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By John Mac Ghlionn.

In certain parts of India, there are radical Hindu extremists who want to hunt and kill believers.

In Ukraine, Orthodox Christians face targeted violence in the midst of a protracted and brutal conflict.

These attacks come from the outside – visible enemies who deny Christians even the most basic right to worship in peace.

However, as will soon become clear, an even greater threat exists within the church itself.

When believers adjust their faith to meet the expectations of secular society, they unintentionally contribute to its decline.

Dr. John G. West addresses this sobering reality in his new book, Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Why America’s Christian Leaders Are Failing – and What We Can Do About It.

Although he focuses on the United States, his observations reach well beyond American borders.

Christianity in Australia

Take Australia, for example.

In 1971, 86 per cent of Australians called themselves Christian.

Today, that figure has plummeted to nearly half.

It’s tempting to blame secular hostility alone – militant atheists, government restrictions, social pressures – but West argues that the problem goes deeper.

Much deeper.

Too many Christian leaders align themselves with the very forces that undermine biblical authority and traditional teachings on sexuality, marriage, and religious liberty.

They believe that siding with cultural elites is the best way to remain “relevant.”

Their beliefs are entirely misplaced.

Stockholm Syndrome Christianity: Adopting the Mindset of Those Wanting to Destroy You

West uses the term “Stockholm Syndrome Christianity” to illustrate how believers in prominent positions can adopt the mindset of hostages who bond with their captors.

When Christians distance themselves from biblical truth in order to seem compassionate or open-minded, they end up supporting ideologies that contradict the core of what Christianity teaches.

Fear of rejection by the broader culture often drives this behaviour: losing respect from politicians, academics, or media influencers can feel like a kind of social death.

Rather than endure ridicule, Christian leaders trim doctrine until it neatly fits secular norms.

Scripture becomes a footnote rather than the foundation.

This dilution of faith is spreading.

In Australia and beyond, congregations, colleges, and various media outlets often champion popular views that conflict with historic teaching, leaving the average believer confused, adrift, and thoroughly disillusioned.

Where churches once preached self-sacrifice and moral conviction, many now emphasise personal fulfilment or political correctness.

Professors at Christian institutions echo the same talking points as their secular peers, and Christian writers or journalists sometimes go out of their way to mock or distance themselves from their own tradition.

In short, it’s not always the Dawkins enthusiast or the hardened dictator who weakens the church.

Sometimes, it’s those within the fold who, terrified of cultural backlash, end up chipping away at the very faith they claim to cherish.

High Stakes for the Church and Culture

The stakes are high.

In fact, they couldn’t be higher.

Persecution in India or Ukraine is violent and immediate, threatening Christians’ lives.

However, the form of persecution West describes is more subtle and internal.

It can take root slowly and spread until the faith itself is almost unrecognisable.

This Stockholm Syndrome version of Christianity drains the church’s vitality and holds it hostage to the shifting values of the surrounding culture. When leaders decide it’s too risky to stand by biblical teachings, they mute the gospel’s power.

Over time, that compromise becomes second nature.

Believers lose their clarity, their courage, and ultimately, their conviction.

The result is an anaemic version of Christianity that looks more like motivational platitudes than a radical call to follow Christ.

The Church Must Offer the Genuine

West warns that once the church stops offering a genuine alternative to a sceptical, even hostile, culture, it effectively becomes captive to it.

At that point, no one outside the faith sees anything distinct or compelling about Christianity.

Inside the church, believers sense the spiritual emptiness of watered-down sermons but may not know how to speak up or hold leaders accountable.

As West shows, this cycle of compromise and confusion rarely ends well.