When we first began to minister in Norway we encountered a strange and overwhelming national attitude: A fear of success. Paul Anderson wrote an interesting article about what is called, "The Law of Jante".
WHAT IT IS
Here is the Law of Jante which Sandemose wrote after observing it in the culture:
Do not think you are anything special.
Do not think you are as important as we are.
Do not think you are wiser than we are.
Do not fool yourself into thinking you are better than we are.
Do not think you know more than we do.
Do not think you are more than we are.
Do not think that you are good at anything.
Do not laugh at us.
Do not think that anyone cares about you.
Do not think you can teach us anything.
WHAT IT DOES
The Law of Jante has the effect of creating:
An appearance of humility which is, in fact, pride
A passive rather than an active faith (Fatalism replaces faith.)
A lethargy that is difficult to overcome
A lie which engenders a false religious spirit
A uniformity rather than a true unity (Unity requires diversity.)
A stifling of courageous leadership
A resistance toward doing good works
A legalism that opposes grace
A spirit of judgment and suspicion rather than of Christian fellowship
A cap on emotions, making a person feel emotionally restrained
A climate in which prophets are not welcome
HOW TO OVERCOME IT
1. I identify the stronghold. People of Scandinavian heritage in particular have most likely been influenced by the Law of Jante, although the whole culture of the upper American Midwest has been impacted by a Jante spirit. Acknowledging a stronghold, a habitual and unhealthy way of responding to life, begins the process of deliverance. I acknowledge that some of my responses to life come more from the culture than from the living God.
2. I confess my attachment to the stronghold. I acknowledge that I have been influenced by lies more than by the truth, by laws of the flesh rather than by laws of the Spirit. I have been held back by a false humility, by passivity, by a spirit of lethargy, and by cowardice, rather than obeying the Word of the Lord. I acknowledge that these lies have brought some bondage to me.
3. I renounce the lies. I refuse the lies of the Law of Jante. I renounce their impact on me, my family, and my heritage. A baptismal liturgy reads, "I renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises." Instead of clinging to the lies, I expose them and resist them actively. I don't give in passively as if I have no other option. I come against the lethargy that the Jante spirit produces.
4. I forgive others. Where I have been wounded because of a Jante spirit, I extend forgiveness to anyone who has hurt me, including pastors, the church, my heritage, or my parents.
5. I affirm the truth. Standing in the truth invites the Spirit of truth to work in my life. Clinging to lies invites the devil to work me over. I make the choice to move in the opposite spirit. I walk in boldness rather than in timidity. I give appropriate expression to my emotions rather than keeping them capped. I step out and do what God is leading me to do, inviting Him to change my heart as I bring forth the fruit of repentance. I embrace and live the truth, and I set my mind to be controlled by the Spirit (Romans 8:6).
Gary Sweeten wrote a response to the Jante Law, which he called the Law of the Spirit:
o I am a person of worth, created in God's image
o I am as good asanyone else because God says so
o I have the wisdom of God's Spirito God has gifted me to be a winner
o I am filled with the knowledge of God
o God honors me as much as anyone on earth
o I have God's destiny and plan for my life
o What others think or do will not control me
o God loves me and so do His people
o I have a teachable spirit.
6. I receive deliverance. We pray (for ourselves or others): "In the strong name of Jesus, I command the Jante spirit and any spirits associated with it to leave. They have no power or right in my life. I lay claim to the freedom that is in Christ Jesus. I lay hold of the inheritance that belongs to me as a child of God purchased by the blood of Christ. I break off the influence of an unhealthy inheritance. I cling to Jesus as my true stronghold."
7. I ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I reject all wrong spirits, and I invite the Holy Spirit to fill me. I rely on the power of the Spirit to overcome the negative impact of the Law of Jante in my life. I learn to walk in the Spirit day by day, moment by moment, yielding my life, my destiny, my time, and my choices to Him. I make decisions that keep me open to Christ's work in my life. Deliverance is both an act and a process. I must establish new thought patterns and resist old ones.
http://www.generals.org/index.php?id=70
posted by Gary Sweeten @ Wednesday, August 30, 2006
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