John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College (at the time of publication), teams with his son J. Harvey Walton to address the contested area in contemporary biblical interpretation regarding the nature and activity of demons and spirits in Scripture. Their central thesis challenges dominant spiritual warfare paradigms by arguing that the biblical authors were less concerned with ontological realities of the spirit world than with communicating theological truths through the cognitive environment of the ancient Near East. This approach, consistent with Walton’s broader hermeneutical project evident in works like The Lost World of Genesis One, prioritizes understanding Scripture within its original cultural and literary contexts rather than imposing modern systematic categories onto the text.

The Waltons organize their study around three primary sections: Old Testament perspectives, New Testament developments, and theological synthesis. Throughout, they maintain that biblical demonology must be understood functionally rather than ontologically—that is, Scripture’s purpose is not to provide information about the nature of demons but to communicate theological truths about God’s sovereignty and humanity’s relationship to the divine.

Turning to the New Testament, the Waltons acknowledge a more developed demonology but maintain their functional hermeneutic. They argue that Jesus’ exorcisms and confrontations with unclean spirits address the fundamental problem of human alienation from God rather than engaging in cosmic territorial warfare. Demon possession, in their reading, serves as “living metaphor” for humanity’s captivity to sin and the powers of disorder. When Jesus casts out demons, he demonstrates divine authority over chaos and previews the restoration of creation rather than engaging in strategic spiritual combat. The Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20), for example, illustrates Israel’s uncleanness and alienation, with the exorcism symbolizing restoration to community and covenant relationship.

The Waltons make several valuable contributions to biblical theology. Their insistence on reading Scripture within its ancient cognitive environment prevents anachronistic interpretations that force modern categories onto ancient texts. Their functional approach helpfully refocuses attention from speculation about demonic ontology toward the theological purposes of biblical authors. Additionally, their critique of simplistic spiritual warfare models that lack clear biblical warrant serves as a necessary corrective to some excesses in popular-level demonology.

Furthermore, the book’s dismissal of territorial spirits and strategic spiritual warfare may overreach. While excesses certainly exist in much spiritual warfare literature, passages like Daniel 10:13-21, which describe “princes” associated with kingdoms, suggest some idea of a territorial dimension to spiritual conflict, even if not in the manner popular spiritual warfare models propose. The Waltons’ eagerness to avoid contemporary excess may lead to underreading the biblical data.

Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology offers a provocative and carefully argued challenge to dominant evangelical demonology. The Waltons succeed in demonstrating that much contemporary spiritual warfare theology lacks a clear biblical foundation and that Scripture’s primary concern is theological rather than providing information about the spirit world. Their work serves as an important corrective and will benefit readers by fostering more careful biblical interpretation. Pentecostals and Charismatics would do well to read carefully this contribution to the ongoing conversation. It would serve far better than nearly everything that gets published in the popular marketplace (in articles, books, YouTube, etc.) by Pentecostals and Charismatics on the subject.

Nevertheless, the book’s strengths may be undermined by an overly reductive functional hermeneutic that seems to throw out ontological reality with its methodological bathwater. A more nuanced approach would affirm both the theological purposes of demonic narratives and the personal reality of spiritual beings, recognizing that ancient authors could simultaneously pursue rhetorical goals and describe genuine encounters. For Pentecostal and charismatic readers especially, the Waltons provide valuable cautions but may not adequately account for biblical precedent and experiential dimensions of deliverance ministry that have characterized these movements. The book makes an important contribution to the conversation but should be read as one voice in an ongoing discussion rather than as a definitive resolution to complex questions of biblical demonology.

As a further note, this book offers specific counterpoints throughout to the works of a number of influential scholars on the topic, including the late Michael Heiser. Heiser is well known for his proposed biblical theology of demons, angels, and “the gods” and what has been widely disseminated in his numerous popular publications, most notably his best-selling 2015 book The Unseen Realm (just updated and expanded posthumously in 2025).  The Waltons have taken great care to address many of the issues which Heiser has popularized (having written extensively in academic forms as well) for his theology of the gods (e.g., divine council, sons of God, etc). It is with this in mind that it would be recommended that those who have read Heiser should also read this work by the Waltons, as offering the most cogent counterpoints to date.

