Archive for December, 2009
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December 10, 2009
The Dark Sacrament
David M. Kiely & Christina McKenna
Harper One
If you know a skeptic you want to scare, you might want to get this book. But I can’t think of any other reason to purchase it.
It’s not that the book isn’t well written and thoroughly researched. It’s not that I doubt the authenticity of the stories told. In fact, The Dark Sacrament is powerfully written by a journalist who knows his business. And it’s based on interviews with people living today. And it relates exorcisms conducted by two well known Irish churchmen, one an Anglican priest and the other a Roman Catholic monk. The book in fact delivers just what the subtitle promises: “True stories of Modern Day Demon Possession and Exorcism.”
For anyone interested in demonization, it sounds like a must buy. Especially when one reads the comment of the highly respected Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary, who writes the following endorsement: “This is perhaps the best account written in my lifetime about this difficult and troubling subject, and I would commend it to one and all.”
But the more I read, the more I disagreed with Witherington. The problem is, these stories are just too “out there.” Apparitions. Howling banshees. Demons casting a chill over a house constructed over an ancient altar. A demon incubus that torments a housewife for some fifteen years. Flying Bibles, smashed religious pictures, friendly and frightening ghosts. Doors that open and close by themselves. Frightening moans and groans. They’re all in here, along with a child taken over by demons through play with a discarded Ouija board. And boy, these stories raise the hackles. You definitely don’t want to read them when you’re alone at night!
And that’s the problem with this book. Like so many TV shows exploring the paranormal, this book focuses on the external and the just plain frightening. The impression one has is that demonization is primarily a matter of weird things happening around us. And that’s simply not the case. It’s far more typical that demons remain hidden, and affect our lives in ways that most people are unlikely to suspect. The demon that gains access through a traumatic experience and finds expression in exaggerating natural fears ruins far more lives than howling banshees or flying pictures. The demon that gains access through early abuse and finds expression in exaggerating natural anger or distrust of God and others is far more destructive than a cold “presence” sensed in an empty room.
So, as I said, I recommend staying away from The Dark Sacrament. It’s difficult enough for believers to take demons seriously without reading a book that give the impression demonic presence is always marked by the obviously supernatural and the especially scary.
Are the stories in this book true? I don’t see any reason to doubt them. Are the stories about typical demonic activity? That I do doubt. Will reading this book provide insight into the invisible war’s impact on your own life? Not at all.
What I do recommend is that you purchase the other book reviewed below.
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December 10, 2009
How to Cast Out Demons
Doris M. Wagner
Regal Books. 2000
Doris Wagner is the wife of Peter Wagner, whose teaching on church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary has had a great impact on many. Doris is currently CEO of Global Harvest Ministries, but her special personal ministry is prayer for deliverance. She sums up years of experience in deliverance ministry in this helpful paperback accurately described as “a Guide to the Basics.”
It’s not that Doris wanted to launch into a ministry of deliverance. She shares in her introduction, “My personality type is that of a phlegmatic, a peacemaker who can’t stand conflict. I asked the Lord why he put me in the position of heaving to deal with demons, when I like peace around me. Then it dawned on me that my job was to fix it so others could have the peace from torment for which they long. So, I am a ‘fix it’ person. My prayer is that this practical book will help those of you called to this ministry to take advantage of what it has taken me years to learn.”
Both as a guide to the basics and as a practical help, Doris’ book is a resounding success. This is a book every minister and Christian counselor should study. It’s just as valuable for anyone who takes praying for others seriously. What makes this book so special isn’t unique insights into deliverance ministry, but rather the clear, simple way the author guides the reader through such issues as demonic entry points and the deliverance session itself.
For those of us used to thinking of deliverance from demonic influences as a “power encounter” in which we directly confront and speak with demons, Doris invites us to see deliverance more as a prayer encounter with the troubled individual. Using a carefully crafted questionnaire which is reproduced in this book, Doris helps us identify demonic influences and shows us how to pray to break their hold on individuals. In Doris’ approach, the power of Jesus is channeled through prayer, demons are banished, and the oppressed find healing.
As a guide to the basics, How To Cast Out Demons belongs in the library of every Christian who takes the Bible’s teaching on angels and demons seriously, and who has any kind of personal ministry to others.
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December 10, 2009
Each Gospel contains at least one comment made by Jesus concerning demons. In this series we look at these comments to see what we can discover.
Jesus on Satan’s Children
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (Matthew 13:37-39)
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God (John 8:42-47).
