The Insufficiency of Scripture

Following their introduction, Boyd and Larson enter into a lengthy explanation of the neurological process—the physiology of thought. They explain how the electronic impulses in our brains not only control what we think, they are what we think. Lastly, they explain how false information is electronically implanted in our brains through negative experiences, lies, etc. These bits of information, whether positive or negative, are called "neurochips," and they hold great power because even if they are false, our brain becomes convinced that they are true.

I have no argument with the scientific facts presented in this book. I am certain that the authors' understanding of neurology is quite informed and up-to-date. Even if it were not, I am not prepared to critique their scientific conclusions. But Escaping the Matrix is not ultimately a book about science. It is a book about Christian sanctification. Even the ISBN coding classifies the book under the heading, "Spiritual Formation."

After referring to Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 10:5, Ephesians 4:22-23, and several other passages, the authors conclude: "The whole business of sanctification is contained in these commands" (p. 78). Having correctly established that the Bible commands Christians to be sanctified, however, Boyd and Larson promptly depart from Scripture as they advance their psychological methodology. They completely ignore the fact that the same Word of God that commands Christians to be sanctified is also said to be the fully sufficient means of sanctifying them.

Jesus prayed to the Father, saying, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). Paul said that Christ "loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word" (Eph. 5:25-26). He assured Timothy that all Scripture is not only inspired by God, but is also "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NKJV, emphasis added).

In the Old Testament, the psalmist assures us that "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul" (Ps. 19:7). It is noteworthy that the Hebrew word used here for "soul" refers to a man's inner self—his mind, heart, spirit, etc. It is also interesting that in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) the word for "soul" in Psalm 19:7 is "psuche," from which we get the English word "psyche," and from which comes every form of the word "psychology." According to Psalm 19:7, therefore, the law of the Lord is perfectly sufficient for restoring that which many believe only modern psychology can restore—the inner man. And when it comes to correcting or preventing sinful behavior, as Boyd and Larson say they are trying to do, Psalm 119 offers the answer:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. . . . Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You. . . . Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me (Ps. 119:9, 11, 133).

Despite all of these unmistakable references to God's Word as the means of Christian sanctification, and despite the fact that Escaping the Matrix is all about sanctification, the only one of the above passages Boyd and Larson ever mention is Ephesians 5:25-32, and that in a totally unrelated context (referring to marital intimacy, not sanctification). The authors' neglect of these passages is not an unintentional oversight either. Despite hundreds of Scripture references, the authors actually seem to belittle the idea that the Word of God is able to sanctify God's people. On pages 58-59 we read:

Most of us haven't paid attention to Aristotle's insight that "the soul never thinks without images." Most people just assume that they think with conceptual information—which perhaps explains why we tend to trust conceptual information so much to transform us, despite our uniform experience that this trust doesn't usually pay off. We just haven't known there was anything else to go on.

In other words (as I would re-word the authors' statement): We have been foolish to trust in the Word of God ("conceptual information") to transform us. It just doesn't usually work like that. But before now, we didn't know that science was able to help us.

Is my re-wording of the authors' statement off the mark? Decide for yourself. But the general tenor of the book affirms that this is indeed what they were saying, however subtle their language. And on the next page, they make the point once again:

If we are going to take every thought captive [in reference to 2 Cor. 10:5], we're going to have to do it according to the rules that govern thought [i.e. the science of neurology]. . . . You can't fight experiential cancer with a Band-Aid of conceptual information [i.e. with the Word of God].

In reference to 2 Corinthians 10:5, the authors failed to notice that Paul not only spoke of "taking every thought captive," he also identified the only weapon that is equal to the task. That "divinely powerful" weapon, according to Paul, is the gospel. Paul put no confidence in weapons "of the flesh," such as the human will, psychology, or neuroscience (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-4). The Word of God was the divinely powerful weapon he used for "the destruction of fortresses," "destroying speculations," and "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:3-5; cf. Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2:1-5; Heb. 4:12; Is. 55:10-11).

After presenting their understanding of the problem with so many Christians, Boyd and Larson included a section entitled, "A Couple Common—But Wrong—Answers" (p. 15). Here the authors openly declared their skepticism regarding the effectiveness of Bible reading, meditation, and memory:

Speaking biblical truths to ourselves helps a certain percentage of people if practiced persistently. We're all for it. But we're also aware that multitudes have earnestly practiced this and found that it produced little change in their lives.

In stark contrast, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, thanking God that they had received the gospel, "not as the word of men, but as it really is, the word of God, which performs its work in you who believe" (1 Thess. 2:13, emphasis added). And when he left the Ephesian elders to go to Jerusalem, he commended them "to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32, emphasis added; also see 2 Peter 1:2-3). These are powerful statements affirming the sufficiency of God's Word for sanctification. Needless to say, however, they are nowhere to be found in Escaping the Matrix.

Sadly, while Boyd and Larson were unwilling to unreservedly commend the Bible, they were eager to commend the R-rated movie upon which their book is based. In the introduction they wrote: "Much has been said about the ingenious way in which the Wachowski brothers weave together Christian, Gnostic, Buddhist, and ancient Greek ideas, myths, and symbols." They even went so far as to recommend that the reader see The Matrix before reading further, despite their admission that it contains "foul language and a lot of violence." They justified their recommendation by saying, "In our opinion, the benefits of the movie outweigh these deterrents" (endnotes, p. 213). Apparently, they believe the reader will find more profit in absorbing Gnostic and Buddhist concepts along with foul language and images of violence, than in absorbing the "conceptual information" found in the Bible.