Reviewed by Rick Wadholm Jr

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781625648259/demons-and-spirits-in-biblical-theology/

Preview this book: https://books.google.com/books?id=WvGaDwAAQBAJ

In Battling the Demonic, prolific writer and chronicler of the moves of the Holy Spirit in the Western world, the Rev’d William L. De Arteaga PhD, has collected a series of essays on a selection of developments in theory and practise surrounding demonology in, roughly, the last century – and also an interpretative effort to discern some larger moves of society, culture and the spirits that influence our time.

De Arteaga introduces the reader to the subject with an essay that reads as a recollection of a yearning, almost a lament, of unfulfilled longing in his youth for something eternal and true. He quickly paints the theological landscape of 20^th century North America with broad brush strokes and explains how arguments raged among dominant voices in theology about whether the Scriptural miracle accounts were indeed factual, but that the proponents of the trustworthiness of Scripture, were almost exclusively cessationist. While this is in many ways an especially North American phenomenon, this is the context of these essays and it understandably resurfaces in many of the essays – alongside the humanistic and naturalistic assumptions of liberal theologians.

De Arteaga continues to insightfully note that there is something true and under-developed in our thought on spiritual inheritance; and the relation of the earthly saints (us) with the saints in the Lord’s Glory. The enemy sometimes uses this to sow delusions, but we would do well to seek the Lord’s wisdom to discover this inheritance. It seems to this reviewer, that some of the recent works on Impartation by Randy Clark (D.Min.), about the sharing and passing on of spiritual gifts such as by the laying on of hands, may be fruitfully expanded into the Communion of Saints. De Arteaga will return to the interplay between time and eternity, and the thin veil of death, in the latter essays in this collection.

De Arteaga offers a concise and helpful overview of the omissions of Christian churches over the last century regarding demonological awareness. This overview could have been strengthened by noting the occasional abuses and excesses that have driven many to prefer getting stuck in the proverbial omission ditch on the one side of the Way of Christ as the safer option instead of risking falling into the excess ditch on the other side.

This reviewer particularly appreciates De Arteaga’s honest wrestling with the place of deliverance ministry in the public space or without “proper” preparations (or authorization in some ecclesial contexts). De Arteaga tempers his desire for orderly ministry with the witness of Scripture where encounters with unclean spirits are rarely if ever taking place with any forewarning.

Looking to stock the Christian’s pro-active arsenal, De Arteaga examines St Paul’s encounter with Elymas Bar-Jesus in Acts 13 and explores how similar actions, what he calls “command disablement,” might be beneficial in encountering those under demonic influence. He notes this is a largely unexplored territory of Christian ministry. In addition to De Arteaga’ examples, it is worth remembering how Jesus, when encountering people with evil spirits in Luke 4:41, “would not allow them to speak”. This reviewer also calls to mind a testimony of “command disablement” in self-defence recorded by Rabi R. Maharaj in his autobiography, Death of a Guru (Harvest House, 1977), which led to exorcism and salvation of a young man called Raymond. De Arteaga concludes this section of the book with a selection of hypothetical scenarios. He hopes to prompt the reader to imagine, with the Holy Spirit, how to exercise the authority of the believer, seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand. This is a topic that will recur in a later chapter as well, as De Arteaga purposefully seeks to imagine what is possible with Christ.

The second part of the book deals with a number of historical case studies. The chapters do not form a linear read, which is understandable for an anthology. The first reads as a socio-political commentary, highlighting themes in history that De Arteaga interprets as demonically influenced.

The main locus where De Arteaga analyses demonic influences in Western culture is in Marxist and associated ideologies. Considering that De Arteaga has previously written a on political influences in his America in Danger, Left and Right, this reviewer wishes that De Arteaga had included some analyses from other ends of the spectrum of public life, to reduce the risk of the reader disregarding this important work as partisan.

De Arteaga continues with a series of illustrative treatises of spiritual engagement and the response of Western society – from missionary experiences of oppressive demonic forces to the deceptions of various occult practices. The theme that emerges is of overt enemy actions overseas, and covert in the West.