Background
Twice the Gospels record Jesus placing human beings in two groups. In Matthew he characterizes one group as “good seed” and the other group as “sons of the evil one.” In John, after a long dialog with the Pharisees about their failure to respond to God’s testimony to Jesus, Christ tells his opponents “you belong to your father, the devil.”
In this he seems to lump human beings into one of two groups; those who “belong to God” and those who “belong to” the devil.
This idea that God is the Father of believers and that those who fail to respond to Jesus have Satan as their father is an uncomfortable one. We rightly think of God as a Heavenly Father who loves all humankind. So what did Jesus mean when he charged the hostile Pharisees with belonging to their father, the devil?
The answer lies in a distinctive use of “father” in Hebrew thought. The Zondervan International Encyclopedia of Bible Words points out that “one OT concept expressed by “father” is that of the founder of a family or line. When the Jewish leaders angrily shouted at Jesus, “Abraham is our father,” (John 8:39), they were claiming [not only to be physical descendants of Abraham but also] to be in the religious tradition of the founding father of Israel” (p270). In the same sense the religious leaders in Israel claimed “We have one Father, even God” (John 8:41) . . . a claim which Jesus rejected saying “if God were your Father, you would love me” (John 8:42).
Anyone who is true to the religion established by God and thus belongs to God will believe in Jesus. All who reject Jesus follow another path, a path rooted in lies rather than the truth. And the founder of false faiths is none other than Satan himself.
In saying “you are of your father the devil” Jesus is rejecting the Pharisees claim to be followers of the true faith established by God in his covenant with Abraham. They have in fact abandoned that faith, which relied on God’s willingness to accept trust in him in place of righteousness (Genesis 15:6), and have chosen to rely on their own ability to gain merit with God by keeping his law. The proof they have abandoned the true faith is their failure to trust Jesus, who has shown them the loving heart of God.
It is in this sense of adherents of a counterfeit, lying religion that all who fail to trust Jesus are “of your father, the devil.” They have chosen one of the many paths blazed by Satan; paths which lead them further and further from the Savior and from a true personal relationship with God.
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Observations
1. “good seed.” In Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13 the good seed is defined as sons of [God’s] kingdom. In contrast the “weeds” are “sons of the evil one.” The point of this particular parable is that wheat and tares [weeds that look like wheat in early stages] grow up together in the same field, and until heads appear on the wheat the two are indistinguishable. What are we to do with this mix of God’s and Satan’s children growing in the same field? What we are not to do is go on a witch-hunt in which we take it on ourselves to label some “weeds” and others “wheat.” At the end of the age God will make that determination himself, and angels will do the sorting.
2. “If God were your father.” In John’s Gospel however Jesus provides criteria of determining what we can call “different fields.” The wheat and the tares appear similar. They are found in the same field, and we are not to seek to separate them.
But Jesus’ dialog with the Pharisees makes a different point. While some may claim that they are in the “field” founded by God, the distinguishing mark of the authentic field is belief in Jesus. Hearing Jesus and responding to him marks the faith-tradition founded by God himself. Even rabbinic Judaism, whose roots were in the Old Testament, had distorted the earlier revelation so that it was no longer the faith founded by God. The leaders’ reaction to Jesus made it clear that “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.”
3. “The harvest is the end of the age.” This comment in Matthew 13, along with Jesus explicit instructions in the context, makes it clear that we are not qualified to distinguish between “true believers” and pseudo-believers within the Christian community. God knows those who are his. And to make this kind of judgment risks uprooting some who are wheat along with the tares. Immature believers almost certainly will not live the same kind of life as those who are mature. Our approach should be to create a climate of love and acceptance within which growth in Christ can take place, and be patient with those who flaws are evident.
4. “The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” This statement made to the Pharisees underlines the truth expressed in John 14:6. There Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, and the life, and states unequivocally that “no one comes to the Father except by me.” The common assumption today that all or many of the spiritual paths men take lead to God is declared to be a lie, a fiction of Satan who spins a host of false religions to deceive a humanity that lives in a world of illusions. Only a faith that makes Jesus the center, that is marked by love for Christ and obedience to his voice, is authentic. And only those who trust Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life become children of God, not simply followers of the faith God founded, but also dearly loved sons and daughters of the God who yearns to be the Father of all.
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December 1, 2009
My recent poll asking readers of demondope whether I should continue reporting news indicating the spread of neopaganism in today’s world received an overwhelming “Yes” vote. It also received one “No,” with a question of why I’m picking on Wiccans and other neopagans. “They don’t hurt anyone,” my respondent observed.
