An Unlikely Apologetic

Continuing on the theme of my last blog post, which was on the resurgence of interest in the supernatural, I found an article recently written by William Peter Blatty to be very interesting. If you don’t recognize the name, Blatty is the author of the blockbuster book and movie The Exorcist, and October 2011 marks the 40^th anniversary of that work.

In the article, Blatty discusses his motivations for creating The Exorcist, which was widely reported to be based on the actual exorcism of a young American boy that occurred in the late 1940’s. However, Blatty says in the article that, in fact, such was not the case. Instead, The Exorcist was produced from Blatty’s research on exorcisms performed around the globe.

Blatty says the key takeaway he wanted folks to leave with from The Exorcist was, “If an investigation were to prove that possession is real, what a help it would be to the struggling faith of possibly millions, for if there were demons, I reasoned, then why not angels? Why not God?"

What an interesting and unlikely apologetic for God. Proof of the devil is proof for the Creator. Not something I’m sure Satan desires.

Now, when the subject of demonism comes up in secular or even certain Christian circles, there is often the tendency to quickly create as much distance between the person wanting to discuss the topic and the listener. For this reaction, we can thank the extreme fringe of certain Christian denominations that stigmatize the subject with radical teachings of demons being behind everything including a Christian suffering from the common cold.

But the fact is, demon activity is very real. The Bible is not shy about discussing the subject and the New Testament is replete with examples of encounters with the demonic. Moreover, there are trusted, Christian leaders today – who are discerning and not known for over-the-top claims – who have described their dealings with demons. Examples include noted author and pastor Chip Ingram who describes his encounters with demons in his book The Invisible War, Dallas Seminary professor and theologian Merrill Unger who has written widely on the subject concerning his personal encounters with the demonic, and well respected pastor Chuck Swindoll who wrote in his small book entitled Demonism: “On a few occasions I have assisted in the painful process of relieving them [people who come to him for spiritual help] of demons.”

The point Blatty makes in his short article is actually quite a monumental one. If un-prejudicial, carefully conducted investigations verify demonic activity and/or possessions, then the conclusions are devastating for the atheistic and naturalistic philosophy positions that assert there is nothing beyond this physical life. And further, the validation that these spiritual entities behave in a manner described in the Bible and obey the authority of Christ lends great support for the truth claims of Christianity.

A number of years ago, I taught through a series on spiritual warfare and did a fair amount of research on this subject that included material produced by both Protestants and Catholics, as well as from a secular, well-known psychiatrist that encountered behavior and capabilities in some of his patients that he could not explain with pure science. What I looked for in all the case studies that were presented were general commonalities that seemed to appear much of the time. These characteristics included the following:

• An examination from a mental health professional that found no issues with the afflicted person’s mental faculties
• A clearly demonstrable personality change where the individual presents a vastly different ‘person’ than the one they are known for during a time when the person enters what the authors describe as the “demonic state”
• The ability to speak in languages that the person has never learned
• A display of marked voice change where the voice coming from the person is clearly not their own
• The ability to see things contained in solid objects that the human eye could not see
• The knowledge of events and happenings with which the person could not possibly have familiarity
• A violent hatred of the Bible, the name and person of Jesus, and any object having to do with God
• Strong oppression in the person’s thought life with compulsive and intruding thoughts urging the person to commit terrible acts or harm themselves
• Sudden feelings of great fear or a recognition of evil’s presence
• An event that brought the person into an encounter with the occult (e.g. participation in activities such as spiritism, Ouija boards, being gifted with occult objects, etc.) 

While people exhibiting the above behavior are certainly not common and routine, neither are they single-digit in nature. Blatty says in his article: “What my research made clear; namely, that in every period of recorded history, and in every culture and part of the world, there have been consistent accounts of possession and its symptoms going all the way back to ancient Egyptian chronicles, and where there is that much smoke, my reason told me, there is probably fire – and a lot of it, if you get my meaning.”

I do get his meaning. I am perfectly willing to admit that there is a lot of mental illness in the world and that personality disorders do exist. Such individuals can be made well with the right therapy and medication where needed.

But I struggle to explain the above attributes through natural means alone. If we are intellectually honest and follow a philosophical “appeal to the best explanation” approach and do not exclude the supernatural solely because our worldview does not allow for it, then we are left with the best explanation being that such cases present in a manner that is consistent with the Biblical account of demon activity.

And like Blatty says, that fire leads you directly to the conclusion that the God of the Bible exists. An unlikely apologetic? Yes. But a darned good one, though, in my opinion. 

Generation Hex

In case you haven’t noticed, the occult is back from the dead. In the 1980’s, there was a large surge in occult involvement that ranged anywhere from participation in what was/is called the New Age movement, to spiritism, horoscopes, and even open satanic worship. After some years, however, the interest in the occult seemed to give way in the world to an attitude that favored philosophical naturalism, which denies any spiritual dimension to life whatsoever. Scientism – the belief that science is the only source of truth – gained ground and resulted in a total dismissal of anything supernatural.

My, how the tide has turned yet again.

