I first noticed this in leading people to Christ. They were beautiful before they were “church broke.” Great young converts often start out as radiant Christians and end up only as carbon-copy Baptists. Great young ministers start out as adorable mavericks, but after a business meeting or two and a church fight, their independence begins to look for protection. And then somebody buys them a new suit, and somebody else gives them an all-expense-paid ticket to the Holy Land. The goodies change them and leave them so codependent on favors that they soon live only for those perks one earns simply by being predictable.
Miller, C. (2011). Letters to a young pastor. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook.