Charismaniacs need mental and emotional healing

i. Introduction

There is something seriously wrong when people engage in bizarre behaviour like body contortions, slaying in the spirit, writhing and twisting on the floor, dancing around the room in an unseemly manner and believing crazy things like Prosperity theology, ‘name it and claim it’, and private revelations that are contradictory to the Spirit of compassion, healing-mercy and loving-kindness.

Pentecostalism attracts a disproportionate number of people who are  mentally and emotionally ill and some of these need professional help from independent, properly qualified psychologists and psychiatrists.

Most people are probably mentally and emotionally stable but a growing proportion of adherents are being attracted who believe Charismaniac theology and engage in their bizarre practices.

When such people run rampant in a church, they can do a lot of emotional damage to others. Sometimes pastors do not know what to do about them and, at other times, pastors encourage this kind of behaviour because their numbers are increasing and they believe that a HOLY SPIRIT REVIVAL is in happening in their midst.

The fastest growing churches are Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and , among these churches, the fastest subset of growing churches are those that adopt some of these Charismaniac practices and adhere to elements of Charismaniac theology,

Such practices and theology are extremely damaging to the Christian cause. If you are a classical Trinitarian Pentecostal church,  I implore you NOT to adopt these crazy Charismaniac theologies and practices and seek to instruct your people in proper biblical exegesis, avoid false and bizarre prophecies and words of knowledge, and seek to steer those who are mentally unbalanced towards mental and emotional healing,

2. Why are people attracted to Pentecostal and Charismatic churches?

Some are attracted by the vibrant music and the seemingly strong energy that comes from these meetings. Those who find Mainline church  services boring or Evangelical services too staid and straight-laced (like some Fundamentalist Baptist churches) are sometimes attracted to Pentecostal and Charismatic services.

You might be doubting the veracity of the bible because you do not see that miracles are occurring in your church services and beginning to doubt that miracles ever occurred. A Pentecostal comes along and tells you that miracles are occurring in their churches and that what happened in bible days is occurring now. You might want to go and check this out and, if you do, you might get sucked into believing that they are right.

You might be wondering whether there is a God who answers believing prayer since your prayers don’t seem to be answered. God seems to have gone to sleep and appears to be more like Baal than the God of the prophet Elijah. So some enthusiastic Pentecostal tells you of numerous cases of God answering prayer and you might go to their services to find out if this is true.

You might be going through a long dry patch in your religious experience and lacking ‘victory in Jesus’ and wondering whether God has deserted you. After your initial ‘born again’ experience has waned and withered, a Pentecostal comes along and enthusiastically tells you that your lack of Spiritual power is due to the fact that, although you are ‘born again’, you have not yet experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of  miraculously speaking in  other tongues that you do not know but are known to others.

You might be told that ‘speaking in tongues’ is the spiritual powerhouse. You might be told that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit will  revolutionize your Christian life. These kinds of tactics are used by Pentecostals to bring members of  non-Charismatic churches into the Charismatic fold.

It all seems attractive to many disillusioned Mainline and Evangelical Christians who know that they once had an ardent desire to follow Christ but this desire has waned over the years because of the ‘daily drudge in Jesus’ that they are experiencing.

Imagine if miraculous healings were occurring today. Imagine if God was actually intervening in human history today just like he is supposed to have done in biblical days. And if you have just EXPERIENCED the wonderful Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you will be walking on ‘cloud nine’ and will begin to believe that there is a God who actually does intervene and that the bible is true and the very WORD of God.

You will believe in the 9 manifestations or Gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 and will begin to read the bible like a Pentecostal Fundamentalist or Pentecostal/Charismatic Evangelical.

The hypnotic techniques (often unconsciously learned by Pentecostal pastors), the rhythmic singing, the  dynamic (but often uncontextual) preaching and wonderful (but unverified) stories of people hearing genuine tongues spoken  (instead of gibberish) by someone who never knew that language and unverified organic healings (that are supposed to have occurred in China or in some other far off place) will likely CONDITION YOU TO BELIEVE THESE THINGS.

All these things prepare people for what Pentecostals claim is a dynamic, vibrant, EXPERIENTIAL encounter with God. People genuinely do encounter something, but we need to ask whether it is God they are encountering or something else.

If you are trapped in a Pentecostal church and have been CONDITIONED to turn off your critical faculties, I implore you not to. Young people are being attracted to Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in droves because they are promised a dynamic encounter with the God of the bible. Beware and keep your critical faculties razor-sharp. Do not succumb to the mental and emotional conditioning in such churches and lose your ability to critically analyze what is happening.

The real problem is that an increasing number are being attracted to Charismaniac practices and theology. If the only form of Christianity likely to survive by the end of the 21st century is Pentecostal/Charismatic, then these movements NEED TO GET THEIR HOUSED IN ORDER AND CLEAN UP THEIR ACT.

3. What steps can a classical Pentecostal church take to help reduce Charismania?

These may help reduce, but may not necessarily eliminate,  Charismania.

(1). Pastors, please preach expository sermons.

Expound the Scriptures in their immediate and broader context. Give attention to the form, structure and setting of a book. Look at what is cultural and trans-cultural within a passage and seek to be Christocentric in your approach to the bible. This will help to prevent the great number of people who lift verses out of context to justify their supposed leadings of the Holy Spirit.

(2) Teach your congregations proper methods of biblical exegesis and sound classical Pentecostal theology and warn them against Charsimaniac theologies and practices.

(3) Don’t accept ‘prophecies’ and ‘words of knowledge’ that are inconsistent with the compassionate heart of Jesus revealed in the Gospels.

Tone down the “Thus says the Lord” and other oracular certainties that often occur in services. Say ‘I think the Lord might be saying … ‘ . There are too many false prophecies and ‘words of knowledge’ occurring currently in Pentecostal and Charismatic services and some People act on these to their severe cost and disappointment .

(4) Subordinate so-called private revelations to the biblical witness to Jesus, contextually interpreted.

(5) Develop a Christocentric theology of the Word.

Have a look of some of the Anabaptist and neo-Anabaptist theology or Barth’s  volumes on Church Dogmatics.

(6) Accept historico-critical methods of reading the bible and teach your congregations these methods.

A good dose of Bart Ehrman’s  books can help you fashion your views if you are looking for easy to read material and haven’t already studied such methods at a Mainline or Liberal theological seminary. You won’t agree with Ehrman but he will make you think and rethink your position. You may end up with a different version of Christianity than you now have but it will cure one of any Charismaniac tendencies that have been picked up on the way.

4. How can a Classical Pentecostal church promote emotional healing and wholeness?

I am no expert in this field, but here are my tentative musings on this subject.

(1) Think of every person as a beautiful person made in the image or likeness of a God of peace and compassion. Proclaim this kind of God of love in your services and treat every person with dignity and respect.

(2) Seek to develop healthy, cooperative relationships  and encourage dialogue among the members. Allow for theological diversity but within a framework of a compassionate, Christocentric theology of the Word of God.

(3) Focus of the graciousness of God in a way that produces graciousness in people. Allow people to be where they are at without trying to change them. Accept them where they are and let the graciousness of a  God of love heal their lives and relationships in his/her own time.

(4) Look to the humanity of Jesus and examine how he treated outcasts and do likewise. Accept them where they are at and welcome them into community. Have a warm, open, tender heart towards these people.

(5) Look at the generosity of God revealed in Jesus  and seek to express this kind of generosity towards others in our lives, lifestyle, deeds and words.

(6) Focus on the GOOD NEWS of peace and compassion proclaimed by Jesus who announced the coming of the reign of God, God’s reign of shalom. Get your congregations to focus their MINDS AND HEARTS on good news, joyful news, news of happiness that uplifts the human spirit.

(7) Find good, independent qualified psychologists and psychiatrists in your community that you could send mentally disturbed people in your congregation, if they are willing to go. Some people desperately need the right kind of professional help to heal mentally and emotionally.

Can you be raped by the devil?

Charisma Magazine has an article that reflects pure Charismatic craziness. It is claimed that you can be raped by the devil and that demons engage in sexual activity with humans. (http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/spiritual-warfare/15889-can-you-be-raped-by-the-devil)

I am going to quote sections of this article in italics and my responses will be in dark print.

As bizarre as it sounds, those who minister to people in occult bondage say that it is more common than you think.

For nearly two decades, Contessa Adams felt as though she had no power against demon violators of her body. She felt trapped in secrecy and shame and knew that the demons tormenting her wanted things to stay that way.