Actually, I don’t feel that I am “picking on” neopagans. I’m more than ready to stipulate that most Wiccans and such are, as they often assert, “just like everyone else.” Most pay their taxes, love and care for their families, are concerned for the environment, work hard at their jobs, and lead lives much like the rest of us. And, in our country at least, they have as much right to practice their religion as do Christians, Jews and Muslims. Their freedom to practice their religion should be as protected as the freedom of any of the traditional faiths. When it comes to our Wiccan and other friends, it’s not enough to be tolerant of them. We need to treat them just like any other citizen of our town and country . . . with courtesy and respect.
I do, of course, “pick on” the belief system that undergirds neopaganism. Like that of Christians, the neopagan belief system holds that there is a spirit world filed with beings that impact our lives in this world. Unlike Christians, who view the spirit world from a biblical perspective, neopagan faiths . . . all 150 or so “paths” . . . view this spirit world as filled with a variety of different entities, most of whom are well disposed to human beings. Given this viewpoint it’s not surprising that most neopagan paths encourage contact with some of these entities. The intent of such contact may be to manipulate events in the mundane world by the use of magick, or to seek the supernatural help of some spirit who will serve as a guide. Whatever the intent, the effect is to become vulnerable to the spirit(s) contacted.
Again, given the neopagan perspective on the spirit world, opening oneself up to the influence of spirits seems to create possibilities that don’t exist for the materialistic majority, who assume that the material universe is all that there is. For those with any spiritual bent at all, the materialistic outlook seems sterile and void of hope.
As a Christian, who views the spirit world from the perspective of Scripture, I too see a spirit world filled with beings who impact our lives. But the spirit world unveiled in the Bible is one in which good and evil are at war, with evil spirits in temporary control. And the clear testimony of the Bible is that any spirits contacted by occult means – and those are the only means available to our neopagan friends – are evil spirits, or demons. And there’s the rub.
If neopagan faiths encourage human beings to open up their lives to demons and demonic influences, the spread of these religions and their beliefs are a significant threat to our friends and families.
While we show tolerance to and respect those who follow neopagan faiths, we need to openly confront the belief system they hold. And we should never hesitate to call neopagan beliefs evil, wrong, destructive, or diabolical.
So here’s what you can expect to find on demondope in the future.
1. I’ll continue to track the spread of neopagan paths and neopagan beliefs in Western societies, and particularly in the United States.
2. I’ll continue to critique and to inform readers about the beliefs that undergird neopaganism, and about the occult practices associated with Wicca and other neopagan paths.
3. I’ll continue to provide Bible studies, like my series on “Jesus vs Demons” and “Jesus’ Teachings on Demons.”
4. I’ll continue to review books on exorcism and demonization, which focus on direct confrontation with demons.
5. I’ll also increasingly focus on how Satan and demons attack believers through the parallel influences of the world and the flesh.
6. In 2010 I’ll launch a series of studies that will deal with every passage in the Epistles that refers to supernatural powers and how they operate.
In addition, let me offer to answer any questions readers may have in the field of demonology, either in a post on www.demondope.com or via email. And if any of you have a relevant story to share, I’ll be more than happy to post it for other readers . . . or, if you prefer, to keep it confidential.
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December 1, 2009
A Different Thanksgiving Service
The First Baptist Church of Austin, Texas, hosted the 25th annual interfaith Thanksgiving Service and Celebration November 22nd. The Sunday service began with a Muslim chant and the blowing of a Ram’s horn [a Jewish symbol]. Then dancers wearing bright purple dress, Wiccan symbols, crosses, hijabs and yarmulkes proceeded down the sanctuary aisle. Some 900 people attended the service, which included Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Baha’i, and Covenant of the Goddess religious groups.
Craig’s list of Spells
Is there a market for magick spells these days? I checked out craigslist for witches and sorcerers offering to cast spells. The topic heading says “about 3,660 from craiglist for spells.” I checked out one offering of “real spells by a true witch.” Her name is Nora Winters, and she promises to use her abilities to “cast the right spell specifically for what your situation requires.” Among the spells offered [with a price list] are student spells, money spells, complete life-changing spells, beauty spells, karma revenge spells, etc. The most expensive spells are weight loss and restore health spells, at $200 each, and fertility spells at $375. Among the least expensive? Spells promising to restore inner peace at only $45, and stop depression spells for $50. .
Raleigh Witch Suggests, Choose a Domestic Deity
The Examiner.com suggests that “every domestic witch will eventually look into the subject of a household deity.” The article suggests a number of available deities, but warns that care be taken selecting a deity to hang around your house. “Different deities require different invitations, different care, and different offerings to keep them happy.” [The article doesn’t say so, but I gather no witch wants an unhappy deity hangfing around!].
