In the modern evangelical church, there is a curious dance happening—one where the world’s wisdom is leading, and the Bible’s timeless truths are, at times, following. Perhaps unintentionally, we’ve allowed the culture’s tune to dictate our steps.
Stockholm Syndrome, a term coined after a 1973 bank heist in Sweden, describes a psychological response where hostages develop a bond with their captors, sometimes even defending them. In a spiritual context, it might look like Christians adopting the views of a world that doesn’t acknowledge the authority of Christ. As Romans 12:2 advises, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
The Wisdom of the World vs. the Wisdom of God:
1 Corinthians 1:20 asks, “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” Here, Paul highlights the folly of worldly wisdom over divine truth for the Christian.
John MacArthur, in one of his sermons, comments, “The church today is being seduced by the world’s philosophies because we’ve forgotten that our allegiance is to the King of Kings, not the current cultural trends.”
Let me let you in on a little secret, though it’s not really a secret…we will never be accepted by the world system period. Our wisdom is foolishness to the world, and the worlds system is foolishness to God. Here is Paul’s explanation from 1 Corinthians.
“26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26, ESV)
We have always been strange and unacceptable to the intelligencia of the world. No matter how many degrees, or books you write; it’s all foolishness to the world.
When Christian leaders suggest “unhitching” from the Old Testament or downplaying the Bible’s authority in public discourse, we see a tragic scenario where we Christians try to navigate life, especially spiritual life, with one hand tied behind our back. As Psalm 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Without the full counsel of Scripture, how can we see clearly? We have asked “the blind man” to lead us who have “sight.” Our strength and power come not from this world but from the word of God…it makes no sense to the World. It’s the ultimate square peg in a round hole; and to be clear, when I say “World” I don’t mean the globe called Earth, I mean the worlds system and the philosophy or Zeitgeists that are controlling it at the moment.
MacArthur often reminds us, “The Bible isn’t just part of our faith; it is the foundation of it. We cannot pick and choose what we like.”
Many in the church have become cultural captives, much like the ones described in the Stockholm Syndrome explained above. Another group did the same thing. The Israelites who, in Exodus, forgot their identity and begged Moses to go back to their Egyptian captives when things go a little rough. In my opinion, God’s chosen people were actually the first to have so-called “Stockholm Syndrome.” Maybe the real name of this behavior should be “Exodus Syndrome.” We laugh at the irony, but there’s a lesson here: when we start valuing the world’s applause, acceptance, and comforts over God’s approval, we’ve lost the plot.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Here, we see a prophetic call to remain vigilant against cultural pressures.
MacArthur has been vocal about this, stating, “The church needs to return to the bedrock of scripture, not because it’s popular, but because it’s true.” And might I add, powerful.
Perhaps we need to see our situation through the lens of humor: Imagine you are on a ship, the ship represents the Church and Christians in the the ship are part of this church. The ocean represents the world and it’s system. Imagine the ship’s captain saying, “Let’s throw away our compass; in fact the waves look friendly today, lets just jump into the ocean, forget the ship and swim with the sharks.” The absurdity is clear, yet isn’t this what we do when we side-glance at the Bible in favor of contemporary thought?
The challenge before us isn’t to become hermits but to engage the world with the wisdom of God, not of man. This dance with the world’s wisdom must end if we are to truly follow Christ. Because after the music changes the world will dump us and leave the party with someone else. Let’s reclaim our identity as those transformed by the renewing of our minds, not conformed by the patterns of this world, with a smile knowing that the truth, in its essence, is both liberating and, sometimes, hilariously straightforward.