Many of us know the value of having an accountability partner or partners, and find great help and strength in sharing with another human, but what about accountability before God? Should we have an accountable relationship with Him, and if so, what should it look like?

When I was asked to give this testimony, and told that the theme was about accountability, I was instantly a bit nervous. As I was trying to work out what to say for this, I kept finding myself trying to avoid one particular aspect of my story. But I really felt God put it on my heart to write about. So, just to rip the bandage off right away, this testimony is about my struggle with pornography. I have been in recovery from a porn addiction for the last 4 years or so.

Accepting the need for accountability is a humbling step. None of us likes to think that we lack self-control. And we’d rather not have to talk about our private struggles with other people. When we read about the  misdemeanours of certain politicians, and even some church leaders, we long for them to be held to account.

True Freedom Trust is right to prioritise fellowship and community as ways for members to ensure that their faith walk keeps to the straight and narrow. There is no surprise here, since finding and keeping community are fundamentally scriptural (1 Cor. 1: 10; Heb. 10: 25; 1 John 1: 7, and many others). As we have seen in some of the other articles in this edition of Ascend, a key function of fellowship and community is accountability. As Christians, we need each other’s help identifying the course corrections urged by the Holy Spirit.

In this article, I explore what I see as four common pitfalls when it comes to teaching on biblical sexuality. It’s not easy to get everything right when explaining this sensitive topic. But, if you can avoid these blunders, that’s a good start!

"The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility" by Heather Holleman

Every book review is likely to reveal as much about the biases of the reviewer as it is about the book. I don’t think this one will be any different!

This article explains why Capernwray Bible School is planning to extend and deepen its curriculum regarding what the Bible teaches about gender and sexuality for its students.

The “Being Human” team within the Evangelical Alliance has recently published their “Relationships Matter” course. It is aimed at encouraging Christians to explore and chat about the subject of sexuality within the culture we live in. Yes, a course inviting discussions about sex among Christians in an open and honest way! A subject that for many of us, perhaps, is quite personal and sometimes complex. Few of us will have heard it discussed deeply enough in our churches.

When I first came across Living Out’s new youth series, Kaleidoscope, I was excited about the project. There have been fantastic courses aimed particularly at adults, but not very many current (or helpful) courses for young people. We desperately need interactive visual media for teenagers to connect with the complex matters of sexuality, gender and faith, especially since many Christians and youth groups shy away from teaching this topic. I’m very pleased to report that Kaleidoscope is a fun and dynamic resource that is pastorally appropriate, relatable and honest.