A former porn star is criticizing a Georgia church for promoting its Easter service with imagery resembling the Playboy bunny logo, calling the ad inappropriate and at odds with the message of the Gospel.
In a Facebook post on Friday, former porn star-turned-pastor Brittni De La Mora shared screenshots of an Easter invitation that Ball Ground, Georgia-based Action Church posted on social media.
The invitation, originally posted on April 2, includes a silhouette of an Easter bunny that closely resembles the Playboy bunny logo, along with the phrase “Get Some Action this Easter.” De La Mora took issue with the messaging of the ad in light of the sexual connotation of the Playboy bunny, as well as the term “action.”
The Easter invitation encouraged people to “roll in early” and “grab some food” at a 9 a.m. breakfast before the 10 a.m. Easter service. It also instructed people: “And don’t come alone … invite somebody to sit with you.”
“When I left the adult film industry, it wasn’t because a church tried to be culturally relevant,” she recalled. “It was because I encountered the truth of God’s Word. I read Revelation 2:20-23, and it convicted me deeply. I realized I was living in sin and needed Jesus. And just like John 8:32 says, ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ The truth set me free."
De La Mora helps lead Love Always Ministry with her husband, Richard. The ministry seeks to create "online courses, podcasts, workshops, and books to help people live on purpose by discovering God’s love and leading a life of purity."
The advocate contends that churches "don’t need to look like the world to reach the world." She believes that using the phrase "Get some action this Easter" carries a "suggestive message" that "makes it so inappropriate." She cites Ephesians 5:4 to
"People who are lost aren’t looking for more of the world. They’re looking for hope," she said. "They’re looking for truth. And this isn’t it.”
"Ephesians 5:4 says there should not be ‘obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking,'" she added. "We are called to be set apart. Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not innuendo, not gimmicks. Let’s lift up what actually saves: the truth of the Gospel.”
The Easter invitation is not the first time Action Church has used provocative advertising to encourage people to attend its Easter service. Last year, Easter fell on April 20, a date celebrated by marijuana users as “4/20.”
This did not go unnoticed by Action Church in its Easter advertisement last year.
“Easter Sunday is 4/20!” the post stated. “Easter Sunday is 4/20 and WE’ED love to have you join us for church!”
Last year’s Easter invitation featured video footage of Action Church Lead Pastor Gary Lamb getting out of a smoke-filled car while wearing a tracksuit, a clear reference to rap culture that glorifies marijuana use. Before speaking about the “hot breakfast” accompanying the Easter service, Lamb asked, “Got the munchies?”
“We couldn’t care less about religion or traditions,” Action Church states on its official website. “Everything we do is to put God first in our lives. Regardless of skin color, social standing or sexual preference, we are the place for you! Our name is intentional. We want our actions in our city to do the talking for us.”
