Way Of Escape

Rating:
Summary: Biblical help for those struggling with infantilism!
Review: "If you saw only their behavior, you would never let your son or daughter marry one of them or let your children be around them. Ironically, they are your sons and daughters, other family members, friends, and coworkers." (Page 5, Acknowledgements)

Although this book is about "Freedom from Sexual Strongholds" in general, my review of this book will center primarily around a subject called Infantilism, to include ABDL (adult baby / diaper lover). This subject has, to my knowledge, received no coverage from any major Christian media. Hard to believe, since the only real prerequisite (for the most part) is to have worn a diaper as a baby. Infantilism is when an individual (almost always male) wishes to wear diapers (adult diapers, of course, i.e. Depend) again or to be treated as a baby. The problem may be psychological in origin, but after puberty, it becomes a sexual problem as well. Some want to wear a diaper every now and then, while others want to wear diapers 24/7. Some only want to wear diapers, while others want to eat baby food, drink from a bottle, etc. If you've never heard of this, then you probably think that nobody in their right minds could ever enjoy something like this. But make no mistake about it, they love it! They enjoy it just like an alcoholic enjoys another glass; just like a cocaine addict loves another "high"; just like you enjoy your secret sins.

And this isn't just the behavior and thoughts of some perverts in the bad part of town hanging out at the adult bookstores and porno-theaters. These are also born again Christian people (mostly young men) who serve in churches, sing in the choirs, and pay their tithe.

But most importantly, if you told them there was a way out of all this, they would jump at the opportunity in a heartbeat. "The Way of Escape" points to the way out and helps to guide the Christian (in this case, the Christian struggling with infantilism) to the exit door. In "The Way of Escape", Neil Anderson does a good job of pinpointing the thought patterns of a person trapped in sin. He sins (and enjoys it), feels bad about it, repents and gets right with the Lord (and purges his life of anything related to the sin), does well for a matters of weeks or even months, and goes right back to it again.

Mr. Anderson instead gives his readers a formula to help them better fight against these destructive cycles. For one thing he reminds us that we are DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE IN CHRIST. An ABDL might say, "I am dead to infantilism and alive in Christ." Galatians 2:20 says that we have been crucified with Christ. Romans 6:7 says that we have died to sin. These are all past tense. Mr. Anderson asks the reader to put his feelings on hold for just one moment (since you may not feel dead to infantilism at this very moment) while considering what the Bible is commanding us to believe. For instance, some mornings you wake up and "feel dead". But you're obviously alive. In that instance, do you follow your feelings or your beliefs?

Mr. Anderson also asks the infantilist to practice something called he calls "Threshold Thinking". He says, "If we are going to take the way of escape from sexual bondage that God has provided for us, we must avail ourselves of God's provision and change how we respond at the threshold of every sexual temptation. We must take those first thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. If we allow ourselves to ruminate on tempting thoughts, we will eventually act on them." (Page 156)

At the end of the book, there is something Neil Anderson has put together called "the 7 Steps to Freedom". I won't go over them all, but just a few of them include,

- Renouncing (out loud) all non-Christian spiritual experiences. Fetishism is inlcuded in the "Non-Christian Spiritual Experience Inventory".

- Forgiving everyone who has ever hurt you, no matter how bad their deeds were. "By not forgiving them, you are still being hurt by them." (Pages 210-211)

- Getting a fellow believer to hold you up in prayer and keep you accountable. This means if you're in infantilism, you need to find another brother-in-Christ, make sure he has a good reputation and a consistent Christian walk, and confess this problem to him. The ideal person would be a minister, deacon, or Bible study leader.

"People who have been caught in the trap of sin-confess-sin-confess may need to follow the instructions of James 5:16: 'Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.' Seek out a righteous person who will hold you up in prayer and to whom you can be accountable." (Page 217)

These are just a few of the gems featured in this book. The book reads like the author knows exactly where you're at in your life, and just how desperate you are to break free.

Rating:
Summary: Biblical help for those struggling with infantilism!
Review: "If you saw only their behavior, you would never let your son or daughter marry one of them or let your children be around them. Ironically, they are your sons and daughters, other family members, friends, and coworkers." (Page 5, Acknowledgements)

Although this book is about "Freedom from Sexual Strongholds" in general, my review of this book will center primarily around a subject called Infantilism, to include ABDL (adult baby / diaper lover). This subject has, to my knowledge, received no coverage from any major Christian media. Hard to believe, since the only real prerequisite (for the most part) is to have worn a diaper as a baby. Infantilism is when an individual (almost always male) wishes to wear diapers (adult diapers, of course, i.e. Depend) again or to be treated as a baby. The problem may be psychological in origin, but after puberty, it becomes a sexual problem as well. Some want to wear a diaper every now and then, while others want to wear diapers 24/7. Some only want to wear diapers, while others want to eat baby food, drink from a bottle, etc. If you've never heard of this, then you probably think that nobody in their right minds could ever enjoy something like this. But make no mistake about it, they love it! They enjoy it just like an alcoholic enjoys another glass; just like a cocaine addict loves another "high"; just like you enjoy your secret sins.

