Not all prisons have bars made of steel. Some of the worst prisons are constructed with intellectual and religious bars erected in the human soul. This kind of imprisonment is called soft imprisonment. The purpose of soft imprisonment is to give those who have been held as prisoners the illusion of freedom while the mantra used to gain their compliance was being declared “this is for the common good.”

As followers of Jesus, it is not only wise, but it is critical for us to discern the steering mechanisms of politics and social engineering that attempt to move us in any direction not evaluated by the truth and logic of God’s word and His created order. 

I jokingly referred to the emergence of a new and imaginary news channel called CTN – Conspiracy Theory News. CTN, once maligned as an extremist news outlet, is now gaining uncomfortable credibility among its earliest and most ardent critics who are beginning to realize not all is right. The contributors to this imaginary news outlet have offered evidence regarding the negative outcomes of our recent health mandates. In the early rollout, we were told our compliance was for our collective good but new information is revealing not all we were told or led to believe was truthful and in our best interest. 

CTN has also revealed partnerships between our government and social media platforms to censor opposing positions. Social passports and social credit scores are being proposed that will determine how and what we can purchase and where we can travel. Trial runs of these passports and their empowering social credit scores are already in place and functioning in other nations. CTN has reported that a move toward a single currency controlled by a central bank is on the table. The dictates of the central bank will determine how we can access our funds, how much we can withdraw, and what we can use our funds for all based on the commandments of the gods of climate and social engineering.

Soft imprisonment can also happen within the Church when we build prisons of theology that diminish the authority of Scripture reassigning the essentials of our faith to mere human interpretation. It also happens when a single leader dictates what is an acceptable demonstration of faith for their followers or when we erect spiritual bars that define our circle of fellowship using the same language offered to discredit the contributors of CTN and its affiliates. 

Soft imprisonment is only soft when it is first presented to naïve people willing to believe everything they are told without discerning the intent of the messengers or the final destination of a deception. The illusion of softness will quickly disappear when the truth of a matter is finally revealed, and the perimeter of the enclosure is established. At that point, we will find ourselves living under the control of a harsh spiritual warden and his guards that will dictate how we are to live within the prison of our own choosing. 

Soft imprisonment and our willingness to accept its demands without question are the saddest to see when our unquestioned compliance is labeled as spiritual and somehow a higher demonstration of faith and love. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is not always a warm embracing expression of faith. There are times it can be a stark and unpleasant exposure to the dark emerging realities that will produce sorrow and regret if not exposed and challenged. Even if our world is imprisoned, God can still open any prison door no matter how hard and seemingly inescapable it appears.