Many folks would know that back in 1973 in Stockholm, Sweden a bank robber took four people hostage. After six days in captivity, they ended up supporting their captor. This psychological condition is now sadly found in much of the Christian church – at least in the West.
Plenty of good books have been written over recent years looking at the cultural captivity of the churches, evangelicalism’s decline, and the rise of religious lefties embracing radical woke policies, pushing identity politics, running with faulty social justice narratives, and so on.
Several years ago I offered a list of 20 such books that we need to be aware of: see here.
And I wrote three pieces on the recent volume by Megan Basham, Shepherds for Sale: see here, here, and here. Keep her in prayer as she recently revealed she is now dealing with cancer.
One brand-new book that looks further at these matters is Stockholm Syndrome Christianity by John West (Discovery Institute Press, 2025). In it he reminds us that it is not just external threats that we must watch out for, but internal ones. The opening words of the book tell us what it is about:
Those of us who are Christians often regard atheists, agnostics, and secularists as the prime movers of America’s cultural collapse. Without question, they have helped spur our country’s descent into chaos, anger, loneliness, and despair. But we need to face an uncomfortable truth: Christians who aid, abet, and even encourage the rejection of historic Christian teachings are also playing a key role in our disintegration. (p. 13) […]
— Read More: caldronpool.com