And this isn't just the behavior and thoughts of some perverts in the bad part of town hanging out at the adult bookstores and porno-theaters. These are also born again Christian people (mostly young men) who serve in churches, sing in the choirs, and pay their tithe.

But most importantly, if you told them there was a way out of all this, they would jump at the opportunity in a heartbeat. "The Way of Escape" points to the way out and helps to guide the Christian (in this case, the Christian struggling with infantilism) to the exit door. In "The Way of Escape", Neil Anderson does a good job of pinpointing the thought patterns of a person trapped in sin. He sins (and enjoys it), feels bad about it, repents and gets right with the Lord (and purges his life of anything related to the sin), does well for a matters of weeks or even months, and goes right back to it again.

Mr. Anderson instead gives his readers a formula to help them better fight against these destructive cycles. For one thing he reminds us that we are DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE IN CHRIST. An ABDL might say, "I am dead to infantilism and alive in Christ." Galatians 2:20 says that we have been crucified with Christ. Romans 6:7 says that we have died to sin. These are all past tense. Mr. Anderson asks the reader to put his feelings on hold for just one moment (since you may not feel dead to infantilism at this very moment) while considering what the Bible is commanding us to believe. For instance, some mornings you wake up and "feel dead". But you're obviously alive. In that instance, do you follow your feelings or your beliefs?

Mr. Anderson also asks the infantilist to practice something called he calls "Threshold Thinking". He says, "If we are going to take the way of escape from sexual bondage that God has provided for us, we must avail ourselves of God's provision and change how we respond at the threshold of every sexual temptation. We must take those first thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. If we allow ourselves to ruminate on tempting thoughts, we will eventually act on them." (Page 156)

At the end of the book, there is something Neil Anderson has put together called "the 7 Steps to Freedom". I won't go over them all, but just a few of them include,

- Renouncing (out loud) all non-Christian spiritual experiences. Fetishism is inlcuded in the "Non-Christian Spiritual Experience Inventory".

- Forgiving everyone who has ever hurt you, no matter how bad their deeds were. "By not forgiving them, you are still being hurt by them." (Pages 210-211)

- Getting a fellow believer to hold you up in prayer and keep you accountable. This means if you're in infantilism, you need to find another brother-in-Christ, make sure he has a good reputation and a consistent Christian walk, and confess this problem to him. The ideal person would be a minister, deacon, or Bible study leader.

"People who have been caught in the trap of sin-confess-sin-confess may need to follow the instructions of James 5:16: 'Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.' Seek out a righteous person who will hold you up in prayer and to whom you can be accountable." (Page 217)

These are just a few of the gems featured in this book. The book reads like the author knows exactly where you're at in your life, and just how desperate you are to break free.

Rating:
Summary: Things My Dad Never Taught Me
Review: Dad never taught me that the way man-woman relationships areportrayed on TV is unrealistic. No dad could know how to respond toall the temptations and thoughts that a young man faces, but this book tells more than the average dad knows. It exposes the sexual myths that are rampant in our country. It explains how our thought processes concerning unhealthy sexual activity can be reshaped with the help of the Word of God. There is a wonderful example of reprograming your thoughts: A cup of dark brown coffee represents your mind darkened by lustful, sinful, even criminal thoughts. But you can't empty your mind, so what can you do? The answer: Spoon in an ice cube, and then another, and another, and so on until the coffee has been diluted so much that it now looks almost clear. The ice cubes represent the good, pure, wholesome, kind, healthy thoughts which you can think daily and every time you are challenged by unhealthy thoughts. This book gives hope for freedom from sexual problems all the way from looking at pornography to rape,incest and even homosexuality. The steps to freedom in Christ are fully explained so that anyone can follow them. I recommend this book highly in my counseling practice.

Rating:
Summary: Things My Dad Never Taught Me
Review: Dad never taught me that the way man-woman relationships areportrayed on TV is unrealistic. No dad could know how to respond toall the temptations and thoughts that a young man faces, but this book tells more than the average dad knows. It exposes the sexual myths that are rampant in our country. It explains how our thought processes concerning unhealthy sexual activity can be reshaped with the help of the Word of God. There is a wonderful example of reprograming your thoughts: A cup of dark brown coffee represents your mind darkened by lustful, sinful, even criminal thoughts. But you can't empty your mind, so what can you do? The answer: Spoon in an ice cube, and then another, and another, and so on until the coffee has been diluted so much that it now looks almost clear. The ice cubes represent the good, pure, wholesome, kind, healthy thoughts which you can think daily and every time you are challenged by unhealthy thoughts. This book gives hope for freedom from sexual problems all the way from looking at pornography to rape,incest and even homosexuality. The steps to freedom in Christ are fully explained so that anyone can follow them. I recommend this book highly in my counseling practice.

Rating:
Summary: Religous Hogwash
Review: Leave it to the bibble thumpers to say what is good and what is bad. This book serves no purpose.

Rating:
Summary: A good book on fighting out of the clutches of sexual sins
Review: This book was one of the first books I read on freedom from sexual sins through Christ. It is very helpful especially for young men who struggle with sexual temptations and those who aspire to be free. Dr. Armstrong should follow this with a more comprehensive book.