Contents

1. BREAKOUT: Escaping the prison of toxic passions

2. REFORM: The Battle at the Centre of Today’s Political Storm

3. TRUST: A Leap of Faith Begins an Adventure and Gives Life a Direction

4. GROWTH: A Cunning Snake Whispers That We Don’t Need to Change

5. WISDOM: How Trusting Faith Can Be Reason’s Best Friend

6. EDUCATION: Don’t Be Ignorant of What Happened Before You Were Born!

7. RESILIENCE: Maintain Composure and Hope When Things Seem Hopeless

8. INTEGRATION: Handle Differences and the Round Squares of Life

9. JUDGEMENT: To Tackle Practical Problems, Realise How Little You Know

10. X-FACTOR: Remove an Obstacle to Find the Counterforce

11. COUNTERFORCE: Discover an Ancient Protection Against Fascism

1. BREAKOUT: Escaping the prison of toxic passions

A Terrifying Sight

Note! This chapter contains description of a genocide and can be quite disturbing.

What is the worst possible consequence of polarisation? Once, a long time ago, I saw it with my own eyes.

In the first chapter of my book, Adventures and Reflections, I recount the experiences I had while travelling in Rwanda during the genocide of 1994. I describe a journey with a rebel officer who showed a place where people had been massacred. Walking among the corpses is a harrowing experience, I can assure you. From the chapter:

The chapter ends with a reflection on God, evil and the meaning of life.

I Visit a Prison and Meet the Killers

In the second chapter of the book, I recount my visit to a Rwandan prison, where the prisoners guilty of the atrocities were held. It was two years after the genocide. The prison was absolutely overcrowded, with many more prisoners than it was built to hold.

One of them showed me around and I spoke to some of them. To my surprise, they were quite friendly. In the prison yard I saw a group of prisoners singing while one of them conducted. After a while I realised that it was the church choir rehearsing for the Sunday Mass.

This puzzled me. Were these really the men who had committed such terrible atrocities? Why were they such easy prey to evil?

The Path to The Dark Side

A Rwandan man who had participated in the killings, but felt deep remorse, said in a newspaper interview: "You were praised and respected when you killed Tutsis. You were proud. We were all brainwashed to think that if we didn’t kill the Tutsis, they would kill us."

Flattery and fear, in other words. Clever demagogues and agitators play on these weaknesses to manipulate and control people. They have no use for qualities such as compassion and good judgement.

Fear and flattery can disrupt the inner compass and lead us in the wrong direction. I can only speculate about what the prisoners thought and believed, but I suspect that they were never taught that this is 'the path to the dark side'. Fear, anger, hatred, suffering – at some point you have to be able to break the chain of evil. Isn't that what the churches should be teaching young people?

The visit to the prison astonished me. How could such seemingly nice and kind people become so cruel and brutal in certain situations? Was this a collection of extremely sick individuals? Or were they human beings, not very different from us?

I think they are more like us than we would like to admit. The problem of fear, anger and hatred concerns us too. Who is completely immune to the great driving force of evil – the intoxicating sense of power? Does anyone have an inner compass that works perfectly?

A misaligned inner compass can create hell on earth and lead to a spiritual prison. We need to be guided more by wisdom and compassion. Not only the body but also the soul needs medicine and exercise. Everyone needs to build inner health and resilience.

The Examined Life Is Worth Living

Is the struggle between good and evil an external or internal conflict?

The frightening reality is that charismatic narcissists can become leaders of nations. These individuals believe that might is right and they can seduce millions of people into blindly following them. Hitler is a case in point. When this happens, there is an external conflict. Then we must resist firmly, resolutely and fearlessly.

But if we see the drama of the world only as a struggle between ‘us’ and ‘them’ – us who are good against them who are evil – we walk on a dangerous path. When we think we are morally superior to other people, we may feel entitled to humiliate them and put them down. If we call others ‘monsters’, we risk becoming ‘monsters’ ourselves. We can become so blind that we do not see the contradiction. That is when we lose our moral compass. The battle between good and evil also takes place within ourselves.