It not only sounds bizarre, it is bizarre. Demons are non-existent beings that ancient humans often believed could invade a human body and possess the person so invaded. But there is no more evidence for the existence of demons than there is for the existence of fairies, goblins and leprechauns.

But God had another agenda for Adams when she found Christ in 1979. The former stripper has a ministry through nightmares one of Satan’s darkest secrets – sexual demons.

These spiritual rapists, as Adams describes them in her book,  Consequences, prey on people through nightmares and erotic dreams. Some people become so dependent upon these demonic experiences that they actually look forward to them.

If Adams and Charisma magazine believe that the bible is the Word of God (like most Pentecostals and Charismatics) why is it that the bible says nothing about such experiences? Yet Adams is in on one of Satan’s darkest secrets– sexual demons. Apparently, Adams and Charisma know more than their god. 

Many people have sexual dreams and this is a NORMAL part of life. We are all sexual beings and there is no need to attribute these to the work of Satan (a mythical being). Nocturnal emissions are common among males who are unable to have their sexual needs met  with another person and/or do not masturbate. There is absolutely no need to attribute these kinds of dreams to sexual demons.

“Anyone who has been attacked by them will tell you … they’re worried [that] they could not find that pleasure with mortal people”, says Adams, who claims that she was once possessed by sexual demons.

I’ve had sexual dreams but I do not think that I am possessed by sexual demons. I am also happily married. Most normal human beings have had these types of dreams from time to time.

If you are single and have sexual dreams, it is absolutely  ludicrous to think that you will not be able to find pleasure with another human being. People who are “worried” are often subject to crazy Charismanic pastors who preach the kind of stuff that Adams believes in.

The two most identifiable sexual demons are the incubus, which is a male sexual demon that traditionally assaults women, and the succubus, which is a female sexual demon that assaults men. Sometimes they lure people into homosexual behavior.

Adams notes that one evangelist, whose name she would not divulge, was troubled by sexual pleasure the succubus gave her that she even contemplated suicide.

Adams says that the succubus spirit that used to attack her confused her so much that she contemplated becoming a lesbian.

The bible doesn’t even mention these names but Adams and Charisma Magazine apparently have special revelation from God (???????) that you and I do not have. It is absolutely crazy. 

Moreover, it is downright disgraceful to suggest that demons can turn  persons  into gays or lesbians. The Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have been responsible for so much anti-gay and anti-lesbian propaganda, misinformation,  and hatred that they do not need to add demons to their list. The churches need to repent and act with the compassionate heart of Jesus and treat these people as normal human beings.

Nor do we need magazines, like Charisma, promoting fear among heterosexual Christians that they might become homosexual by having sexual dreams.

God is Love and keeps no record of wrongs

Derek Flood over at the Rebel God has a post called “God is Love .. Love keeps no record of wrongs” in which he asks an interesting question. If in Paul’s hymn of love (1 Cor. 13), we substituted the word God where Paul uses love, what impact would this have on they way we think of God? (http://www.therebelgod.com/2013/02/god-is-love-love-keeps-no-record-of.html.)

God is love. If that’s true, then Paul’s famous hymn should read like this.

“God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud.

God does not dishonor others, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs.

God does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.

God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails”. (http://www.therebelgod.com/2013/god-is-love-love-keeps-no-record-of.html)

Do you agree with Derek’s view? If so, why? If not, why not?

7 Reasons why God might fail to heal

Charismatic and Calvinistic theologian Sam Storms presents 7 reasons why he believes that God might not heal. Now Storms does believe that God heals today both through his ordinary works of providence (including medical help from qualified doctors , proper exercise, eating healthy food, etc.) as well as miraculously. He believes that miracles occurred not only in biblical times, but that signs and wonders occur today when God so chooses to heal and in response to believing faith.

Storms recognizes that God might not always heal someone and suggests seven possible reasons why he sometimes does not. They are:

1. Lack of faith

2. Sin in a person’s life

3. A lack of desire to be healed

4. Failure to persevere in prayer for healing

5. A person is influenced by demons

6. Because God has a reason he is not telling

7. Because God wants to teach you a lesson and make you stronger.

(http://theresurgence.com/2013/05/09/why-doesn-t-god-always-heal-the-sick.)

