The Power of Accountability

The best solution for porn addiction, other than Jesus Christ, is accountability. Why is it that Ron DeHaas, founder and CEO of Covenant Eyes, has a passion for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ and accountability?

After he tragically lost his wife and two children in an auto accident in 1992, Ron remarried and was blessed with a second family. The loss of his first family made him value the protection of family all the more.

“I saw the dangers of the Internet and how available porn was,” said Ron, “and I was not about to lose another family to this thing: pornography.”

“I thought about getting a filter, but they underblock and overblock. Filters encourage sneaking around and give parents a false sense of security. Rather than legalistically blocking the sites, I wanted to train them on the disciplined use of the Internet,” he said. “I wanted accountability.”

Accountable families–those who have used Covenant Eyes for at least five years–were included in the recent Barna study, The Porn Phenomenon. According to the study, accountable families that take the spiritual formation of their families seriously are successful in passing on their values from one generation to the next. Here are a few other takeaways from the study:

• Teens and young adults believe lying, stealing, and not recycling are more immoral than pornography.
• Language is important. We need to let people know that pornography is synonymous with sex trafficking.
• Covenant Eyes families have a dramatically different view of what qualifies as pornography, what sex acts are immoral, and whether or not porn harms society.
• Covenant Eyes families are far less likely to seek out porn than those who use filters.

Accountability is always the best way to deal with sin. Always. Software alone is not the solution. Good parenting and the Church are the solutions. The key ingredient is YOU. You are the ultimate solution.