If memory serves, it was C.S. Lewis who in his Screwtape Letters imagined that the enemy actively promotes the modern materialist lie that personal evil spirits do not exist, as it allows the enemy much latitude to operate undetected. This reviewer would like to add a complementary lie, which is more commonly found in the global South: that personal spiritual beings are powerful, worthy of fear and/or reverence, usually (though not always) malicious and while they might be appeased or bargained with, they certainly cannot be opposed by normal people. This is a belief that can also be found in the West among occultists, and in some cultural/ethnic subgroups and opens the door to much more overt oppression and intimidation by the forces of darkness. This difference in strategy by the enemy, and in cultural expectations, can explain the appearance of more active demonic activity outside of the West; which this reviewer believes to be a false appearance.

This is a very worthwhile call, and this reviewer recalls that the Greek word for the Latin “Discernment” is “Diagnosis”. De Arteaga does not shy away from complex or hot-button issues like schizophrenia, transgender desires and even childhood psychopathy. He repeatedly asks questions about the source of these phenomena, prompting the reader to examine the fruit from every available angle – be it medical, philosophical or theological. De Arteaga clearly holds the medical profession in considerable regard, while noting that they are often called to answer challenges beyond their scope.

The final essay in the third section covers proactive prevention of, and reversal of, demonic afflictions or influence of our little ones. This topic, with its generation-spanning reach, leads into the fourth and final part of the book, which is the most difficult to digest, at least for this reviewer.

The first essay considers the possibility of more than two outcomes (heaven or hell) as we leave this earthly life – and De Arteaga rightly pokes a hole in the common equation of Hades/Sheol/the dwelling of the dead with Hell/the Second Death of Revelation 20-21. This is an elusive subject considering the scarcity of Scriptural witness, which De Arteaga notes with many Scriptural commentators, and then continues to explore possibilities from history and Scripture as they open up venues for ministry. Remaining essays continue to provoke to thought, and re-examination of our inherited worldview to ask just how much of it is less-than-fully supported by Scripture.

Reflecting on the final essays, the immediate state of the departed is not consistently attested to in Scripture – and where God leaves a gap, or ambiguity, in His revelation, we do well to tread with both humility and curiosity. This reviewer is not even sure how to use our temporal language of “after” death and “before” Christ’s return, since there is nothing in Scripture to say we will experience the passing of time in the way we currently do, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil. However, Christ’s words when speaking of the departed, about how God is a God not of the dead but of the living; coupled with the promise that God will answer prayers before we utter them, leaves plenty of scope for imagining our ministering the Reconciliation of Christ to generations both past and future, in order to see His glory manifest yesterday, today and forever.

In conclusion, I commend this book to any student of Jesus’ continuing ministry on earth, who is willing to challenge both their own inherited certainties and the pseudo-canons that we all have inherited through our secular and ecclesial cultures alike. It is unlikely that any reader will unflinchingly embrace every aspect of this collection of essays. Yet, let us embrace that paramount call of this book: the cultivation of discernment – both discerning the spirits we find speaking to us, and discerning the ones we see around us. Armed with that intention, we can read this book and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying herein to the churches.

Reviewed by S. Anders Litzell

To introduce his book and this chapter, William De Arteaga writes:

America in Danger, Left and Right: Biblical Analysis, Actions and Intercessions for the Current Crisis, gives the historical background to our woeful spiritual and political situation. Part One studies the decades-long takeover of the American educational institutions by political radicals who have contempt for the American traditions of free speech and a democratic, free-market society. The Left Radicals are deeply influenced (demonized) by Marxists ideas, such as its profound hatred for the bourgeois. This has caused both economic destruction and mass murder. A large intercessory prayer campaign coupled with and understanding, and practice of deliverance ministry is needed to reverse the awful state of the universities. Unfortunately, deliverance ministry and exorcism are little understood by many elements of the Church. The chapter featured by PneumaReview.com covers this issue.

The second part of the book examines the spiritual damage done to America by the drift in the Republican Party as many of its leaders embraced the demonized writings of Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged, etc.). This has led the Republican Party to forsake the needs of the poor and become subject to the judgement of God (Isaiah 1-29). Further, I believe President Trump has caused additional, serious damage to the soul of the nation by his immoral behaviors, behaviors often excused by Evangelicals, as in his continuous reviling of his opponents (1 Cor 6:9-10).

