How widespread is it?

Four in ten pastors online have visited a pornographic Web site. And more than one-third have done so in the past year. Those statistics from our Leadership survey have drawn startled response.

From non-pastors: "So many!"

From pastors: "Is that all?"

Of the pastors polled, 89 percent have Internet access. Of them we asked:

"Have you ever visited a pornographic web site?"

57% Never

7% More than a year ago

9% Once in the past year

21% A few times a year.

6% A couple of times a month or more

Pastors in our survey had typically been online 3.2 years. In general, pastors who'd had access to the Internet longer were more likely to have seen an adult site.

Should we call this epidemic?

Certainly pornography is pandemic in America. A nationwide survey showed 41 percent of men admitting having purchased or viewed pornographic materials within the past year. That study, in 1994, did not measure Internet pornography, then in its early stages.

The New York Times reports that ...