The ancient Greek thinkers encouraged self-reflection. ‘Know thyself’, they said. Socrates' believed that a life without self-reflection – an "unexamined life" – has no meaning. This is essential for us to grow and develop as human beings.

Many churches dedicate a part of the mass to self-reflection and confession. They believe that divine love frees us from fear and reduces the need for false defences and excuses. This makes it easier to recognise and deal with our own dark sides.

These two traditions are commonly symbolised by 'Athens' and 'Jerusalem'. Athens represents philosophy, reason, education and research. Jerusalem stands for faith, spirituality, divinity and hope. Both can, in different ways, help us to live an examined life.

In our time, we have a very particular obstacle to overcome. Many of us spend a lot of time scrolling aimlessly on our smartphones. We have become slaves to algorithms. We feed ourselves small snippets of information that can be consumed quickly and do not require digestion. Words and phrases trigger emotions in predictable ways. In a sense, we are losing our souls. We need to get out of this prison. We have to make time to read every day. We need to make an effort to live an examined life.

2. REFORM: The Battle at the Centre of Today’s Political Storm

Doing Business with Higher Powers

What is the exact opposite of trusting faith? Plato’s interesting and entertaining dialogue Euthyphro can shed some light on this.

In this dialogue, Socrates was talking to Euthyphro, who considered himself an expert on divine matters. Socrates was curious about his theological knowledge and asked what true piety and godliness really were.

Euthyphro replied in a way that showed he’d probably never thought about it before. But after some discussion it became clear what he really believed: Piety is doing business with the gods, receiving rewards and favours for sacrifice and worship. By pleasing them, you can bring happiness and prosperity to your family and your city.

Socrates asked him to explain why these actions pleased them, but he couldn’t really answer. What the gods want and desire is by definition good and not something that man needs to explain or understand, he seemed to think. They are the ones in power, so you just have to obey their commands.

Socrates didn’t like that and thought Euthyphro was lazy. It was this kind of might-is-right philosophy that he argued against in the dialogues. He wanted to understand what is right and true through dialogue and reasoning. 

Don’t Worship the Mafia Godfather!

Euthyphro believed in many gods, but even those who believe in one God can think in similar ways. Many believe that it is possible to make a ”contract” or ”deal” with God. They use their faith to buy favours. Quid pro quo: Right faith is rewarded with earthly and eternal happiness.

The image of God is somewhat reminiscent of the mafia godfather, who gives protection and privileges to those who are faithful and pay. This is hardly something that improves inner health.

Have you ever wondered why so many devout religious people vote for populist leaders? Why do they give undying support to immoral and unscrupulous politicians? One possible answer is this: If you believe that God in heaven is like a ‘mafia boss’, it is not so far-fetched to believe that he selects politicians who are also like ‘mafia bosses’. 

Some Christians are willing to sell their souls to gain status, power and influence. They enthusiastically support politicians with a ‘transactional’ mindset. If the result is that such leaders gain control of very powerful nations, we are in real danger. Then we are moving towards a world where laws and values do not matter: might is right and the stronger can do whatever they want to the weaker.

This is one of the most valuable and liberating insights of the Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther in the 16th century. We must give up any idea of a quid pro quo deal with God. This is what faith in grace is all about. God is not ‘transactional’ like the mafia's godfather. 

At the centre of today's great political storm is a battle for the soul of Christianity. 

Various Attempts to Buy Divine Favours

According to the tradition of the Reformation, it is impossible for man to save himself. This is sound medicine against an unsound religion that exploits man's great weaknesses: fear and vanity.

Some use scare tactics. In order to be saved and avoid punishment, they claim, it is necessary to confess one’s sin and repent. This is presented as a free choice, but in reality it is an ”offer at gunpoint”: Ask for mercy or die!

Can confessions under threat be genuine and credible? Isn’t there a danger of inflating one’s sin and guilt and confessing all sorts of things out of sheer fear? Threats of this kind arouse the instinct for self-preservation and not the capacity for self-knowledge.

