Stockholm Syndrome

"Stockholm Syndrome." I've heard this term twice recently. Once as the title of Derek Webb's newest album, and also on the show NCIS.

It is defined as follows: Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger (or at least risk) in which they have been placed. The syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm, Sweden, in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23 to August 28 in 1973. In this case, the victims became emotionally attached to their victimizers, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal. The term Stockholm Syndrome was coined by the criminologist and psychiatrist Nils Bejerot, who assisted the police during the robbery, and referred to the syndrome in a news broadcast

In one of the first episode's of NCIS season two, there is a victim who has developed Stockholm Syndrome. The victim was a female naval officer, kidnapped, and chained to a wall, dressed in a Wedding dress. She has no contact with the outside world at all. The only thing she can do is walk around her small room, which has been made to look like a room from the 50's. Her captor has also planted a pamphlet from the 50's called "The Good Wives Club." This is all she knows. Her world, which was once filled with opportunity and adventure, excitement, the light of day, has been drastically reduced to a single room. Although she isn't in a cell, her dwelling has literally become a prison.

At the end of the episode, Tony (NCIS special agent) finds this poor young woman, tells her that they found her captor, and that she would soon be free. Her rescue is imminent! However, as Tony turned his back to her to make a phone call, she picked up a lamp, and hit him over the head with it, causing him to fall on the floor. She then pulled out a gun, pointed it at Tony, and through confused tears exclaimed, "We were going to get married!"

Stockholm Syndrome.

As I watched the scene, I couldn't help but think of our lives in this world. When we continue in a life of sin, we have become victims of Stockholm Syndrome. So much of the time, we are tricked by Satan to believing a lie, to live our lives in sin, greed, immorality. We end up living in and participating in a life that is inhumane. It has become our reality and somehow we are okay with it. We don't realize we are chained to a wall in an underground dungeon, waiting around to marry a creep.

My hope and prayer is that we would realize the freedom that Jesus brings. As people once captives, may we realize our freedom in Christ. He has come into our prison, and broken that chain from our wrist. We don't have to be captives anymore, yet so much of the time we go back to what is familiar; some place where we feel like we know someone (even if that someone is a sick abductor like satan that is abusing us.) Don't go back to an old life and let Stockholm Syndrome define you. Fight against the devil and his schemes so he will flee from you. Listen to Jesus, and live the life to which he has called you. He has your best in mind, even when it looks like the ways of the enemy are more attractive. Trust Him, and resist the Stockholm Syndrome!

My humble...frustrated opinion

I'm a youth minister. I've been at it officially getting paid for it for a little over a year now. I guess I'm not a veteran by any means but I'd like to simply offer my humble, yet frustrated opinion.

I recently attended the Junior High Challenge at Kentucky Christian University. Great program, by the way, and if you're familiar with CIY's high school conference MOVE, then it's basically like that, except for junior high/middle school students.

Anyway, one of the days during recreation time we loaded up and headed to the lake. We were planning on going to the place we went the day before, but it was closed. So we turned around and decided to pull into another spot close to the lake. I'd seen a church van parked there so I figured down the path, we'd eventually find some water to cool off in after a nice long walk. Sure enough, eventually, we found water, and even other people from the conference. Good so far. This specific spot had cliffs you could jump off from into the lake below. Cool right? Yeah, except that I had heard that it was actually illegal. I told my students to wait before they did anything, and I asked around. After speaking with a few people I found out that the park ranger had been the day before and said that most of these cliffs were illegal to jump from, except one, about 10 feet from the water. So, our group only jumped from that one. We had a good time, and not one got hurt.

The problem was that this other group was jumping from the other cliffs, about 25 feet high, that we knew for sure were illegal to jump from. Later we found out that, the same group had been the day before, the park ranger had showed up, and told them they shouldn't jump, yet they were there again. The whole time, they were led by their youth minister.

Later, when we were leaving, the park ranger himself actually showed up. As we passed each other, I asked him, "What is the official rule about these cliffs? I've heard several things." He said that you could legally jump off anything as tall as you are. I'm 5' 9" so I could jump off a rock 5' 9". Pretty simple. Well now we found out that we were jumping illegally. To our credit, there were no signs posted (because people who still want to jump continually tear them down), and we'd heard that the cliff from which we jumped was legal. We apologized, and let him know we wouldn't do it again, and the first thing I told my students in the van was that we would obey the law and not do it again.

It just really bothered me that the other youth group was jumping off the other cliffs. Not that they were jumping, not that they were having fun, not that they were being together, but that they knowingly, being led by their youth minister, disobeyed the law, which they had been told the day before, by the park ranger himself, and by the KCU staff.

