Tullian Tchividjian on ‘accountability groups’ that wind up focussing on our own struggles with sin more than our saviour:
Setting aside the obvious objection that Christ settled all our accounts, once for all, such groups inevitably start with the narcissistic presupposition that Christianity is all about cleaning up and doing your part. These groups focus primarily (in my experience, almost exclusively) on our sin, and not on our Savior. Because of this, they breed self-righteousness, guilt, and the almost irresistible temptation to pretend, or to be less than honest. Little or no attention is given to the gospel. There’s no reminder of what Christ has done for our sin—cleansing us from its guilt and power—and of the resources that are already ours by virtue of our union with Him. These groups thrive, either intentionally or not, on a “do more, try harder” moralism that robs us of the joy and freedom Jesus paid dearly to secure for us. When the goal becomes conquering our sin instead of soaking in the conquest of our Savior, we actually begin to shrink spiritually.
I haven’t been in one for years, but I seemed to recall they rarely worked as advertised. I think most guys found it pretty hard to be really honest about where you were really at.
Actually, I guess Tullian might think that’s a good thing, as we won’t be focusing on ourselves. But it seems to me that if an accountability group is just a mini-Bible Study, it misses an opportunity to give Christians a safe forum to discuss their struggles.