What is also unhealthy are various forms of self-salvation. We can imagine a person who thinks that he must be generous and do good deeds, such as giving money to charity. But at some point he begins to think about his motives. Is he really unselfish? Or is he doing good just to be admired? Perhaps feelings of self-righteousness are inappropriate if you want to please the Almighty. He realises that he must sacrifice his pride instead.

So he denies himself and confesses that he is full of sin and selfishness. He claims that all his efforts are in vain and that he deserves nothing. He sacrifices his pride and compares his own smallness with God’s greatness. He gives God the credit for recognising his weakness, for he can do nothing on his own.

But no matter how hard he tries to humble himself, he cannot quite get rid of his pride. Does he want God to admire him for his humility? What if he feels contempt for all those who have not humbled themselves in the same way? And what if he uses the call to humility to put people down and put them in their place? All this may only make him more self-satisfied and self-absorbed.

Let Go of Imaginary Privileges!

Some people believe that salvation is based on a ”do X and you will be saved” kind of deal. But you can never know if you are doing X with sufficient sincerity, passion and intensity.

Others interpret the deal as ”admit you are completely helpless and you will receive grace”. This can create a kind of reverse performance anxiety. You have to constantly show that you are small and weak. How much self-loathing is enough? You never know!

In any case, it is man who wants to be in control. It is he who wants to be able to make demands on God, who has to fulfil his part of the bargain. Those who believe they have failed become anxious and fearful. Those who believe they have succeeded become complacent and self-righteous – and fearful of losing control.

”It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” said Jesus. It is hardly easier for those who think they have a deal with God. They find it hard to let go of their fantasies of privilege and entitlement.
When Jesus’ disciples realised how difficult it was, they were terrified. ”Who then can be saved?” they asked. ”Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For men it is impossible, but not for God. For with God all things are possible.’”

3. Trust: A Leap of Faith Begins an Adventure and Gives Life a Direction

A Spiritual Vaccine

The symbols and mysteries of Christianity may seem strange and ancient. Many disdainfully dismiss them as 'old dogma'. We need to understand how powerful symbols can be. They touch on a deeper level and can be much stronger than words and concepts. The image of the cross has influenced our entire culture. It was a turning point in history.

Before Christ, the cross was purely a symbol of power. It was nothing more than a brutal instrument of execution. It represented the Roman Empire's ability to enslave people by intimidating them into submission.

After Christ, the cross became the exact opposite: a symbol of love.  These are radical images. It is a story of God's compassion for the powerless. God is not somewhere far away, watching the misery of the world. Through Christ he comes down to our earthly and human level. The cross means that he suffers with his creation. The resurrection means that he still loves it and wants to forgive it. He does not destroy his enemies with fire and brimstone, but overcomes the desire for revenge.

Many people believe in God because he has power and can bring happiness and success. They say that they love him, but in reality it is the gifts and the power that they love. The story of the cross transforms everyone who believes in it and understands it. Power and the exercise of power cease to be fascinating. The worship of God is not the same as the worship of power. 

The Choice: Control or Trust

In the light of this, it becomes clear how naive it is to use faith as a lever to control God. There is an enormous difference between these two statements:

• ”My faith in Christ entitles me to a place in paradise”.

• ”The message of Christ gives me the courage to trust that God is good”.

Is salvation within or beyond human control? If we want to feel in control, we must be firmly convinced that we have the right theology and the right piety. This creates an enormous fear of being wrong. The result is a strong belief in one’s own infallibility. But when everything is out of our control, there is nothing to do but trust in God Himself. 

A Liberating Leap of Faith

According to the tradition of the Reformation, any attempt to bribe God is futile. The belief that you can control your own destiny is an illusion. This is actually a happy message. We do not need to believe out of fear, vanity or the need to control. Instead, it opens the way for a voluntary faith that touches us in the right way.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

This exercise in trust makes some people nervous and confused. They think, ”Surely there must be something you can point out to show that you are not on the same level as the unbelievers? Otherwise, you are just like everyone else! And isn’t it risky to be totally dependent on God’s will? Then you have no control at all!”

Why this need to compare your faith with others? Why this desire to make grace a right? If you don’t want to let go, the adventure can never begin.