Chapter 11: The Church’s wounded tradition of exorcism and deliverance

Doing deliverance as in the Bible

After my entry into the Charismatic Renewal, I developed an interest in the ministry of exorcism. I set a goal to write a book on the different approaches to exorcism and deliverance: Catholic, Pentecostal/charismatic, and Protestant. I did much reading and cassette listening in this area and performed several exorcisms as a lay charismatic. This was the Lord’s way of showing me the literature I was reading was accurate. By divine inspiration (and protection) I put aside that project. I believed I needed more time and spiritual maturity. I was right. But the knowledge I gained helped me on more than one occasion as a pastor, and when ministering at the public prayer station our church had pioneered. We took the prayer station to “little Five Points” in Atlanta, a neighborhood populated by ex-hippies and New Age folk.

About the third or fourth Saturday at the Little Five Points, Carolyn, my wife, and I were standing by our prayer station sign, and two other prayer intercessors were a few yards away on folding chairs we had brought. We left a nearby park bench to the locals. A tall, African American passed by, and I gave my usual invitation for prayer, “Do you need prayer for anything today?” [1] He stopped and considered for a second, and then stepped up to the prayer station. “Yes, I have a neighbor who is addicted to drugs, and it is ruining his life.”

Carolyn and I prayed for his neighbor in proxy, by laying hands on Tom (that was not his name). I rebuked the spirit of addiction and asked the Lord to totally set him free. The supplicant was happy with the way we prayed and went off thanking us. I resumed my invitations to other passersby.

This chapter is adapted from William De Arteaga, America in Danger, Left and Right: Biblical Analysis, Actions and Intercessions for the Current Crisis (2022).

Ten minutes later he returned and confessed that he also had a serious drug problem. That is not an uncommon pattern at the prayer station, as many persons are reluctant to share their most pressing or embarrassing need to total strangers. But our prayers had convinced him that we could be trusted. He shared his tragic story. He was an engineer and well on his way to the American Dream. But he became addicted to cocaine, and lost his job and family, and now was on the edge of skid row. He had been a church-going man, but after his wife left him, he stopped attending.

We invited him to sit at the nearby bench and asked if he would let us pray for him by casting out the demons of addiction and anything else in him. He agreed. I motioned the other team members to join us. Carolyn and another team member began praying in tongues. After a few moments, I began, “In Jesus’ name I come against any and all evil spirits inhabiting and harassing Tom! I come against the spirit of addiction and I command you OUT!”

Tom shook as if he was struck by some invisible object. Carolyn immediately added, “Spirit of despair.” She was functioning with the gift of discernment of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10) and I commanded, “In Jesus name, spirit of despair, come out!” Again, Tom shook. Carolyn injected, “Spirit of suicide.” I continued, “Spirit of suicide, leave NOW!” Again, Tom quaked. “Anymore?” I asked Carolyn. She prayed in tongues for a few seconds, “Spirit of rejection, from childhood.”

I continued, “Foul spirit of rejection, leave now in Jesus’ name!” Tom shook yet again. “More?” I asked. Carolyn answered, “I don’t see anything else.” I stepped up to Tom and laid my hand on his head. “In Jesus’ name, I ask the Holy Spirit to flow into you, and fill every empty space that the demons occupied. I command your neurological system, especially the brain, to be cleansed of all addiction to cocaine or any other drug.” As I was praying this, I could feel the energies of God flowing into Tom. His face came alive with surprise and joy.

A few moments later he got up, declaring, “I feel like a new man. I am completely … free.” We prayed for him a little longer, asking the Lord to restore his career and family. I counseled him that he must go back to church to get Christian fellowship and continued support to rebuff any demonic re-infestation. Tom agreed and walked away thanking us and praising the Lord. I never heard from Tom again, so I can’t affirm that his deliverance stuck, or if he allowed the spirits to come back in and finish the ruination of his life (Matt 12:43-45). But I can affirm that he was delivered that day.

Tom was not a student radical, and assuredly it will be more difficult to get a radical to accept deliverance, but with the Lord’s help and intercessory support of local churches such ministry is doable. Certainly, those ministering in the universities and especially among the street radicals should not be afraid or shy to minister exorcism/deliverance. Tom’s deliverance occurred back in 1987. Since then. I have had a half dozen others, but always in the setting of a church, and most after I was ordained as an Anglican priest.[2]

Several years ago, I was ready to do the first draft of this chapter, I thought I would state that such public exorcisms are imprudent, and the successful case of Tom’s exorcism was due to God’s grace overcoming my youthful indiscretion. Rather, deliverance/exorcisms should be done with preparation and care, and at least in privacy and possibly with medical screening beforehand, etc. In effect, a prayer station deliverance should not be done.