Storms is an Evangelical, ‘third wave’ Charismatic and is NOT a Charismaniac. However, if Storms looked closely at what happens in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles, where most of the laity actually DO believe that God heals today in response to believing faith (and that miracles are actually occurring in their midst), he would be hard pressed to find any genuine, medically authenticated, organic healings but would see that people die from cancer and other organic diseases and are NOT HEALED. Yet such persons, who while they are going through their suffering, would claim that they have believing faith and are persevering in prayer.

Evangelicals believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent so that he never makes any mistakes. He is sovereign over all his creation  and all his purposes are achieved. God is also said to be compassionate and desires to heal the sick, unless he has a higher purpose.

Most Pentecostals believe that it IS God’s will to heal and that God DESIRES to heal ALL who have BELIEVING FAITH.  Many may be healed of psycho-somatic diseases. Yet when  none are healed of organic diseases, some reason has to be found to explain WHY GOD FAILED TO HEAL. There is no empirical evidence that the miraculous works that Jesus is said to have performed  are being performed today.

If God is compassionate why would he LEAVE people to suffer needlessly and allow organic diseases to come upon them like cancer. The trouble with the ‘orthodox’ view of God held by most of the church is that if God is omnipotent he has the power to relieve suffering and distress, yet he chooses not to. Why would God have some mysterious view that he is withholding from the sick person and why would it really be in God’s higher plan for people to go through needless pain and suffering?

Notice that reasons (1) to (4) blame the sick person. As humanist Bruce Gerencser points out

The sinner is always to blame. God gets a free ride because he is an AWESOME God and has a wonderful, super-duper plan for our lives. God gets the credit anytime something good happens, but when bad things happen God is absolved of any responsibility. (http://brucegerencser.net/2013/05/why-doesnt-god-heal-the-sick.)

Storms’ reason (5) blames it on people being influenced by “mythical” non-existent demons. There is absolutely no more evidence for the existence of demons than there is for fairies, leprechauns, or goblins.

Although Storms may be a  moderating  voice in Charismatic circles yet his views will not prevent  Charismania.  It would be far better for Charismatics and Pentecostals to STOP BLAMING SICK PEOPLE FOR FAILING TO BE HEALED and spend more time on seeking to develop a more COMPASSIONATE approach to those who are suffering.

The Dalai Lama says that secular ethics is the basis of morality

Recently, at a meeting in India, the Dalai Lama stressed the importance of secularism as a basis for morality.The New York Times reported:

The Dalai Lama stressed the importance of secular ethics as the basis of moral teachings as he said that morality based on religious teaching cannot be universal. (http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/dalai-lama-stresses-science-and-secularism-in-jaipur/)

Now the Dalai Lama was keen to point out that

… secularism does not mean to disrespect religion but at the same time to respect nonbelievers.

In his book, The Art of Happiness, he teaches that it is important to focus on peace and non-violence through developing COMPASSION and regard for the “other”. This seems to me to be consistent with Jesus good news of shalom and his command that we love our enemies. Peace and well-being spring from a “regard for the other” and seeing them as one of us, not “over and against us”.

The 20th century has been a century of bloodshed  and violence, … The 21st century should be a century of dialogue. (http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/dalai-lama-stresses-science-and-secularism-in-jaipur/)

The failure of many in the church to be able to reach out in peace and compassion towards those of other religions and those of no religion is due, in part, to viewing Jesus as the only way to God and seeing this way  as exclusive.

Jesus’ way is the way of compassion, healing-mercy and loving-kindness and when such healing-mercy is demonstrated in the lives of those of other religions and those of no religion, they are acting in ways consistent with the good news of shalom. They don’t have to be Christians to be in the process of being made whole. It is love that makes us whole.

Evangelicals often  forget the parable of the good Samaritan. This Samaritan was not of the SAME religion as the Jewish religious establishment and he was not an explicit disciple of Jesus, yet Jesus commended him for the way he treated the wounded man and this was all in response to two questions by a Jewish scribe, namely “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” and “Who is my neighbour”? The One who was the neighbour was the one who showed mercy to the one in need. (Luke10:25-37).

When religious ethics fails to take into account our common humanity, such religious teaching cannot be universal without seeking to make all conform (either voluntarily through imperialistic evangelism or forcefully through instituting religious laws of holy books, e.g. biblical law of Israel’s theocracy that Christian theonomists want to see as the law of the land, or Sharia law that many Fundamentalist Muslims want to see instituted.)

