In 1973, a parolee and an accomplice in Stockholm, Sweden, took 7 employees of a local bank hostage for a period of six days. In the end, when the situation was resolved and the two were taken into custody, the hostages declined to assist prosecutors in pursuing charges and, in fact, they began raising funds for the criminal defense of the two.
Wikipedia recounts that Nils Bejerot, a Swedish criminologist and psychiatrist, described the hostages’ reactions as a result of being brainwashed by their captors. He called it “the Norrmalmstorg syndrome;” it later became known outside Sweden as Stockholm syndrome.
As I observed the reaction of many people here in the US to the recent presidential election, the factor that seemed to emerge was a measure of mass hysteria and panic from the liberal and progressives who seemed united in their belief that the freedoms they had heretofore had, to live as they wished, and so-called reproductive right—abortion—would be gone the next morning. The days of Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, and other news media luminaries of the past reporting the facts in as unbiased a way as humans are capable of has been replaced. Now we see corporate media, backed by unseen and ultra powerful people who seek to divide and destroy morality and civilization.
It seems to me that many have embraced a new religion that transcends politics and ideology and is more about controlling minds and behavior. The ancient Romans were adept at this. Initially hailed for their effective governance, this was not enough for them as they wanted absolute control over the people—both their own citizens, and those they conquered. Rather than winning the hearts and minds of the population, they chose threats, fear and pain.
As true Christians, we have to guard against becoming a hostage to the structures and prevailing thinking of this world. In Proverbs 4:23, we receive pure and simple guidance to aid us: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (New International version throughout). Most of us have to work in business and other structures in the world in order to feed and house our families. However, we can opt out of the holiday parties and events that glorify Satan and his hold on this world. We can avoid being sucked in to the things that cause us to stumble.
When I worked in local government, I noticed how prevailing beliefs often were accepted as facts, much as we witnessed with the Covid crisis. An example was the public reaction to the arrival of West Nile Virus in the summer of 2004. The virus had made its way to the Rocky Mountain region through a specific mosquito vector or species.
There were thousands of residents who wanted mass pesticide fogging at night with trucks rolling down every street. A nearly equal cohort were equally vocal that pesticide fogging would be killing chemically sensitive residents. Of course, neither position was correct to the point of absolute certainty, yet people became hostage to either position and could not get past it. Each side became so enamored of their message that there was no room for facts. Conversely, we know that as true Christians, we are not part of the world’s structures—we must instead be focused and aligned with God. 2 Timothy 1:7 illustrates what God intends for His people in such times: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
God does not want us scared and influenced by society such that we accept and, at worst, identify with the immoral and corrupt elements that surround us. We often hear this characterized as accepting the lesser of evils. In Philippians 4:8, we see what Paul had to say about these matters: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If we are seeking what is true, pure, noble, and healthy, it is unlikely that we would willfully join a group or take a job that would cause us to constantly be faced with difficult situations pitting God’s ways with the ways of this world. In Isaiah 26:7-10, the prophet Isaiah lays out how true Christians can seek alignment with God versus the world: “The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgements come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the LORD.”
God has been remarkably merciful with His people through the ages, and He wants us to grow to the point that we can identify how the evils of this world can draw us in and hold us hostage. Much like those bank employees in Sweden in the 1970’s, if we spend all of our time with our seemingly benevolent captors, we will undoubtedly begin to draw our inspiration and see our future through their corrupt vision. The words of Paul to the Church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 can help us as we make our way as true Christians in this world.
“By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am ‘timid’ when face to face with you, but ‘bold’ when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”
We have all of these Scriptures and more available to us to enable us to stand strong; always seeking alignment with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. In this way, we can avoid false doctrines that can hold us hostage to this world.