But I received a check in my spirit about taking this approach. I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of the exorcisms in the Gospels. In the New Testament exorcisms were done by Jesus, his Apostles and disciples in public. Exorcisms occurred as immediate, unplanned confrontations when the demonic showed up. In fact, in the first ministry campaign Jesus’ disciples reported back with great joy that they had healed the sick and cast out demons (Luke 10:17). There was no hint there of special preparations, ministry ordinations, or of privacy concerns which have become a modern fetish. Rather, exorcism was an integral part of the healing ministry. In the Gospels, when a person is sick from a disease, hands are laid on for the disease to be healed (in the command mode), but when the sickness or disorder is due to a demon, the demon is cast out, also in command mode. It is all a seamless ministry of restoring wellness.

As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give (Matt 10:6-8).

Similarly, in the early church, exorcism was a lay matter in the hands of those gifted in that ministry. Irenaeus of Lyons, Bishop and writer against heretics wrote:

“Those who are in truth His disciples, receiving grace from Him, do in His name perform miracles, so as to promote the welfare of other men, according to the gift which each one has received from Him. For some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe in Christ and join themselves to the Church … others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole.[3]

Contemporary views of Exorcism and deliverance

Our attitude towards exorcism and deliverance ministries, and our ability to accept the plain Biblical evidence, has been distorted by multiple factors. In the secular West there is a strong prejudice to disbelieve in the reality of the supernatural and reduce demonic manifestations to instances of abnormal psychology. Not surprisingly, the poverty of Protestant tradition on exorcism produced by the theology of cessationism has left little to say about the topic. This leads many Protestant ministers, especially those influenced by liberal theology, to dismiss demonic activities and manifestations as psychological abnormalities.[4]

The predominance of the Roman Catholic traditions on exorcism, as portrayed in the film “The Exorcist,” has sown certain distortions. In fact, it is among the Pentecostals and charismatics that the Protestant wing of Christianity has substantially recovered a robust and Biblical practice of exorcism and deliverance as a routine practice. [5]

The confusion about exorcism and deliverance is exacerbated by a raging theological divide, fueled mostly by the non-charismatic evangelical wing of Protestantism. Certain evangelicals claim that a Christian cannot possibly be possessed or infected by demonic entities. The constant experience of ministers who venture out in this field should put that theory to rest. Cases like Tom, i.e., persons who are Christian but have slid in their spiritual lives, come up frequently. Scripturally, the account of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-3) a born-again and Spirit-filled couple in the Jerusalem Jewish/Christian community who let Satan “fill their hearts” is Biblical proof enough that at times Christians need deliverance ministry.

A limited recovery of exorcism and deliverance ministry in Protestantism came via nineteenth century Protestant missionaries in Asia and Africa. These missionaries encountered societies where the Gospel had never been preached and the demonic presence was overt. A famous example of this was the work of the Rev. John Nevius, perhaps the most distinguished American missionary in a century filled with heroic and dedicated missionaries. He came to China out of seminary a convinced cessationist, as all of his colleagues.

However, he was led by the example of his own converts to abandon this belief. They read the Bible simply and without its cessationist overlay, and understood that demons were real, and could be exorcised by the name of Jesus for the healing of their friends and neighbors. This was a general pattern for many missionaries in Asia and Africa. The native lay exorcists not only taught the ministry of exorcism to their Protestant missionary teachers, but also did most of the actual ministry in this area.[6]

That lesson from the 1900s was mostly ignored or rationalized away as pertaining only to non-Christian countries, and therefore unnecessary in Europe and America. It was forgotten until a few evangelical scholars half a century later began a new series of investigation into the occult and demonology.[7] Many mainline ministers, especially of the liberal persuasion, still dismiss the matter of the demonic and exorcism as mere “superstition” or misdiagnoses of abnormal psychology.