Faith is not a magic formula that makes God kind and friendly. Nor is faith about reaching a certain state of mind to get a ticket to heaven. Faith is about throwing yourself into God’s arms and trusting that he is good and wants to help you. Only then is it possible to focus on what really matters. And only then is it possible to take God and the Christian faith really seriously.

No Animal Training for Humans!

For some, it is more logical that having the right faith should pay off. They believe in Jesus in order to receive certain exclusive benefits. ”What else is the point of being a Christian?” they ask.

Isn’t it better to follow him because you really want to? True faith is voluntary and needs no reward. Rewards and punishments can be used to train animals. A human being should develop in a different way: as a free and responsible person with inner integrity.

The most important things in life are compassion, good judgement, insight, humility, truthfulness, responsibility and integrity, etc. These things cannot be bought or forced. They can only be cultivated in a free relationship. This can become a reality when we believe that God’s love is a care for the health of the soul.

God and man are united in a common project – this is the meaning of the expression ”following Christ”.

Follow This Young Man!

To call yourself a Christian requires only two things: to be baptised and to follow a young man who walked on earth two thousand years ago. Some of what he said and did may be difficult to understand because he lived in a very different time and culture. But it is clear that he had courage and a passion for life.

It is said that he lived in the desert for a time to show that he could resist the temptations of power. Then he began to preach, perform miracles and heal the sick.

To the horror of the moralists, he sought out all kinds of unrighteous people and ate and drank with them. He tried to explain that God loves sinners as well as the righteous. So we must do the same and show respect to those who do not deserve it, especially our enemies. We must not treat our enemies as they treat us.

He warned against the religious pedants who fixate on unimportant things and impose heavy burdens on people. Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? he asked. All the commandments are based on the love of God and the golden rule. He once amazed his disciples by washing their feet, showing that he who serves is greater than he who rules.

One day all people will have their lives evaluated, he said. Those who have been harsh and unforgiving towards others will then be measured by the same standard and find that they deserve a harsh and unforgiving punishment. On that day it will become clear that the most important thing is to care for those who are less fortunate, especially the poor. What particularly angers God, he said, is when you call another person a fool.

It was hardly a life of comfort and prosperity that he offered his disciples when he called them. On the contrary, he said they could expect no rewards or favours. Nor can those who follow him expect to be in total control of their lives or to know where they are going. He said that they were participants in a great historical drama of which no one, not even he, had a complete overview.

Trust in the Heavenly Father was what he wanted to teach them. Only through me, he said, will you have such faith and such freedom. This is the way, the truth and the life.

These were the things this young man taught. Following in his footsteps means first of all learning not to hate and despise other people.

4. GROWTH: A Cunning Snake Whispers That We Don’t Need to Change

Are Humans Badly Programmed Robots?

Some have a very pessimistic view of man. They think that human beings are totally depraved and that they can never improve. A dark view of man makes the light of grace shine brighter, they believe.

But if man is a hopeless case, it is not his fault that he is the way he is. Then he is like an animal who cannot be held responsible for his actions. By denying responsibility, sin is eliminated. A wrongly programmed robot has no need to ask for forgiveness. This is hardly what the Christian belief in grace is about.

Recognising your helplessness, powerlessness and inability is one thing. Recognising your sins is quite another. It is important not to confuse the two. Suppose someone prays like this: ”Alas, I am a slave to my desires and cannot do right!” That is not a confession of sin. It is not a sin to be helpless. A helpless person should ask for help, not forgiveness.

The embarrassing thing is that we sometimes make mistakes when we are perfectly capable of doing the right thing. Often it is not difficult at all, and many times it is entirely our own fault. A prayer for forgiveness is only meaningful if you take responsibility for your mistakes. Some people take the easy way out. Instead of admitting their mistakes (which can be quite painful), they admit their inability and powerlessness (which is often a pleasant exercise in self-pity).

We humans are created with the ability to develop good qualities such as reason and empathy. Paradoxically, this is what makes us sinners. The problem is that we don’t develop and use these abilities as much as we should. Or we use them in the wrong way.