Readers React to “Christian Wiccan” Story
An article in the Examiner.com asking “What the heck is a Christian Wiccan?” received some 219 responses. Typical is this letter by Naya, of Memphis, Tenn.
“There-is-no-such thing as a Christian Wiccan. Wicca is a specific set of practices and beliefs, and part of it involves the character called the God and this other character called the Goddess. They are not, never have been, nor ever will be associated with Christianity. Please, all you people throwing around terms like ‘Christian-Wiccan,’ STOP and think about what you are saying. That’s like saying you’re a ‘Christian-Muslim.’ It is confused, ignorant, and insulting to the precepts of BOTH religions.”
Witch Settles with University of Nebraska
A woman identified as “Jane Doe” hired by the University to direct a youth program claims she was fired when the university discovered she practices witchcraft as her religion. She settled her suit for $40,000. University attorneys say it made the offer without admitting to any of the allegations.
Easier to be a Witch
An article in the Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise on Nov 2 announced that it’s easier to be a witch these days than three decades ago. Ivy Liberman, a member of the Murrietta Witches for the Goddess, a group of some 130 practicing witches, asserts that people in this traditionally conservative Christian regions “are more tolerant of their [Wiccan] beliefs than ever before.” The article reports that “the growth of neo-paganism in southwest Riverside County mirrors that in the United States. Hartford, Connitcut’s Trinity College’s annual American Religious Identification Survey indicates that adherents of neo-pagan faiths grew from 1.2 million in 1990 to 2.8 million in 2006.
Psychic Police?
In Wales the police spent $20,000 following up “leads” in a murder case supplied by a group of psychics. But in Manchester, England, a police trainer claims he was fired for believing that mediums should be consulted in criminal investigations. The officer, Alan Power, is a long-time member of a spiritualist church. The judge in a preliminary hearing ruled that the case has merit because spiritist beliefs have sufficient cogency and importance to be covered by Great Britain’s Employment Equality Act. The judge wrote, “I am satisfied that the claimant’s belief that there is life after death and that the dead can be contacted through mediums are worthy of respect in a democratic society.”
Twilight in Australia
Australia’s Sunday Telegraph reported on November 16th that Vampire Clubs, Covens, and Werewolf Lairs are springing up all over Australia, stimulated by the Twilight books and TV shows like True Blood. The head of the Australian Booksellers Association pointed out that the fad doesn’t involve vampire worship. According to social analyst Neer Korn, “They’re just looking for something that feels like they’er breaking the rules. And this is an example of how they’re doing it—by entering a realm of fantasy.”
University Pagans Reach Out
Members of the Pagan Student Association in Champaign-Urbana hosted a Totem Animal Workshop at the Student Union. A speaker associated with a pagan group called A Druid Fellowship led a discussion of the concept of Totem Animals, animal spirit-guides. Sharing her personal experience. speaker Cindy Westfall told of meeting her own totem animal, the dog. Another participant in the event, intended to clear up misunderstandings of paganism, explained that “we do worship a higher being. It’s not like how it is in Christianity . . . I personally worship my own god.”
Kenyan Pastor Attracts “Possessed”
On November 11th David McKenzie of CNN reported on the unusual ministry of Kenyan Pastor Lawrence Omambia. One Sunday each month is devoted to exorcising evil spirits and to release those who come from the powers of witchcraft. The belief in witchcraft runs deep in western Kenya, and Omambia’s direct confrontation of the occult meets a deeply sensed need for protection from evil spirits. That fear too often has led to the killing of women suspected of being witches. “Witches are there,” says the pastor, “But what we do here is more powerful than witchcraft.”
Councilman Apologizes
A Queens, NY, councilman who practices Theodism, a neopagan religion, apologized to the Greek Orthodox community for inadvertently offending them by comparing the animal sacrifice practiced in his religion to an Easter feast. In a prepared statement Dan Halloran stated, “I think it is vitally important that my constituents know I respect them and their faiths ands traditions, as they do mine.”
All A Misunderstanding
When Purvis High School in Mississippi suspected Shaun Derusha his mother insisted it was all a misunderstanding. Yes, the family practiced witchcraft, something others in their town of 3,000 didn’t understand. But they didn’t worship the devil. And mom couldn’t understand how anyone would get the impression her son was planning on summoning demons to attack certain students at the school. Followers of Eclectic Paganism, as the family styles itself, just aren’t into demon summoning. Apparently mom was convincing. After taking a test to assess his mental stability Shaun was allowed back in school.