I agree with the Dalai Lama that we need to respect non-believers and seek to follow a humane set of values and norms that most can agree on as a basis for ethics.  We don’t have to deny the compassion, healing-mercy and loving-kindness that are at the heart of Jesus’ message of peace and well-being.

Remember, it was the hated Samaritan (one considered by the Jewish establishment to be a hated enemy) who demonstrated compassion and healing-mercy and we can learn from our enemies what the ethics of love might look like because of our common humanity.

When hate masquerades as love

1. Introduction

Why do so many internet Evangelicals write hateful blog comments, especially on topics like marriage equality rights for same-sex couples? Many of their comments are hateful but masquerade under the view that such persons are ‘speaking the truth in love’. They believe that the bible is the ‘infallible’ Word of God and see a direct identity between the words of the bible and the Word of God.

Since the bible says that homosexuality is sinful and an ‘abomination’ , they take delight in telling anyone who supports same-sex marriage that they are on the road to hell where they will suffer everlasting punishment. If you are a Christian who supports equal marriage rights, you will be told that you are not a ‘true’ Christian, that you are being controlled by ‘Satan’ or that you are not, and never were, a Christian.

Such people speak with certainty and often fail to understand the immediate and broader contexts of the biblical verses they quote and fail to understand the theological stance of their opponents.

They see themselves as doing God’s work, defending God’s Word, rooting out ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’, and being ‘guardians of the flock’. They view themselves as God’s last bulwark against what they see as the moral decay in Western society, brought on by accommodation to changing cultural values.

It is this certitude of being right that gives so many Evangelicals the licence to make hateful comments towards same-sex oriented persons and heterosexuals who support marriage equality rights. They hate ‘in the name of Jesus’ under the guise that they are speaking the truth. They will claim that you cannot love someone unless you tell them the truth. But make no mistake, it is NOT COMPASSION, HEALING-MERCY AND LOVING-KINDNESS they display in their comments but hate disguised as love.

2. Rob Bell comes out in support of same-sex marriage

Humanist, Andrew Hackman, wrote:

It is indicative of the cry of persecution many religious bullies shout when their words and actions are being publicly resisted …

But this is the shelter many religious folks run to … They want some religious act to somehow negate, or balance out their behavior. I experienced this recently on my brother’s Facebook page. He had written an article that had a positive take on Rob Bell’s recent supportive statement on gay marriage. It was not long before the Christian conservatives started to circle the wagons. They could not understand how my brother could speak good-naturedly of someone as “false”, “low”, and “disgusting” as Rob Bell.

Andrew tried to engage one of his brother’s friends but the conversation did not go anywhere. Andrew points out:

She had no tolerance for anyone who did not share her “biblical” view on homosexuality. However, for all her acidity towards homosexuals and those who support them, one of her final statements was

“I don’t hold an anti-gay view at all. I love people. period.” (http://mrhackman.blogspot.com/au/2013/o3/facebook-faith-14-hate-is-love.html.)

(Note: the link to Andrew’s blog post of 23 March, 2013 seems to be broken. Go to his side bar and click on March and it is the first post you will see.)

If you check out Steve Hackman’s blog you will see that he is sympathetic to Rob Bell’s view on Marriage equality. Steve writes

I have not always agreed with Rob Bell theologically. Heck, I don’t always agree with my closest friends, my wife, or even sometimes myself, theologically but I will not break communion with someone who claims Christ as his King and seeks to share his love and life with others.

I’ve seen some people on the “blog-0-sphere” say not only has Rob Bell stopped being a Christian for stating his position on marriage equality but that he wasn’t even a Christian to begin with! (http://www.stevehackman.net/rob-bells-comments-on-marriage-equality-some-thoughts/)

And what exactly did Robe bell say that has so offended and outraged so many Conservative Evangelicals and Fundamentalists.

I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man – I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are. (http://www.christianpost.com/news/rob-bell-on-gay-marriage-support-god-pulling-us-ahead-to-affirm-gay-brothers-and-sisters-92395/)

The reaction of many evangelicals has been hostile, to say the least. There are 8 pages of blog comments to the Christian Post and most of them are what I have come, sadly,  to expect from most Evangelicals.