We are now living in a culture that some are calling “Generation Hex”. In the same way Postmodernism resulted from a dismissal of Modernism’s failure and naturalist-only rigidity, the occult revival being experienced throughout the world may be the direct outcome of humanity’s rejection of scientism’s lie that a spiritual world does not exist. Atheists may try and tout increasing numbers but various surveys consistently show otherwise. As an example, the two-year worldwide study done by the Search Institute’s Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence found that only 7% of the adolescents they spoke with were unsure that a spiritual dimension to life exists.

While such a thing sounds good on the surface, there is a danger with a spiritual hunger that turns to junk food instead of the real thing. If a person rejects God and holds the Creator’s funeral, something will take His place.  As G. K. Chesterton said, “The danger in disbelieving in God is not that a person believes in nothing, but that a person will believe in anything.” And that “anything” can be spiritually deadly.

Witness two recent trends that bear out this generations’ fascination with the occult. Ask any youth pastor what religion they are competing with the most and you won’t hear “Islam” or “Buddhism”, but instead you’ll hear them say “Wicca”. Wicca, or “the craft”, is an animistic religion that attempts to control and benefit from the spiritual powers that supposedly inhabit everything on the earth. Its morality is summed up in its simple mandate “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will” and its god is Gaia, who is described by Wiccan Scott Cunnigham in his book, Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner, as “The source of fertility, endless wisdom and loving caresses… She gives birth to abundance… Since the Goddess is nature, all nature…She is omnipresent, changeless, eternal.”

The popularity of Wicca can be demonstrated by the Web site witchschool.com, which is a fully functioning school that boasts more than 130,000 students and a staff of over 300. Not small potatoes by any definition.

A second trend that shows high interest in the supernatural and occult is the current fascination with vampirism. Whether it’s the HBO series True Blood, the Twilight/Eclipse series of books and movies, or Disney Channel's My Babysitter's a Vampire, many seemed enthralled with the idea of vampires, with some going to the extreme of acting it out.

Recently, a 19-year-old in Texas, claiming to be a 500-year-old vampire needing food, broke into a woman’s home, threw her against the wall, and tried to suck her blood. Another case was found in Florida involving a teenage girl who was charged with four others for beating a 16-year-old to death. They claimed to be part of a vampire cult, with one teenage girl calling herself a vampire/werewolf hybrid.

Not surprisingly, both trends directly promote activities that are in direct conflict with God’s Word. Regarding witchcraft, the Bible says: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer (Deuteronomy 18:10). And on the topic of vampirism, the Scripture says: “And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:10–11).

The occultic siren song drawing those who are looking for spirituality apart from God is energized with slick packaging and marketing and, like Wiccan Scott Cunnigham, casts its god as something winsome and beautiful. But as Hamlet said, “The spirit that I have seen may be a devil; and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape.”

Generation Hex has forgotten that evil is rarely ugly on the outside. Rather than something that repels and is frightening, real evil is attractive on the surface and is inviting. In his book, Hostage to the Devil, Jesuit Malachi Martin describes an encounter a Catholic priest had with a demon possessed person. When the priest commanded the demon to stop scaring the person it was inflicting, the clergyman was corrected by the demon who said, “We do not frighten our prospects.”

The open invitation this generation is giving what it thinks is a friendly and helpful spirit will result in disaster for itself. In truth, Satan doesn’t care whether people reject the spiritual world in which he exists or embrace his spiritual lies; the end result is the same. This was well described by C. S. Lewis in his Screwtape Letters work where a chief demon tells his understudy: “Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence, we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism, and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics. At least not yet. I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalize and mythologize their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy [God]. . . . If once we can produce our perfect work – the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but veritably worshiping, what he vaguely calls ‘Forces’ while denying the existence of ‘spirits’ – then the end of the war will be in sight.”

Such a time may be closer than we think. In the recent movie Thor, based on the Marvel Comics book hero, Thor tells his earthly companion, “You have magic and science. Where I come from they are one in the same.”

What can the Christian do about the resurgence in occult interest? First, we should embrace unbelievers’ interest in the spiritual world and use it as an opportunity to share the truth of Christ with them. Next, we need to train ourselves so that we are able to discern truth from error and not only help others see the light of the gospel, but also protect our family from its influences. As the writer of Hebrews says, "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14, emphasis added).

And finally, we need to remember that God is in control, is using the evil of the occult to ultimately bring about good and show His glory, and will have the victory over Satan. It’s said that Martin Luther was so sure of the devil’s presence on one occasion that he threw his ink bottle at him. But Luther wasn’t worried about Who has the upper hand in the war on evil. As Christians we can confidently sing along with Luther the third stanza of his famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God” knowing that the deception of the occult will be unmasked and God will be victorious:

And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us

The prince of darkness grim

We tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure,

For lo! His doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him

Beware the Clown in the Pulpit

The Danish Christian theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard told the story of a festival big top that was filled with people prepared to see a circus. A fire broke out behind the scenes and began to spread quickly. A clown was told to run out to the main arena and tell the audience about the fire and instruct everyone to leave. The clown quickly raced out from backstage and began frantically telling the crowd about the fire. But instead of believing the clown, the people just began to laugh at him. The more the clown screamed at them to leave before it was too late, the more the crowd laughed at him. In the end, most of the people died in the fire because they didn’t take the clown seriously.

