Christians vs. sex trafficking

From Amy Sherman in Books & Culture...

When he invited former strip club dancer Harmony Dust to address Phoenix's Bethany Bible Church, outreach pastor Brad Pellish raised a few eyebrows. But Pellish had been learning some harsh truths about the commercial sex industry in Phoenix. He thought his flock should know about the despair the women behind the Nude Girls signs felt. That they would probably be horrified to know that the average age of entry into prostitution in Phoenix is 13—and that brutal pimps forcibly kept many in this lifestyle. He wanted his church to join him on a new mission into some dark and scary places.

In August 2007, Pellish had attended the simulcast of the annual Willow Creek Leadership Summit. There he heard Gary Haugen, founder and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), a Christian human rights agency, talk about combating the large-scale problem of sex trafficking and forced prostitution in south Asia....

Pellish and the other pastors watched Branded, a documentary on child prostitution in Phoenix. (The title refers to the fact that many pimps use heated wires to physically mark "their" girls.) "I heard that those things Gary [Haugen] talked about were happening right here in my own city," Pellish says. "I left the meeting that day resolved that Bethany Bible Church would be involved."

Pellish designed a short preaching series called "Enough is Enough." Then-senior pastor Dave Gudgel delivered brief messages on God's heart for justice and Pellish conducted interviews with guests like Harmony Dust and Food for the Hungry's Pat McCalla, who had helped to spearhead the Branded initiative with multiple churches and public officials....

Bethany Bible decided to begin by supporting local vice squad officers. Church members were encouraged to purchase gift cards to 24-hour fast food restaurants. When the cops picked up underage girls working the streets, the girls were typically hungry. (Though they might have cash on hand, they didn't dare risk their pimp's wrath by spending their earnings on food.) So the vice cops paid out of pocket for burgers or tacos....

Crossroads Church in Cincinnati may be the best example nationwide of a church committed to the fight against human trafficking....

There's a lot more to the article-- far more than I can cite here, but if you have a heart for this injustice and are looking for ideas/resources, please check out the rest of the article.