The Catholic tradition has many good points and is especially useful in dealing with persons who are seriously infected by the demonic or “possessed.” That is, a person’s behavior is dominated by a demonic spirit, and which may manifest in bizarre phenomenon. This was well represented in the movie the “Exorcist,” based on the book of the same name, and which in turn was based on a real case.[8] Such total possession is very rare (and very destructive). I personally have never encountered anything that severe, but the literature on such severe possessions is consistent throughout the ages and should not be doubted even if it makes one uncomfortable.

But the Catholic understanding of possession and exorcism, with the priest as lead minister, leaves unanswered and under-ministered the whole issue of lesser states of demonic infestation. For instance, Tom, the engineer, was not “possessed” in the classic sense, but he had a spirit of addiction and other spirits. The Catholic lack in this area came home to me when I watched the excellent PBS program “The American Experience” on President John Kennedy. As president, and even before, he had repeated trysts and affairs in spite of having a beautiful wife. Kennedy was asked by a friend why he had so many of these, and he answered, “I am compelled to do that…”[9] President Kennedy was not “possessed” in the Catholic definition of the word, but he did need serious deliverance ministry for a spirit of fornication, adultery and other attaching spirits. No priest or anyone else ministered to him in that way, and more than likely would have defined Kennedy’s situation as needing repentance, confession and the practice of self-control, but not an issue needing deliverance ministry.

In summary, the Church’s ministry of deliverance, through its various denominations, has much that is effective and useful, but it is not yet what it should be. Ministering to the demonized radicals will not be easy and will have to be improvised from elements already known and practiced by different denominations. It is also true that one cannot do a deliverance on someone who does not want it or believe they are demonically influenced. Thus, deliverance ministry will come after intercessory prayer and demonstrating the power of the Gospel through signs and wonders, such as in healing miracles. But it must be done, and Christians do not have the luxury of shying away from the ministry of deliverance because it makes them uncomfortable, or their denomination has no tradition for it.

Suggested readings on deliverance/exorcism

Deliverance/exorcism is not rocket science, and in fact it is very exciting and inspiring once one understands the authority that every Christian has over the demonic. Following are excellent sources:

Randy Clark. The Biblical Guidebook to Deliverance (Lake Mary: Charisma House, 2015).

Terrific and practical.

James Kallas. The Satanward View: A Study in Pauline Theology (Philadelphia, Westminster, 1966).

Sadly, this work is out of print and hard to get. It is a masterpiece of Biblical theology which shows how central battling the demonic is to the Gospel. Kallas also shows that Paul understood Jesus’ ministry as principally that of undoing the havoc and sin produced by Satan’s intrusion into the earth. [Editor’s note: A link to the 2020 reprint from Wipf and Stock has been added.]

Francis MacNutt. Deliverance from Evil Spirits (Chosen: 1995).

Marvelously balanced and intelligent view of the demonic and the Christian’s responsibility to do deliverance ministry as part of the healing ministry.

John L. Nevius, Demon Possession and Allied Themes (London: George Redway, 1897).

Modern editions in print. This classic work is worth reading today.

This chapter from America in Danger, Left and Right: Biblical Analysis, Actions and Intercessions for the Current Crisis (2022) is adapted with exclusive additions by the author. Used with permission.

Notes

[1] This is taken from my book, The Public Prayer Station.  [Editor’s note: See the review by Rev. Catherine M. Miller.]

[2] In the Western Church, especially after the Middle Ages, the ministry of exorcism was restricted to ordained clergy. Pentecostals do not put much credence in ordination as a criterion for the ministry of exorcism and recognize the ability to cast out demons as a universal Christian characteristic, although certain person are recognized as especially gifted in this ministry.

[3] Irenaeus, Against Heresies.

[4] On the important, and lamentably ignored, issue of confronting the kingdom of Satan as one of the chief duties of the Church, see the classic work by James Kallas, The Satanward View: Studies in Pauline Theology (Philadelphia, Westminster, 1966).

[5] There is a recent work that covers the topic of comparative exorcism ministry, including the Protestant variety, but it is marred by a bias against the Pentecostal tradition: James M. Collins’, Exorcism and Deliverance Ministry in the Twentieth Century (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2009). I have not written the book on comparative exorcism yet, but many of my writings deal with the demonic, as for instance this posting: Is childhood psychopathology rooted in demonic infestation?” Pentecostal Theology. Posted Nov. 17, 2019. https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/is-childhood-psychopathology-rooted-in-demonic-infestation/

[6] William De Arteaga, “The Holy Spirit Gives a Lesson in Chinese,” Pneuma Review. Posted May 10, 2014.

http://pneumareview.com/the-rev-john-l-nevius-the-holy-spirit-gives-a-lesson-in-chinese/

[7] Collins, Exorcism, chapter four.

