Do support groups help? Victims, perpetrators, and Jesus the oncologist
- Do problems really get solved by getting a bunch of people with the same problem in a room together?
A host wonders whether gathering people with the same struggle in a room actually solves problems, using a hypothetical marital-lust class and the risk that pornography strugglers might swap tips or relativize their sin. A co-host compares the dynamic to AA — a book once argued AA is more what the church should be than the church is — and notes the church's groups lack AA's pseudo-anonymity. The hosts distinguish victims of sin (helped by groups) from perpetrators (better one-on-one), and one host argues any group needs 'an oncologist' — Jesus at the center — or it just legitimizes the sin together.
More on Accountability
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Do accountability partners actually work?
- Do accountability partners actually do anything?
Mike raises his accountability-partners question: the standard dude-circle advice to get a buddy to hold you accountable for Bible reading, porn, church attendance, and drinking.
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Telling your spouse about past sin: pornography, the granola bar, and the Holy Spirit
- If you have repented of a sin your spouse never knew about, do you have to tell them?
The hosts work through whether a repented-of sin a spouse never knew about must be confessed: a pornography habit versus a stolen granola bar from fifteen years ago.
From No. 579 · Wanted: Paul and Hope | Paul’s Persecution of Christians and Radical Redemption
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Feeling spiritually meh: causes, experiences, and ways through
- Have you ever felt spiritually meh, what does it feel like, and how do you get out of it?
The main discussion: what it means to feel "spiritually meh" — not rebelling against God, but not wanting to do the prayer, Bible reading, and other connecting practices you know are good.
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What does it mean to make disciples
- What does it mean to make disciples — is it just giving information, or does it involve accountability and structure?
The hosts take up the third topic: two extremes of disciple-making. On one side, being only an information provider and leaving everything to the Spirit; on the other, running…
From No. 545 · By Invitation Only