Can an Adult Film Star Really Become a Pastor? Here's What Scripture Says

um my husband Kevin and his absence, my children, my family, friends, close people to me that supported me in this journey thing all. Yes, I love scripture. So, right. >> Yeah. I think this might disqualify you probably forever. [music] >> [music] >> I saw this video and I didn't know what to make of it at first. This was by a comedian guy by the name of Shooter King and he was covering this and I just wanted to let you see this first and then you'll see where I'm going with this. Ah, ladies and gentlemen, everybody's talking about Jasmine Cashmere. She's a former adult film star. Now she's a pastor. And everybody like you know what I'm saying? And hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, guys, ladies and gentlemen. All right, I know somebody can have a past and then they changed. God can change you. All right, y'all. I know y'all think I'm f to say something, but no. Now, what I didn't know is that apparently there are more people who came from that particular the adult industry and have come over to not just a Christ. That part is wonderful. Love that part. But it's the other part about trying to go a step further and go into ministry. There have been a few people who've done so. >> Britney and her husband Richard are both pastors at Cornerstone Church in San Diego. If >> it's your first time here, could you please raise [music and singing] your hand? We just want to welcome you. >> But less than 6 years ago, Britney went by the stage name Jenna and worked as a successful porn star. Crystal Bet [music] who was making six figures a year in the adult film industry before she decided to make a radical career shift. She became a pastor. Here's ABC's Diane Medo. >> It's Sunday [music] morning and Crystal Bet cannot be late to church. >> And it's not just limited to ladies, it's also men. >> How could a former porn star become a Christian and then become a pastor? The story you're going to hear today is one that blew me away when I first heard it. In fact, I was so amazed at God's grace that on a run with my wife, I grabbed her. I was like, "We got to listen to this thing." >> So, here's the question. Are they procluded from being pastors? Well, obviously the first three are women. That particular position is prohibited from females being in leadership in that capacity. They just can't do it. But let's just go with the whole notion, the whole idea of someone being in service and they've had that past. There's a couple parts about this that that need to be fleshed out and not just because it was a their past. Yeah, it was their past and uh they weren't saved then or maybe they were, but now I'm living this way because it's not just it's not just limited to that particular industry. is let's just say any particular sin in the past in and of itself what you do in the past does not necessarily preclude you from going forward and serving in ministry in general. However, there are going to be some circumstances that will stop a person from doing so. So let's go and let's go to the qualifications of an elder of a pastor. Uh it's a trustworthy statement if any man aspires. So if a person aspires they want to okay fine but then you have the requirements that you have to have and this is where it didn't take very long to get into the requirements to see that yeah you're procluded an overseer must then must be above reproach. Let me just address this part here because too often too many people get this wrong and I mean people who are maybe well intended people who are definitely staunch staunch defenders and protectors of what the pull pit should be. This does not speak about a person's past. It does not. It speaks about are they blamew worthy? Are they involved in the sin? Or can can someone go and charge them with a sin? This is what you do, not what you did. Because if that were the case, nobody gets to be qualified. He says they must then be above reproach. And how do we know this is present being above reproach? Because of this Greek word to the right that's highlighted uh an I, which mean it's a verb from the verb to be. And this is present tense. It exists. They are right now above reproach. That's what it's saying. So what they did 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and let's just say this was before they were a pastor, should not have should not, notice what I'm saying, should not have a bearing on them becoming a pastor. But we're talking about something that it's a little bit different, right? Some things in your past you can get past. Some things others can't get past. And that's going to be the point. the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, and here it is two parts of this that we need to look at this respectable. And not only just the people in the body who must who must find them respectable. It's also what it says in verse well, you know, let's go to verse six also. and not a new convert cuz we heard the one lady, let's just say if it were a male who after 3 years coming to Christ then wants to become a pastor with with the um in this case with her husband who there's some issues with him I would imagine but anyone three years again you cannot be a novice you cannot be a new convert so that that he will not become conceited we see that a lot of times with people who don't have a bad past or that we know of who are fairly new who do get puffed up do get conceited and have no idea what they're But it's this part right here uh verse 7. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. In other words, this person has to have a a good view amongst outsiders and insiders. Let's deal with the outsiders first. The outsiders we want to become insiders. We want the outsiders, those who are outside the body to become part of the body. And it's going to be hard for them to do so if they don't respect the person who is leading the body or one of the leaders of the body. They have to have some confidence and a high view of the pe of the person that's upfront that's in leadership if they want to subject themselves to be followers of these particular leaders. And then those who are inside the church obviously they need to respect and have a high view of the people who are also there as well. So this is where this becomes a problem. If a person were doing something like this, you were in the the adult industry. This is hard. Not to to to give the answer. I think the the answer is pretty easy because I said sometimes this probably would make the person ineligible. Why? Because you're violating two qualifications. What others outside think of you and what the others inside of you think of you. You don't get a chance to determine what the consequences are going to be. And sometimes they're not the same in different areas, different places. So, let's say a person uh oh, I don't know, committed a particular crime. That's a crime here in America, but it's not a crime somewhere else. I can't think of one right now, but let's just say that's the case. And so, now the person they did the same thing. Now, the person is