Rob Bell has been savagely attacked, in the past, over his book “Love Wins”. Justin Taylor wrote a review before Bell’s book was published and there are, to date, 1506 blog responses from mostly Evangelicals and most of these show pure hatred towards Rob. (http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/02/26/rob-bell-universalist/)

3. A Note to Evangelicals on the “blog-o-sphere” who write hateful comments under the guise of being faithful to the bible and then claim that they are ‘speaking the truth in love’

Same-sex persons have been ‘crucified’ by many Evangelical churches and such behaviour is extremely shameful. Many seem to be on a crusade against gays and Lesbians. Jesus said nothing explicitly about the issue of homosexuality, although Evangelicals would argue that this ‘sin’ is covered by the Greek word porneia.

To first century Jews, homosexuality was an ‘abomination’ and anyone caught in the act  would have been executed by being stoned to death. Homosexuals were treated as outcasts in the society that Jesus grew up in.

Adulterers were also stoned to death, if caught in the act. Although the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11) is not in the best and earliest manuscripts,  nevertheless the story seems to cohere with Jesus’ compassionate attitude and actions towards outcasts ans sinners. He does not think that capital punishment  should be applied.

Jesus was not on a crusade against same-sex persons. The OT required capital punishment as the penalty for same-sex acts but Jesus is totally silent on this issue. The Pharisees would have wanted their execution. And often Evangelical comments remind me more of the Pharisees and are totally unlike Jesus’  gracious and tender heart towards social outcasts.

It’s about time we Christians repented of our horrible attitudes  towards same-sex persons and their quest for equal rights. Let’s stop treating them as outcasts and treat them as full human beings with respect and dignity.

Charismania and demons

Charismatic and Pentecostal churches attract crackpots like bees abound a honey pot. It is not that most people who attend such churches  are crazy or mentally unbalanced, but I suspect that a disproportionate number are when compared with other churches. Some are mentally ill and desperately need help from a qualified professional.

One big problem in Pentecostal and charismatic churches is their emphasis on casting out demons. Jesus is said to have cast out demons and it is claimed that those that are Baptized with the Holy Spirit have been clothed with the same power from on high and can also cast out demons, in Jesus’ name.

The trouble is that in some Charismatic/Pentecostal churches where the leadership allows Charismania to run rampant, people tend to see demons everywhere and are keen to exorcise them. This can create a lot of psychological and emotional damage and leave people who do genuinely need psychological  or even psychiatric help from receiving medical help from a properly qualified professional.

Others, who are normal people, will sometimes be signaled out as having ‘demons’ because they express views different from the religious power brokers or because they do not behave in ways the power elite require, though outsiders would call their behaviour perfectly normal. This can sometimes create serious problems for these people, especially if the church is very controlling and  psychologically and/or emotionally abusive.

We need to look at the question of Jesus and demons and whether it is appropriate to actually believe that demons exist. Could Jesus have been mistaken in his beliefs about demons? Do demons really exist? How can we tell if demons are real entities? Do most Pentecostal pastors really believe in demons or do they just say that they do? And what can we say about the way Jesus treated people with compassion and understanding from a first century perspective? What lessons could Pentecostal and Charismatic churches learn from Jesus?

1. Jesus and demons

Even a cursory reading of the Gospels will show that Jesus believed in the existence of demons. Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Charismatics SAY they believe that demons are real entities because Jesus did and the bible says that demons are real.

Apparently, demons are invisible beings from the’ spirit world’ that are fallen angels. These beings are said to invade and control certain persons who become possessed by them and under their evil influence. Others, while not possessed, may be influenced by demons and seduced into evil behaviour.

Jesus, who was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, is said to have cast out demons and made people well. The messianic king was in their midst and one of the signs of the kingdom’s coming  was the power of the Messianic one over all the forces of evil. If Jesus, by the ‘finger’ of God, cast out demons, then the people would know that the kingdom of God has come.

2. Could Jesus have been mistaken in his beliefs about the existence of demons?

Evangelicals, including Pentecostals and Charismatics say “DEFINITELY NOT”. They believe that Jesus is God manifest in our humanity and, being God, he could NOT be mistaken. God is omniscient. God does not make mistakes.

It’s almost as if such Christians deny the very humanity of Jesus while claiming to believe in his full humanity, sin apart. Jesus was a first century Jew. He grew up with Jewish beliefs and one of the beliefs to which many Jews held was the belief that demons could cause mental and sometimes physical diseases such as epilepsy.