People turn to God for peace of mind and tranquillity of heart. Many want it to be as easy as pressing a button. They do not understand that they have to deal with inner chaos and create inner order.

A Dangerous Derailment

There are two traps to avoid. The first is to believe that you must be strong, virtuous and successful in order to be accepted and 'saved'. This is conditional love. It leads to stress and performance anxiety because you can never know if you are good enough.

The second trap is that you have to be weak, failed and generally miserable to be accepted. This is also conditional love. It frightens people into passivity and prevents them from growing and developing. “Strength comes, strength wanes. God's love eternally remains” – that is true unconditional love!

For some, the gospel – the good news – is that God expects nothing of us human beings. Nothing good can come from us, so self-confidence is sinful pride. Trusting in God and using reason become two things that do not go together. Personal development becomes a dangerous thing.

Is this the worship of an unloving God? Isn't true love inspiring? Rather than being a source of stress, high expectations can be uplifting. Trust in God can be combined with healthy self-confidence.

What happens when people are frightened into passivity and do not dare to mature and develop? What is the consequence when faith is only about resting in a nice and cosy feeling? It feels liberating to avoid personal responsibility. It feels good to avoid repentance. It feels peaceful to rest in the pleasant illusion of being humble.

‘Cheap grace is grace without discipleship,’ Bonhoeffer told Lutherans in Germany in the 1930s. ‘Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church.’ To his horror, he saw how easy it was for the Nazis to manipulate them. 

The Serpent and The Grand Inquisitor

Man’s big problem is original sin: the pleasure of doing bad things. Typical examples are bullying, revenge fantasies, schadenfreude, mockery – and the intoxicating lust for power. Evil acts are not perceived as evil because they are pleasurable. It is easy to like evil. Is there anyone who is completely free of it?

A cunning serpent whispers in your ear: ”All your pleasant feelings are good feelings!” He wants to convince us that this is not a problem at all. We are good just the way we are. We should affirm our inner nature and not pretend. ”What feels natural must be right,” it whispers. ”This is the same as being authentic and true to yourself!”

The Grand Inquisitor is a legend told in Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov. It is about a meeting between Christ and an old inquisitor who organised the burning of heretics in Spain in the 16th century.

The Inquisitor accused Christ of not heeding the 'wise and terrible spirit' he had encountered in the desert. The devil had offered him all the kingdoms of the world if he would only worship him. Christ, however, had rejected the offer, choosing instead the path of voluntary humility and self-sacrifice. This, the Inquisitor declared, was a grave mistake. He should not have resisted the temptations of power.

The Inquisitor hurled accusations against Christ. The evil spirit, he declared, possessed a deeper understanding of human nature. Voluntarily choosing good is beyond human capacity. People do not want freedom, he argued. They crave bread, spectacle and authority. They long to be told what to think, what to believe and how to live. They crave a grand, theatrical display of power. The Church, he insisted, must adapt the Christian faith to people's weaknesses.

You have inflicted a cruel and unnecessary burden upon humanity, the Inquisitor explained to Christ. A life of voluntary discipleship is too difficult for most people. We, the Church, must correct your error, he said. We must be merciful to people and lift this heavy burden of freedom, this agonising responsibility. We need to give them what they want most of all: safety and security.

Throughout this impassioned tirade, Christ watched the Inquisitor without saying a word. When the Inquisitor finally finished, he expected a response, an argument, a refutation. Instead, Christ approached him slowly and, to the old man's utter astonishment, kissed him gently on his lips. The Inquisitor shuddered. “Go,” he said, “go, and return no more... do not come again... never, never!”

5. WISDOM: How Trusting Faith Can Be Reason’s Best Friend

Idealistic World-Improvers Need This Virtue

Creating a picture of reality is a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Those who lack good judgement can put anything together. The result is a distorted view of the world. To put the pieces together, you need the simple realisation that you can be wrong.

We live in a complicated and troubled world. Now more than ever, we need to learn the art of piecing together a true picture of reality.

Many people today want to work for a better future, and that is a good thing! Unfortunately, it is common to combine good intentions with stubborn certainty. The danger is that things will only get worse. The overconfident idealists must learn that good intentions are not enough. Practical wisdom is also a virtue.

