'DRAPETOMANIA'

I know that some of those with whom we once fellowshipped and left for reasons stated in article, think that we have fallen off the wagon, as it were! "Where are they now?" They exclaim! The truth is we found a wagon in which we are now firmly strapped in by His Word and guided by the Spirit of Truth. Not that we know it all, but in true Berean fashion we keep searching the scriptures to figure things out!  Occasionally we wave politely at the other wagon and get hesitant waves back. Sometimes I will wave a placard with scripture and sound doctrine on it in an effort to open their eyes to unbiblical errors prevalent within much of current church thinking and doctrine, but all I get for that is withering looks of pity and hecklers shouting out 'Pharisee'!!  Apparently we are suffering from a condition known as 'Drapetomania'.  We were told that if we 'tow the party line' there is a place for us; sounds like cutting off our big toes to stop us running away.  Needless to say we headed for the wilderness instead, found a different wagon, and made a journey which lead us to greener pastures!  The article by William Kimball below explains:

 

“Drapetomania”

I came across an old term that is seldom used today. It is a word which was coined by pro-slavery advocates prior to the Civil War. Dr. Samuel A. Cartwright created it in,1851 to provide a scientific theory explaining why a slave who was treated well by his master would still want to escape. His explanation was a product of the racists pseudo-science of the mid-19th century. He called the condition, “Drapetomania”. It described, what was to white supremacists, the irrational desire for a slave to flee from perfectly good living conditions. If the slave had a gracious master who provided for his every need, cared for his well-being, treated him kindly in word and deed and did not abuse or overwork him then it stood to reason that the slave’s desire to escape was a clear sign of mental illness. To Dr. Cartwright and others of his kind, the slave’s irrational behavior was contrary to the laws of God which ordained that the black man be subservient to his white master and content with his station in life as long as he was treated reasonably well.

Having said this, I must say that I have seen a clear spiritual parallel in the contemporary church today. When you consider the significant exodus of healthy Christians from the traditional church structure it is not uncommon to run into the equivalent pseudo-science, or should I say “spiritual drapetomania”, from church leaders and fellow saints who simply cannot fathom the rationale of why any sane, sensible or balanced Christian would leave the safe and comfortable confines of a perfectly good church. Neither can they find any legitimate justification for them abandoning the church system when they have it so well. After all, in their understanding of church, God was the one who ordained the church structure the way it is and it is the accepted way Christians have traditionally practiced church for 1,700 years. 

 

An inflatable church, who'd have thought!

The contemporary church in America has never had it so good when it comes to all that it has to offer. Today, it offers comfortable auditoriums, state-of-the-art multi-media systems, plasma screens, satellite telecasting, professional stage lighting, endless programs, exciting entertainment, novelty seminars, playgrounds for the kids, specialty events, dynamic personalities, rockin’ song services, innovative programs, sensational fads, titillating messages, prosperity guarantees, self-empowerment messages and seeker sensitive services. Some even provide valet parking, park-like landscaping, cappuccino bars, diet programs and health clubs - and on and on and on. Why then would anyone in their right mind want to escape from all the comforts and amenities of the modern “Cruise Ship Christianity” with all of the conveniences to the great unknown? To those who are sincerely happy and contended in a healthy church environment, have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, or have been lulled into a delusional sense of spiritual contentment and complacency, it just doesn’t make any sense. To their way of thinking, it is spiritually irrational, insane, self-destructive, indefensible, neurotic and rebellious.

But just like the slave who yearned to breathe free and taste the fruits of liberty, there are many sound and sensible reasons why an estimated 25% of Christians have left the church in spite of all the accessories, activities and conveniences it offers. Contrary to the “Drapetomanian” judgement that they have left because they are spiritually unstable, deceived, double-minded or backslidden, the majority have left not because they’ve lost their faith but because they want to protect it. This growing exodus are leaving because they’re looking for more of Jesus not less. 

"Study to show thyself approved.." (2 Tim 2:15)

 
A growing number of Christians have found themselves disillusioned, disenfranchised and demoralized by what the “structured” church has largely become. Many have reached a point in their spiritual maturity where they are fed up with all the man-made traditions, tampering and packaging. Many have found the traditional church becoming increasingly impersonal, inadequate and irrelevant in meeting their spiritual hunger and are looking for a more authentic expression of “Christian community”. A growing minority have grown steadily disenchanted with what they perceive to be the structured predictability of “church in a can”. They are tired of being passive spectators in a staged, weekly production with little opportunity to interact with others and the Word beyond just occupying pew space, listening passively to a lecture each Sunday. They don’t care about all the exciting “bells & whistles”. They’ve grown weary of all the fads, “dog & pony” shows and endless round of intriguing programs. They also have a rational reason for their apparent madness and, in God’s eyes, their reasoning is a sane and sensible response to the Spirit of God.

https://www.facebook.com/william.kimball.14?fref=nf 

Collins Dictionary:

An intense desire to run away from home.


Wikipedia:

Drapetomania was a supposed mental illness described by American physician Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851 that caused black slaves to flee captivity.