[8] William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist (New York: Harper & Row, 1971). A discussion of the original case upon which the novel and movie were based is found in, Howard Newman’s, The Exorcist: The Strange Story Behind the Film (New York: Pinnacle, 1974).

[9] PBS, “JFK” The American Experience series. Aired Nov. 11, 2013. Access to the entire program is at: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365118698/

This article, “American Exorcism,” by Mike Mariani, which appears in the recent issue of The Atlantic is an important resource for those in the deliverance/exorcism ministry. The Atlantic has had a reputation of being a liberal news outlet, and this may make it suspicious to some. However, their coverage of religious issues is generally professional and fair. The Atlantic’s coverage of exorcism has been courageous and flies in the face of the Liberal persuasion that the supernatural does not exist and exorcisms are a meaningless intrusion into psychiatric matters.[1]

Mike Mariani is a well-respected researcher who has written on a large variety of topics. In “American Exorcism,” he takes his journalistic skills to the present day exorcism ministry of the Catholic Church in America. This article follows a woman called Louisa from her apparent psychiatric problems that could not be helped by secular professionals to her exorcism by a Catholic priest. The article then goes on to address the general status of the exorcism within the Catholic Church. In short, it is a robust and growing ministry.

Some evangelicals and Pentecostals who grew up believing that Catholics are not really Christian may find this difficult to accept. But that is a parochial viewpoint that contradicts Paul’s generous definition of a Christian in Romans 10:9, and the response of many Catholics to the Charismatic Renewal.

In any case, Catholic priests have a long history of dealing with the demonic in exorcism ministry. Mariani gives no statics on the number of Catholic exorcisms currently performed, as the Catholic hierarchy tries to keep a subdued stand on the issue and the numbers are confidential. But Mr. Mariani reveals that now every Catholic diocese in the United States has an assigned exorcist, and that the number of exorcisms have been increasing in the last decade.

As important as this article is, I do have some reservations. It does a good job showing Catholic exorcism of a possessed person, that is, a person so overcome by demons that that they will often control their bodies or voice. Louisa was such a person. This is the extreme form of demonization, as in the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:3-5). However, the Catholic tradition of exorcism does poorly in lesser states of demonic oppression or intrusion, believing that frequent confession and Holy Communion as the proper pastoral response to lesser forms of infestation. Here Pentecostal and Charismatic ministers do much better. Thus the article may appear to be unbalanced to some.

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

Notes

[1] See for example: Benson Daitz, “A Modern Exorcism: As a young doctor, I helped perform a Santeria ritual for a patient in jail, rather than sending him to psychiatrists. I think I did the right thing” The Atlantic (Sept 25, 2013). https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/a-modern-exorcism/279958/

Image: Pratik Patel

Charismatic historian and prayer warrior, William De Arteaga, invites readers to visit his blog and be challenged to rethink how casting out demons can have a powerful impact on your community.

This posting, “Exorcism in Public Places,” is doubly controversial. Some Christians still doubt the reality of the demonic world and the possibility of Christians being infected by demons. Many (especially the clergy) would be horrified at the thought of doing a deliverance out in public. Yet the Biblical evidence shows that the demonic should be confronted and cast out whenever it is encountered. Check it out and add your comments.

Link: http://anglicalpentecostal.blogspot.com/2017/08/exorcism-in-public-places.html

This is a most interesting article. The author, a noted Evangelical scholar and pastor, was involved in the early charismatic movement where he saw some of the extremes of the early charismatic deliverance movement. For instance, in some meetings, charismatic evangelists/exorcists provided the audience with bags to contain their vomit, as airlines used to do, so that in the course of the mass deliverance ministry the floors could be kept sanitary. That of course was an extremism the sort of which Olson remembers and rebukes.

Roger Olson

But Olson’s thoughtful article should have given a more positive answer. Yes, there can be extremism in any ministry, as in some evangelical ministers that stress the altar call and forget about discipleship afterwards. But extremism does not negate the real ministry.

