Lecture to address porn

A man who used to be addicted to pornography will lecture about its dangers to a student audience tonight.\nGene McConnell will make a presentation on the "Power of Pornography" at 8 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ.\nMcConnell is returning to campus after presenting his program last year to an audience of 400 people. This year, CCC hopes to fill all 650 seats in Alumni Hall.\n"I really hope that a lot of people will come and learn about the effects pornography has on society in some very uncommon ways," said freshman Lindsay Templeton, a member of CCC.\nAmericans spend more money at strip clubs than at the opera, the ballet and jazz and classical music performances combined, according to U.S. News and World Report. It is this statistic and others like it that caught the eye of CCC.\nMcConnell, a self-proclaimed reformed porn user, will be sharing his experiences and highlighting the negative effects of pornography on society. He will bring his experiences as a former pastor and pornography addict to campus. McConnell is the founder and president of Authentic Relationships International, an organization which seeks to educate society on the effects of pornography on relationships. He has also been a part of such organizations as Strategic Cities, Victim Assistance and the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families.\nAs he attempts to spread his story of a recovering sexual addict, McConnell has appeared on several talk shows, including "Jerry Springer," "Jenny Jones" and "Montel Williams."\nHeading up the lecture is senior Dave Wilson. He worked with other members of CCC's Outreach Committee since August to bring McConnell to campus.\n"We were first compelled to invite him because the culture here is really inundated with sexual issues," Wilson said. "I think it's good to bring in a different perspective than what students normally get."\nOther lectures planned by CCC include a public debate about evolution and creation and a lecture by the father of one of the students murdered at Columbine High School.