The shirtless photo controversy surrounding Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury isn't going away quietly-and now a former adult film star turned Christian pastor has jumped into the debate with a pointed message for critics: perhaps it's time for a "heart check."
Joshua Broome, who spent six years in the adult entertainment industry before becoming a Christian pastor and speaker, has defended Frank and Asbury after the Christian music stars faced criticism for posing shirtless following a workout.
The drama began after Asbury shared the photo online, only to delete it when some Christians argued that the image raised questions about modesty and could potentially become a "stumbling block" for others.
Asbury subsequently apologized, explaining that after talking with Frank and others, they decided the picture simply wasn't important enough to keep online if it was causing offense.
"It doesn't matter that much for us to post what we're looking like if it's causing people offense," Asbury explained. "It's just not necessary."
But Broome believes the backlash may say more about the people looking at the photo than the men appearing in it.
"Modesty is worth talking about. This outrage is not about modesty," Broome wrote.
Drawing on his own ministry addressing pornography and sexual brokenness, Broome pointed to research showing significant pornography consumption among practicing Christians. He argued that repeated exposure to sexualized material can condition people to sexualize otherwise ordinary situations.
"A church that has been feeding on porn will sexualize anything," Broome wrote, giving examples ranging from "three guys after a workout" to "a woman in a sundress" or even "a stranger in a grocery store."
"That is not always discernment," he added. "That is a symptom often of legalism or even more likely a heart and mind trained to objectify and sexualize people."
Broome nevertheless praised Asbury for removing the photo and apologizing, calling his response an act of maturity. But he stressed that Asbury's apology should not necessarily be interpreted as an admission that posting the picture was wrong.
"Deferring to a weaker believer is a mark of love, not an admission that the weaker party was right," Broome said.
And then came his strongest challenge.
"So do a heart check right now," Broome wrote. "If a shirtless photo undoes you, the person who posted the photo might not be the problem."
Christian YouTuber Ruslan has also entered the debate, reportedly arguing that the photograph itself was not sexual and that believers have some responsibility for managing what they consume online rather than automatically demanding that others remove material they find troubling.
What began as three guys posing after a workout has therefore turned into a surprisingly heated Christian conversation about modesty, lust, pornography, legalism and personal responsibility.
Asbury may have deleted the picture in an attempt to end the controversy, but Broome's intervention has ensured that the debate behind it is very much still alive.