out, they're they're fine. Uh will people in the United States hold that against them? Whereas some place in other countries, they might not. Let's say someone did something with their taxes that you can do with your taxes in another country. Well, here it's a crime. There it's not. So you've things that people do can be weighed differently or sometimes the crimes may requ may require prison time, sometimes it's a slap on the wrist, maybe it's it's a civil fine. So it's going to vary from place to place, but then also it's going to vary on the people and the times that the people were in, right? So if a person has been in the adult industry, the the adult film industry, the adult industry, the adult film industry, people, let's just be honest. When you say that this is who you used to be, and they even find out your stage name, what do you think the people in the church and even the people outside of the church are going to just I don't want to say accidentally, but intentionally do? I made probably upwards of 275 to 375 movies. I don't know, uh, hundreds of movies. >> Somebody's going to do some research. Somebody's going to end up looking at you and saying, "Here you are. You're in the pool pit, but now they've seen you in another position." It makes them because people can be curious and sometimes just well, some folks just lustful also. But that's going to be an issue. People, especially on the outside, are certainly going to go and look and see. Remember these images, these movies, these videos, they last forever and somebody's going to look at it. So what's going to happen is what you did in the past is going to be present in people's minds and it's going to be perpetuated. The same thing I said if a person has let's say someone killed someone in the past, gave their life to Christ, placed their faith in Christ, and now they're in ministry, now they're pastoring. And this was let's say 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 40, who whatever. Let's say the person I use this example, if it was Jeffrey Dmer, you know, the person who would take advantage of people and then resort to cannibalism. Well, people are going to naturally have a distrust for him even 20, 30, 40 years after the fact because it was a high-profile case and they can't get past it. They he will always be known for what he did. So what determines if you can have a um respect for the people inside the church and outside is what will you be known for? Will you be known for your past and unfair fair or unfair? Sometimes your past keeps you or keeps some people stuck in your past. Not fair, it's not right uh in some cases, but it is what it is. And people have to be able to trust the person that's that's there. So, if you did something that's more egregious, you did the exact same thing someone else did, but yours is considered more egregious and got more fanfare, more attention, it's going to be more difficult. It just it just is. If you can somehow get past that, if the people no longer see your past, well then, amen. But in this particular industry, the adult industry, that would be difficult. It'd be kind of hard for someone because oftentimes these folks are presented as and introduced as someone who went from the P with the O N to become a pastor. They introduce themselves or they're known that way. And so, wait a minute. This guy's your pastor. Shouldn't be this. This [clears throat] woman's your pastor, but still, people are going to want to go and look. I saw some video clips, not of them, but some video clips of people saying, "Yeah, it makes me want to go look. I want to go I want to go see now. Now I'm interested." it's going to happen. You can't go back and see someone's uh view someone's tax record. You can, but no one is interested in seeing that. No one's interested in seeing some of the other things. And so, it might be a little bit easier to get past those things versus getting past this. I think this might be one of those ones where one, it's going to take a long time for you to get past that. Again, I know just as just as good as anyone else, it takes a long time to get past your past and so that people can look at you differently and see you as you are and what God has done for you versus what you did. Takes a while. Some people takes less. Some people takes a long time. Some people it takes a lifetime. They never get past it. Now, can a person um help and serve after that lifestyle? Sure. One of the people, one of the ladies is actually she goes to other people who are in who are in the industry and tries to share the gospel with them. Wonderful thing, admirable thing to do, but you can't do it from this from the pull pit at least. Here I am. I am I am forgiving. But the first thing I think of is wow this and that and this and that, you know. So I would think personally and I think biblically it's hard to. Now let me go to another passage I think is also important that that's relevant to this. Hebrews 13:7 remember those who led you who spoke the word of God to you and con look what it says and considering the result of their conduct. The result of their conduct this is what proceeds from it. So the end the way what happens after their conduct. So this could actually bring forward what they did in the past because this is what shaped me. Well thinking about what shaped me I got to think about what I did. And so there it can possibly be brought into light and says imitate their faith. Now you can imitate their faith but the result of their past conduct what they did. Now could this be just the result of their conduct as a pastor? Yeah. But I think it's all-encompassing. So we might have a problem. And again if you don't want people to bring cuz here's going to be the problem. People are going to bring up your past. Well, how do you handle that? I I I'd absolutely love it when someone goes 20ome years back to my past. I love that part because it's a testimony what I was delivered and people don't go and think yuck, right? Somebody might do so for a pastor and then how do you how do you deal with certain things inevitably that a pastor has to go through because at some point in time he's going to have to talk to someone and he will do so by himself at some point in time. Now, there's precautions you can take, but still what's going to be in the in the back of people's mind sometimes. So, I think in this case, that would be a hard one. And I'm sure a lot of people could not see themselves being passed by someone who was in the adult industry because I know a lot of those folks now some folks might, but I know a lot of those folks will also go and look and see. It's just people's curious nature. And you might people who might not have otherwise thought of going to do so might. Now, you know what? Did you see the video? Did you see? And you don't want that. What you want to do is to promote Christ. You want to be as far out of the way as you can so people can easily or easier in a more easier fashion see Christ. I don't want to be a hindrance. And if my past is too much of a hindrance, then I shouldn't be doing it. Amen. [music] [music]