In this complicated world, it is rarely possible to be absolutely certain about anything. What you can strive for is good judgement.

The Art of Putting Together a Puzzle

If you have a lack of patience, you can force the puzzle pieces into place. With some willpower you can create any picture you want. To really solve the puzzle, it is important to pay attention to the pieces that do not fit together.

In Plato’s dialogue Phaedrus, Socrates pointed out that it is a special art to be able both to ”cut up every phenomenon” and to ”see widely scattered phenomena with a comprehensive view”. Today we call this analysis and synthesis.

• Analysis: These things are similar, but they don’t really belong together.

• Synthesis: These things seem to be different, but in fact they go well together.

Socrates said: ”I myself am a lover of these things, Phaedrus: of divisions and combinations, which enable me both to speak and to think.”

It is important to be able to see differences between similar things and similarities between different things. Good judgement is about finding a balance between these ways of thinking.

Without analytical thinking, things can easily get out of hand. If you want to, you can connect almost anything. An example of this is conspiracy theories, which associate a certain group of people with all the misery in the world. In the same way, political ideologies can create images of enemies.

How to Become a Religious Know-It-All

In many religious contexts, synthesis dominates. There is a strong need for meaning, coherence and confirmation. Everything must fit together: the Bible, history, world events, everyday life. Critical analysis can be perceived as disrespecting the sacred.

Some people think that if everything doesn’t fit together, everything will fall apart. But what are the consequences of trying to harmonise and reconcile the diversity of the Bible at all costs?

Synthetic puzzles provide a sense of affirmation and are stimulating. Analysis can involve a painful questioning of one’s own beliefs. What happens when we follow the path of least resistance? Isn't there a danger that we will create a biblical puzzle coloured by our selfish interests and political values? And that we begin to imagine that God has the same views as we do?

The question is whether this appetite for synthesis has anything to do with real faith. With the help of imaginative associations, it is possible to see connections between all sorts of things and to convince oneself of almost anything. It is not at all difficult to become entangled in false insights.

Real Faith Is Not About Stubborn Certainty

For those who believe in God, there is a surprising way out of the ‘follies trap’. The aim is to find a method of not getting too attached to your ideas, and to open yourself up to the possibility that you might be wrong.

It starts with recognising - rather counter-intuitively - that your capacity to believe is rather weak. It is impossible to make everything fit together. We can rejoice in reading about how Christ performed miracles, like how he turned water into wine in Canaan. At the same time, it may be hard to believe that the laws of nature can be overturned. Would our Creator be offended that we can't always reconcile the one with the other? Surely, as the Creator of our reason, He understands that these things can baffle us.

A Christian may believe with all his heart, but only with part of his head. Instead of relying on our own capacity to believe, we can shift the focus from ourselves to God, who sees and understands all our confusions. “When our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts and understands all things.”

In weakness there is strength, said the Apostle Paul. A weak capacity to believe can mean a greater trusting faith. Many questions remain unanswered, but so what? A trusting faith does not depend on understanding all the mysteries of Christianity.

Martin Luther wrote:

Faith as a Copernican Revolution

Trusting faith creates a new centre that makes it easier to challenge your self-centred ways of thinking. This can be likened to a ‘Copernican revolution’. It replaces the old egocentric worldview and places the divine at the centre. 

Reason can make mistakes and put things together that don’t belong together. Your political and religious beliefs can be based on fear and selfish desires. Total reliance on these things creates a self-centred worldview. Those who turn their hearts to God instead have a new centre. Everything appears in a clearer light.

It is good to have insights and opinions about things, but you should not get too attached to them. Trust in grace is linked to openness to the possibility that you may be wrong. Your ideas may need to be corrected and improved. In this way, faith can become a driving force for truth and education.

To attach one's heart to God means not to fixate too much on one idea or the other. This gives you the important ability to hold two opposing ideas in your mind at the same time (integration). It makes the great puzzle of life easier to solve, because it doesn't matter so much if your worldview is shaken from time to time. Trusting faith is reason's best friend.