I believe Olson advocates for a biblically based awareness of the demonic and for ministers to be prepared to do exorcism/deliverance. But I wish he would have written the article with more clarity and with a less ambiguous tone. Perhaps his audience, predominantly Evangelical (and some cessationist) would not be ready for a straight forward endorsement of exorcism/deliverance.

From my perspective, and an Anglican priest with an ongoing healing ministry, I recognize the need for exorcism/deliverance. There are many issues about this ministry that would warrant long discussion. But in short, any Christian who does healing ministry needs to know something of deliverance ministry. I believe every Christian minister should be informed on the topic. Needless to say many seminary programs are remiss here. I would recommend Dr. Francis MacNutt’s Deliverance from Evil Spirits as a primer.

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

Read the full blog post for yourself: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2016/06/should-western-christians-rediscover-exorcism

The Power of the Cross: The Biblical Place of Healing and Gift-Based Ministry in Proclaiming the Gospel

15. Why do people speak directly to demons today and command them to leave, rather than just praying and asking God to drive the demon away? Isn’t it safer just to pray to God about this?

In a way, this is similar to asking why Christians should share the gospel with another person rather than simply praying and asking God to reveal the gospel to that person directly. Or why should we speak words of encouragement to a Christian who is discouraged rather than just praying and asking God Himself to encourage that person directly? Why should we speak a word of rebuke or gentle admonition to a Christian, whom we see involved in some kind of sin, rather than just praying and asking God to take care of the sin in that person’s life?

The answer to all these questions is that in the kind of world God has created, He has given us an active role in carrying out His plans, especially His plans for advancing the Kingdom and building up the Church. In all of these cases, our direct involvement and activity is important in addition to our prayers. And so it seems to be in our dealing with demonic forces as well.

As a wise father who does not settle all of his children’s disputes for them, but sometimes sends them back out to the playground to settle a dispute themselves, so our heavenly Father encourages us to enter directly into conflict with demonic forces, in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thereby He enables us to gain the joy of participating in eternally significant ministry and the joy of triumphing over the destructive power of Satan and his demons in people’s lives. God could certainly deal with demonic attacks every time we prayed and asked Him to do so, and He no doubt sometimes does. But the New Testament pattern seems to be that God ordinarily expects Christians themselves to speak directly to the unclean spirits.

We see this pattern of speaking directly to demons first in the ministry of Jesus. He spoke to the demon troubling a man in the synagogue, saying, “Be silent, and come out of Him!” (Mark 1:25). He commanded the demons in the Gadarene demoniac, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” (Mark 5:8). When Jesus encountered a young boy severely afflicted by a demon, “He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again'” (Mark 9:25). This was Jesus’ general pattern, for people said about Him, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:36).

The Power of the Cross: The Biblical Place of Healing and Gift-Based Ministry in Proclaiming the Gospel

8. Doesn’t Hebrews 2:3 tell us that miracles were restricted to the apostles, “those who heard him”?

In Hebrews 2:3-4, the author says about the message of salvation,

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness²³  by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.

The miracles here are said to come through those who heard the Lord firsthand (“those who heard him”), so it is argued that we should not expect them to be done through others who were not firsthand witnesses to the Lord’s teaching and ministry.²⁴

But this argument attempts to draw more from the passage than is there. First, the phrase “those who heard him” (Hebrews 2:3) is certainly not limited to the apostles, for many others heard Jesus as well (Luke 10:1 ff.; John 6:60-70; 1 Corinthians 15:6). But more importantly, this position is claiming something the text simply does not say: That the gospel message was confirmed by miracles when it was preached by those who heard Jesus says nothing at all about whether it would be confirmed by miracles when preached by others who did not hear Jesus.

Finally, this passage says the message was confirmed not only by “signs and wonders and various miracles” but also by “gifts of the Holy Spirit.” If someone argues that this passage limits miracles to the apostles and their companions, then he or she must also argue that gifts of the Holy Spirit are likewise limited to the first-century Church. But few would argue that there are no gifts of the Holy Spirit today.

9. When Paul says, “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23), doesn’t he warn us against seeking signs and say that we should just preach the gospel of Christ?

Here Paul cannot be denying that he performed miracles in connection with proclaiming the gospel. In Romans 15:18-19, a passage Paul wrote while in Corinth, he said,

For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr’icum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.