‘Do a Heart Check’—Joshua Broome Defends Forrest Frank, Cory Asbury Amid Shirtless Photo Backlash

Joshua Broome, a former porn star turned pastor, is speaking out about the controversy surrounding a social media post showing Christian music artists Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury posing shirtless after a workout. Earlier this week, Asbury posted a video on social media explaining why he shared the photo and then deleted it. “I guess there was a little controversy over that on the internet that I just decided, in talking with Forrest and Tony, we’re just going to take that photo down,” Asbury said. “That doesn’t need to live on the internet as a thing of offense that could possibly be a stumbling block.” RELATED: Cory Asbury Apologizes for Shirtless Photo With Forrest Frank After Modesty Backlash “I realize a lot of different people share a lot of different opinions on modesty, and maybe one day we’ll weigh in on that,” he added, “but for now, we just want to go ahead and take that down in humility and just say, it doesn’t matter that much for us to post what we’re looking like if it’s causing people offense. It’s just not necessary.” Asbury concluded his video by apologizing for any offense he might have caused. Joshua Broome Encourages People To Examine Their Hearts If a ‘Shirtless Photo Undoes You’ Broome was a star in the adult film industry for six years before coming to faith in Jesus and becoming a pastor and ministry speaker. Broome now travels sharing his testimony and equipping the church to fight against sexual sin. “Modesty is worth talking about. This outrage is not about modesty,” he posted on social media regarding Frank and Asbury’s photo. Broome went on to share statistics from a 2024 Barna Group study. “Barna Group did a 2024 study with Pure Desire Ministries that found that 54 percent of practicing Christians view pornography at least occasionally,” he said. “[Twenty-two] percent view it weekly or daily. 75 percent of Christian men. 40 percent of Christian women.” “A church that has been feeding on porn will sexualize anything,” he continued. “Three guys after a workout. A woman in a sundress. A stranger in a grocery store. That is not always discernment. That is a symptom often of legalism or even more likely a heart and mind trained to objectify and sexualize people.” Broome then praised Asbury for displaying maturity in apologizing but said he didn’t have to. “Cory Asbury took the photo down and apologized,” Broome said. “That took maturity, and I respect it. He also did not have to. Deferring to a weaker believer is a mark of love, not an admission that the weaker party was right.” Broome concluded his post by encouraging people to check their hearts. “So do a heart check right now, if a shirtless photo undoes you, the person who posted the photo might not be the problem,” he said. “What you look at, listen to, or what you are reading when nobody is watching is the bigger problem.” ‘That Photo Was Not Sexual’—Ruslan Says Maybe You ‘Shouldn’t Be On Social Media’ Christian YouTuber Ruslan also pushed back on some of the criticism surrounding the photo, arguing that Christians should take personal responsibility for what they consume on social media rather than immediately blaming others for causing them to stumble.