Pagans Respond to Fort Hood Tragedy
After the killings a Fort Hood pagan groups offered counseling to on the post. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that pagan chaplains and spiritual counselors are among those offering support to the For Hood community. A number of military on the post worship with the Fort Hood Open Circle, a pagan congregation. Circle Sanctuary, a Midwestern Pagan organization with an “active military ministries” arm, organized telephone counseling to support any Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, Heathen, Pantheist, or other nature religion practitioners. The Military Pagan Network estimates that there are over 4,300 pagans in the military, of which about 2000 are Wiccans.
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December 1, 2009
Each Gospel contains at least one saying by Jesus about demons. In this series we look at those comments to see what we can discover.
Satan’s Passionate Desire
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31,32)
The Context
As the last supper concludes the disciples fall to wrangling again about who will be greatest. Jesus rebukes them, pointing out that he intends each to have a significant role in his kingdom. He then turns to Simon Peter and reveals a hidden reality. Satan has demanded access to Peter, to “sift him as wheat.” Peter protests. Whatever others may do, Peter will stick with Jesus, though it costs him his life. At this point Jesus predicts that before sunrise Peter will deny him three times.
Observations
1. “Satan has asked” The devil and his demons attack Jesus’ followers, and the more dedicated we are to the Lord the greater Satan’s passionate desire to have at us. Why bother with those already in his kingdom? Satan wants to get at those who follow Jesus, who threaten his grip on other human beings.
2. “Satan has asked.” We come under satanic attack only when God permits it. Satan must ask permission from God to harass any of God’s people. We see this also in the Book of Job, where Satan complains that God placed a hedge of protection around that Old Testament saint.
Let’s never become discouraged when we’re under attack. Satan intends to harm us. But God intends good to result from any effort demons may mount against us.
3. “Sift you like wheat” In biblical times stalks of wheat were arranged on a flat, hard piece of ground and then beaten with flails. It was a violent process, as the stalks were pounded again and again, until the straw was bent and bruised and the heads and kernels of grain were separated from the stalks. In a real sense, Satan was asking permission to tear Peter apart!
4. “Sift you like wheat” Threshing was a necessary step in the process of harvesting. Once the kernels of grain had been separated from the stalks, the farmer collected them and tossed them in the air. The “threshing floor” was not only selected for the hardness of the ground, but also for windiness. As the grain was tossed in the air the wind blew away the useless husks, leaving only the useable kernels.
5. “But I have prayed for you, Simon.” Jesus doesn’t say that Satan’s request was denied. What Jesus tells Peter is that he has prayed “that your faith may not fail.” The central issue is not whether demons may be behind seemingly destructive events in our lives. The central issue is our response to those events. What counts is whether or not our faith remains strong, or fails.
6. “But I have prayed for you, Simon” Jesus prayed for Peter, by name. That’s how he prays for each of us, by name, as individuals, and in view of the particular attacks Satan launches against us. Satan knows our vulnerabilities and sees our flaws. But Jesus knows us best of all, and provides just the support we need.
7. “When you have turned back” Peter did fall away. The series of denials that he was even acquainted with Jesus was an overt rejection of the Lord. Yet Peter had been sincere when he promised to accompany Jesus even if it should cost him his life. Peter was committed, he knew he was committed, and he believed that commitment was enough. What Peter didn’t understand was his own weakness, a weakness that each of us shares. It hurts when we make choices that are in effect a denial of Jesus and our love for him. It can be devastating to our notion of who we really are. But failures may be necessary to bring us to rely on God rather than on ourselves.
8. “When you have turned back” Peter’s denials that night didn’t fix his destiny. They revealed his weakness, but they did not rule out the possibility of recommitment and return. True faith may dim, but an underlying trust in Jesus, which Peter had, will not fail. That kind of faith is a gift from God, sustained by Christ’s prayers. The Gospel truly is Good News. Good News that though we may fail Christ he will not fail us, and that our turning back is a matter of “when,” not a question of “if.”
9. “Strengthen your brothers” Peter was the acknowledged leader of the 12, the first on every list of disciples, the most outspoken of Jesus’ followers. Later Peter would be the first to preach the Gospel to Jews, and the first to share it with Gentiles. God had a role for Peter to play despite the weakness expressed in that night’s denials. Peter did turn back, and spend the rest of his life strengthening his brothers.
Let’s remember when, like Peter, we fail ourselves and the Lord in some significant way, that the rest of our life can still count. It’s not that we have failed in the past, but what we will do with that “rest of our life” that should concern us