Fear of freedom
When Faith Becomes a Burden: The Struggle for True Freedom
Farewell, God
During my college years, I read the book Fear of Freedom by psychiatrist Erich Fromm. In it, he explains how people, out of fear of true freedom, cling to rules, habits, and patterns. They build their own prison. Only when you break free from restrictive laws and cultural traditions that threaten you can you be truly free. Fromm was not a Christian, but his analysis remained a source of inspiration for me. I recognize that dynamic very strongly in many churches and Christian circles.
In the 1960s and 1970s, masses of people turned their backs on the church. Think of well-known writers such as Maarten ’t Hart and Jan Wolkers. For whatever reason, they did not find a home in the church. I don’t know what their hearts truly felt about God, but they resolutely turned away from the system. We still see that happening today.
You’re probably familiar with the TV show “Adieu God?” hosted by former EO presenter Tijs van den Brink. In the final episodes last year, he spoke with well-known Dutch figures such as Olcay Gulsen, Bram Moszkowicz, and Wilfred Genee. These are all people who once had a connection to the church, synagogue, or faith, but consciously broke away from it. For some, that break led to hostility and harsh judgments, causing them to view everything related to faith in a negative light.
Pharisaical spirit
Fortunately, others react more gently because they also cherish positive memories. This process has long since ceased to be confined to traditional churches. This trend has also taken hold in evangelical and charismatic congregations. People are leaving those churches because of conflicts between leaders and the congregation. Tensions, rifts, and discord arise.
This system can pose a major threat to people. Let us therefore first go back to biblical times. In the Gospels, you see how Jesus constantly clashed with the Pharisees. He did not merely contend with people holding certain opinions, but fought in the spiritual realm against a religious, pious spirit that enslaved people.
This Pharisaical spirit is still active today. Its forms may change, but it remains a threat to the freedom God intends for you. The Indian pastor Zac Poonen from Bangalore—who, unfortunately, later came under fire himself—wrote a booklet on this topic. In it, he discusses as many as fifty characteristics of this religious spirit and shows how it influences thought and action.
Outward appearances
Such patterns influence one’s attitude toward others and toward oneself. People then become very proud of their own piety and of the things they have accomplished. The focus is entirely on outward appearances. Everything must conform to the rules: from clothing to hairstyles.
We still see this in some circles; outward appearances determine everything there, and the condition of the heart hardly matters. People avoid sinners because their own circle feels safest. They want nothing to do with the wicked outside world, even though Jesus specifically says that you must go out into the world to reach people with His love.
The emphasis is on abstinence, and people boast about praying and fasting a lot. That merely flatters their own egos. They level fierce criticism at details that don’t matter. Consider the man who was healed and walked through Jerusalem carrying his mat. The religious leaders immediately confronted him about it and called him a sinner; they focused purely on such trivial outward appearances.
Legalistic attitude
Hatred and jealousy drive this attitude. They judge harshly and reject people. Jesus calls them two-faced and says that they clean the outside of the cup, while the inside remains a mess. From that legalistic attitude, people delude themselves into thinking they are righteous and pious.
Jesus, on the other hand, looks at the inside. Those who focus solely on the outside condemn others for every little blemish. Zac Poonen explains that this mindset hardens people’s hearts. There is no compassion for vulnerable people who had a rough start in life or an unhappy childhood. They are rejected because of their missteps.
Whether it’s someone who drinks too much or a woman who has lived with many men, people fail to see the cause and the foundation of life. I love how Jesus approaches the woman at the well. He points out that she has had five husbands and is not happy. He offers her living water that will quench her thirst forever.
Jesus does not hold those five men against her; He lets her know that God loves her. That is the heart of the gospel. Another characteristic from Poonen’s list is the pursuit of human honor. People pray on street corners to impress others, not to be connected to God. They are concerned with the applause of onlookers.
Deprivation of freedom
This legalistic way of life imprisons people and condemns them; this is absolutely not the Spirit of Jesus. It robs you of your freedom because you are trapped by rules. Wilkin van de Kamp writes beautiful articles and books about God’s holiness and love. He argues that the God of love, in some situations, turns into a God of “musts” and “must nots”—a God who locks you into patterns of behavior, thought, and rituals. If you dutifully comply with them, everything is fine. This wasn’t just a thing of the past; churches still impose heavy burdens on people today.
You must go to church twice a week, pray a lot, read your Bible, and give your tithes. You must honor the pastor as a man of God, and you must evangelize. I’ve seen how this caused people to become incredibly stressed because they didn’t possess those qualities or gifts, even though they desperately wanted to serve God in other ways.
Sometimes people demand that you speak in tongues, claiming that otherwise you’re missing out on the Holy Spirit. You mustn’t miss the meetings, or else you’ll immediately face a wagging finger of reproach. I’ve seen leaders forbid people from attending the Revival Conference, even though God has been working powerfully there for years through His Spirit.
Welcome
This is how the Christian bubble turns into a prison where human rules drive out the love of God. The Bible teaches that the house of God is meant to be a house of love—a place where everyone is welcome, finds rest, and encounters the Lord. Not a place of hostility and control, but an environment of freedom and fellowship with Jesus.
The apostle Paul already warns the Galatians about this in his letter. In Galatians 5:1, he writes that Christ set us free so that we might live in freedom. He calls on us to stand firm and not let a yoke of slavery be placed on us again. That yoke comes from the evil one; break it and live in freedom.
True freedom is found in Christ, as soon as you detach your heart from complicated, human rules. 2 Corinthians 3:17 states that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
That does not mean freedom to sin recklessly or to blindly do as you please. A child of God lives in the freedom to walk in dependence on the Lord within the church. The church is a place that God Himself established so that people might live together to His glory. But if a church turns into a prison, it becomes a place that stifles your growth.
Seek God and be content with the place He gives you. If that place has become a prison, break free from it. Start by breaking free from the limitations in your own thinking, renew your mind, and know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is true freedom.
@wimvanputten