What made it worse, was that they theme of that day at the Junior High Challenge was to be SIMPLY You. Basically what that means is this: Stand up for what you think is right. Be yourself. Don't be the person in the crowd who just conforms to what you think everyone else wants you to be. Do the right thing, even if others want you to do the wrong thing. Have the guts to say no, even if what you are being tempted with looks fun, or cool. A phrase that the speaker used was, "Be a Reuben" because Reuben, in the Old Testament, was the one who stood up for his brother Joseph and convinced the other brothers not to kill him. He stood up, 1 against 9 and did the right thing.

That very day, after hearing that message, a youth minister led his students out to cliffs, and intentionally disobeyed the law, claiming that as long as they didn't get caught, it was okay. I have no problem with Cliff Jumping. I had fun myself, but when it is blatantly against the law, I have a problem with that!

I distinctly remember in youth ministry class in college, and just in conversations with people, talking about kids who graduate from a youth ministry who aren't mature. They don't take their faith seriously, and many walk away within the first several months of graduating from the youth group.

I guess after experiences like this, I'm starting to realize why. When the people leading our moldable youth live with a double standard, why shouldn't they. When teens see a leader in Christ's church more committed to fun than to doing the right thing, then why shouldn't they be in it for the fun as well? When they see a respected role model totally choose whatever they want to do over the laws which the legal authorities (who have been put in place by God by the way, read Romans 13) have set up, then why shouldn't they drink when they are underage, speed all the time in their cars, shoplift or share music as long as they don't get caught?

Is it any wonder that people accuse teens of immaturity, even graduates from youth ministries. Is it any wonder that even "church kids" are more committed to fun, pleasure, or whatever, than what Jesus Christ, our reigning King would ask us to do?

I am by no means claiming perfection, and would say that even today, I did some things that made me feel like a horrible hypocrite. But come on. We've got to do better. May we all step up and realize that if we are a leader of youth, in any way at all (and I mean any way, paid or not, a parent, relative, friend, volunteer, whatever) we've all got the responsibility to lead well, honestly and above reproach, no ifs ands or buts, no matter what else may be fun or cool.

Robe-Grabbing Internationals

A couple of days ago I read the book of Zechariah. It had been awhile. Toward the beginning of the book, he has all kinds of visions of horns, flying scrolls, horsemen, measuring lines, high priest, lampstands, and all kinds of stuff. I don't pretend to know what all that is talking about, and that's not even what I want to talk about anyway.

So here it is. My favorite chapter in Zechariah (possibly due to themes N.T. Wright writes about so frequently) is chapter 8. This chapter anticipates the work God will be doing in Zion. If you read these texts you can see Jesus in them pretty clearly. Check some of these out:

- "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem."

-"I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and they shall be my people, and I shall be their God."

-"But now, I will no longer deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days...for there shall be a sowing of peace."

-"I have purposed to bring good to Zion"

-"The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace." (Remember when Jesus said, "how can you fast when the bridegroom is here?")

All these are descriptions of what those finals days should look like; when Jesus is king and his people live like it. However, perhaps the most striking image of a people living with God as their king is at the end of chapter 8.

" 20"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. 23Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

What a picture! People all across the world are begging to go with the people of God because what they have is so good. The way in which they are living is so attractive that people are grabbing onto their clothes and saying, "Take me with you–because we have heard that God is with you!"

Is the picture you get when you first think of the people of God today? Are people begging to be a part of what we are a part of? What if it was? What if instead of having all kinds of attractional outreach models like car shows, carnivals, giveaways, or whatever, that people were begging to come with us!? What if the way of life we lived among each other and those with whom we interacted was so contagious, so genuine, so real, that we didn't have to invite (dare I say beg) people to come to church?

I guess it just seems to me that we have diminished the glory, honor, celebration, and goodness of living under the kingship of God ruling through Christ Jesus. We've diminished it to doing the right thing and being a good person, which are good things to do but not quite the same picture of a crowd of people grabbing your shirt saying, "Take me to God! I've heard that He is with you!"

How do we do this? I don't know. I guess I have more questions than answers. A good place to start may be right here in Zechariah 8. Maybe we should truly celebrate that God has come. Truly rejoice that he doesn't deal with us in the way He once did, but there is a new way, a once for all way, where Jesus died, and was subsequently raised from the dead, bringing about vindication. I guess we would do well to "Speak the truth to one another; render in our gates judgments that are true and make for peace; not devising evil in our hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all those things the Lord hates," declares the Lord.

Maybe this picture is only that–a picture. Maybe it's not supposed to be literal, where the nations physically grab ahold of the people of God and ask to come with them. But what if it was? What if we can bring heaven to earth? What if the lives of God's people screamed, "Jesus is King," and it magnetically drew the world to God? What if?