Less Like a Potluck, More Like a Platoon
Going “public” in the fight for purity with Accountable2You
The Bible’s take on technology is basically the same as its take on wealth:
Receive it with gratitude, and
Hold it with caution
Or as a programmer might put it: “Give thanks for the toaster, and keep a loaded pistol next to it.” There are many blessings to our modern “screenified” world, and there are many dangers, too. With every convenience, cost-savings and advancement, there is also rampant addiction to pornography, gambling and many other sins. In all of it, the internet promises (falsely) that you can enjoy that sin privately.
But in the end, all will be revealed, and the effect of sin is still death. To paraphrase what the Puritan John Owen once said of Romans 8:13: if we are not killing sin, then it is killing us, and there is no middle ground. When Owen says “killing us”, he means it:
1 Cor. 6:9 Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality . . . 10 will inherit the kingdom of God.
So we must fight, with powerful weapons that God hides under humble wrapping: clean water, spilled wine and broken bread. We fight with Word, prayer, and finally, “fellowship.” Which is Christian code for “Ya gotta have yer bro’s.” True “fellowship” is less like a potluck and more like a platoon. No man left behind. This is why Ed Welch, in his most excellent book “Side by Side” says:
“Human beings do best when they take their hardships public to God and at least one other person.”
This is where “Accountable2You” comes in. Accountable2You (A2Y) is a service that you setup on your own device or that of your child. It then alerts you or your trusted friend if the user of the device accesses sinful or problematic content online. The “flags” can be customized, and it does this flagging in real-time, so that helpful discussions can happen, not only about the activity itself but also about the pressures and situations that were occurring at the time. A2Y neutralizes one of the powers of temptation: its supposed “privacy.” It takes it “public,” in a most constructive way.
What is a “trusted friend”? It’s somebody who loves you and will treat you with the balance of Christ: who will not let you off the hook but who will also not crush you with your struggles. It’s someone who has their eye on your trajectory as much as your current place, and who knows how to celebrate your steps of growth, as well as pick you up with the gospel when you fall. Confessing your sin to another brother or sister (someone of the same gender as you) is perhaps the hardest part, but on the other side of that gate is freedom, rest and growth.
Grace Church (my church) has partnered with A2Y to provide a discounted rate for their service, using the following link. Don’t worry - though our logo is on this, we don’t get the reports (unless you arrange for one of our elders to be your accountability partner - and then only that man will receive activity reports). If you are a member of Grace, any of our elders would be privileged to walk with you in this fight. If you are reading this and you attend another church, you might see if your congregation has the same arrangement or ask A2Y how you can set it up. If you have any trouble getting things setup, please contact Accountable2You directly. If you want to talk about how to talk about this with a friend or your child, let me or your pastor or elder know.
May the Lord bless your hands for this war, and may He give you new growth and satisfying victories in your pilgrimage to the heavenly city.