristen Mark, the Director of UK’s Sexual Health Promotion Lab. Mark and Gross were both at their podiums a few minutes before Jeremy came out of the green room. 

“For a guy who spent his entire career learning to come on time, Ron is always late,” Gross said.

Jeremy came out to applause from the large crowd of students. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, camo pants and crocs– an outfit that screamed, “sex appeal.” Upon reaching his podium, Jeremy played “Amazing Grace” on a harmonica. 

Then the debate began. The two men had 15 minutes to present their arguments. Gross began by talking about how porn wasn’t available when he was growing up.

The Internet has made porn more accessible than ever. When he became a pastor in the early 2000’s, he saw a lot of young people struggling with porn addiction. He began xxxchurch.com in 2001 with the goal of creating a safe community online for people struggling with porn addiction to not feel alone.  

Gross said that porn creates unrealistic expectations for sex. He said he believes that the porn industry sets people up for disappointment and that the desensitization because of porn can cause people to not be satisfied by their partners and can hurt relationships. Gross is also concerned that children are being exposed to adult content at a young age on the Internet and worries about how that affects their development. 

Jeremy said porn is a fantasy and that sex is good for you. He said he thinks that porn can be a good way for people to explore what they’re interested in and to get new ideas for the bedroom. He believes that there is a difference between doing too much of something and enjoying something in moderation.

He believes that bad parenting is more to blame than the porn industry for children being exposed to adult content online. He claimed that the porn industry has been at the forefront of technology like the Internet and virtual reality. He justified strategies like giving adult films shocking titles as people trying to sell a product.  

“Porn as it is now is pretty much going out of business,” said Jeremy.

He said that the new big moneymaker in the porn industry is cam models. Because of this, he said more women are running the production of adult content now than ever before.  

“I’ve never seen weirder,” said audience member, Dylan Buckingham, a freshman majoring in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, after the debate. “I enjoyed that. It was a lot of fun.” 

Jeremy said he doesn’t believe the debates change a lot of people’s minds about porn.

“If they came into this auditorium really despising and hating porn, then they’re gonna leave with a similar attitude,” said Jeremy. “If they leave this auditorium with a nice attitude, like, ‘Oh it might not be our cup of tea but some people like it,’ then they’re probably gonna keep that same attitude.”  

“The next time you’re tempted, you have a thought, you’re visiting a porn site, I would just ask yourself why,” said Gross. “Take a beat and just think about it.”