Now it is clear that the authors of  the Gospel of Matthew and of Luke did not believe that Jesus was omniscient. The Matthean Jesus makes the statement about the Coming of the Son of Man in the clouds with power and glory

“But about that day and hour no-one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”. (Mat.24:36)

The Lukan Jesus is said to have grown in wisdom. How could an omniscient being grow in wisdom?

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor . (Lk.2:52)

So if Jesus was not omniscient, then how can we be sure that his views on demons were correct? Jesus appears to have made mistakes. He seemed to have believed that the Son of Man would return before his disciples then living had gone through all the towns of Israel (Mt.10:23).

He told his disciples in his Olivet discourse (Mt. chs. 24 & 25) that “This generation” would not pass away till “all these things be fulfilled” (Mt.24:34). The whole context is about the Coming of the Son of Man. “This generation” refers to the generation Jesus was addressing in the first century CE. Of course the temple was destroyed in CE 70 but Jesus has not yet returned in power and glory.

So if Jesus was not omniscient and grew in wisdom, how can we be sure he was right about demons. Was he not just accepting the majority view of first century Jewish society? Today, we don’t attribute mental and some physical illnesses to demons. Our scientific knowledge has advanced well beyond anything that ancient human beings knew.

And why does it seem shocking to think that Jesus did not know everything and could have been mistaken on some things? Is it sinful to be mistaken or lack knowledge? Why? Couldn’t the shock expressed in Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic circles to the idea that Jesus did not know what he was talking about when he expressed his belief in demons be due to our failure to realize the significance of ( or full implications of) the fact that Jesus was a human being, born at a certain time in human history and  socialized within a particular social and religious culture in the ancient world?

3. Do demons really exist and, if they do,  how can we know this?

There is no empirical evidence for the existence of demons. Demons are invisible entities like angels, fairies, goblins, and leprechauns. No-one can disprove that these entities exist, but most people don’t believe in fairies, goblins or leprechauns. The ONLY reason conservative Christians believe in the existence of angels and demons is that the bible teaches about their existence and they believe that the bible is infallible (in the missing original manuscripts).

If the bible is NOT infallible and is mistaken on many issues, then we do not really have ANY greater basis for believing in angels or demons that we do for fairies, goblins and leprechauns. NONE WHATSOEVER.

4. Do Pentecostal and Charismatic Pastors really believe in the existence of demons?

Most appear to. They sometimes exorcise people that they believe have demons but I suspect that in the case of some of the mega stars that they are in it for the MONEY.

Many of the mega stars of the movement probably don’t really believe in demons, but they find it’s good to get the gullible crowds into their services. They claim to be performing the kinds of miracles that are attributed to Jesus  by the Gospel authors and they can do even greater works because Jesus has gone to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit.

The big problem is that in extreme Pentecostal and Charismatic churches (Charismaniac churches) the ordinary people seem to see demons everywhere with disastrous consequences for the emotional and spiritual well-being of those accused of having demons. And pastors of such churches play along with this and use it as a mechanism for power and control. Of course, if you asked such pastors “Do you believe in demons” they would say “Yes” because they would lose their congregations in  large numbers if they denied this and , in the case of the super stars, the money would begin to dry up.

5. What lessons could Pentecostal and Charismatic churches learn from Jesus?

Jesus treated oppressed people and outcasts with compassion and understanding. He made them whole and restored their dignity.  In the first century, people who were considered to be demon possessed or demon oppressed were religious and social outcasts. This was due to the religious superstition of the people.

Now Jesus accepted the idea of the existence of demons in common with the majority of people but he sought to restore outcasts to community. Given, the very limited medical knowledge that was available and the mistaken views held by people, Jesus (unlike most others) sought to set the captives free and to liberate them from their bondages. He sought to bring healing, harmony , wholeness and peace. He demonstrated, by his example, what it means to love other human beings and restore them to fellowship in human community.

Rather than Pentecostals and Charismatics concentrating on outmoded concepts of casting out non-existent invisible beings, would they not be better off concentrating on bringing the GOOD NEWS OF COMPASSION, HEALING-MERCY AND LOVING-KINDNESS to wounded and hurting people, some of whom are mentally disturbed and send them for professional help from properly qualified Psychiatrists and Psychologists?