But can you really blame them? Who takes a clown seriously?

At so many churches the teaching pastors work hard at making the congregation laugh in their messages. It's not all uncommon for humor to be injected throughout most sermons, with jokes, funny videos, and more being used to keep attendees smiling and giggling.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I like to laugh as much as the next person. And humor injected at certain points in a Sunday message can serve the speaker’s purpose very well when intelligently used. But pastors need to be careful about using the pulpit as the place for a comedy routine.

The fact is, there is likely no more significant and vital job than that of the teaching pastor and no greater address given than the one in which God’s Word is proclaimed. It’s said that before a sermon, John Knox used to lock himself in a room and weep for days because he feared the seriousness of his preaching duty. I wonder how many contemporary teaching pastors feel that same sense of obligation?

Today’s pastors want to be liked, thought of as winsome and hip and see the use of comedy in their messages as one way to bring about the end result they desire. That’s too bad because that’s not what they’re called to do. As John MacArthur says, “The preacher who brings the message people most need to hear will often be the preacher they least like to hear.”  A. W. Tozer used to remark how he had preached himself out of every conference and guest pulpit in the country. Read his books, though, and you’ll find a depth and convicting bite that comes only from God’s Holy Spirit. No humor, just God’s truth.

The pastor who relies on comedy consistently in his messages will quickly come to resemble Kierkegaard’s clown in the minds of his congregation. Entertaining? Yes. But let him try and talk earnestly about sin, its consequences, Hell, eternal separation from God and see what happens. No one (who needs to) will be moved to act. They’ll just sit there and die in the fire they can’t see and don’t take seriously.

But can you really blame them? No one takes a clown seriously. 

No Compulsion in Religion?

Islam's Qur'an, in Sura 2 verse 256 says this: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong." If Muslims truly believe that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, then it seems clear they would live out what that simple verse says and not force people to convert to Islam or punish people when they leave that religion.

But yet, that is exactly not what the theocratic government of Iran is doing in its attempt to murder Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani for his renouncement of Islam and his acceptance of Christianity. CNN recently had an interesting article on the debate between Islamic scholars over the situation, but in the end, it seemed most agreed that Iran is wrong in its stance on Pastor Youcef. An exposition of the Qur'an's verse 256 sides with Youcef too.

Continue to pray for Pastor Youcef's release and for the safety of him and his family.

Dawkin's New Book for Children

Richard Dawkins may be ducking debates with William Lane Craig while Craig is in England right now, but he is out talking about his new book for children. The below clip is from Bill O'Reilly's show where O'Reilly takes Dawkins to task for some of his claims in the book.

How can you know you're really saved?

It's been a LONG while since I've written any new entries here. I'm sorry about that, but between writing columns for a variety of other places, I haven't had any time to post any new topics here. I have, however, had a number of questions put to me from others and I'd like to share a few of those, starting with this one:

I’m concerned about my salvation as well as some family members. How can a person really know that they’re saved?

First, let me commend you for evaluating your spiritual condition. The Bible commands us to do just that so we aren't self-deceived into thinking we’re truly saved when we’re not. Paul says, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). And Peter says, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10).

This question is very common today and has also been asked often down through history. For example, during the first Great Awakening in America that occurred between 1725 and 1750, many people responded to the preaching of powerful theologians such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. However, about six years afterwards, critics charged there was nothing real about the Awakening because many people who claimed to have been converted showed no evidence of it.

To respond to the Awakening’s detractors, Jonathan Edwards (perhaps one of the keenest minds ever in American history) took up his pen to write his famous “A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections” that outlined his thoughts on discerning the true spiritual condition of a person who claimed to be a Christian.

The opening line of Edward’s work reads: “There is no question whatsoever, that is of greater importance to mankind, and what is more concerns every individual person to be well resolved in, than this: What are the distinguishing qualifications of those that are in favor with God, and entitled to his eternal rewards?”

Both the Bible and Edward’s work correctly state that being a true believer is tied to more than simply signing a card, walking an aisle, being baptized, and participating in religious activities. Personally, I had done all those things at an early age and I know for a fact that I was no more saved than atheist Sam Harris is today.

So what does comprise a true salvation experience?

First, there is a personal recognition of one’s sin, a willingness to repent of sin, and a submission to the truth of Scripture that says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31) and “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered” (Joel 2:32). A person that has done this is born again (John 3:3) and is regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5) so that they no longer reject God’s ways, but eagerly and willingly follow Him.

Two pieces of evidence will accompany this genuine saving experience: (1) Godly affections that (2) bear Godly fruit. Of the first, Edwards says, “True religion, in great part, consists in holy affections.”

This is certainly true in my case. Although I had gone to church all my life, I never voluntarily read the Bible, exhibited any desire to serve the church, or had any real attraction to the things of God. But once I was saved at age 19 through the teaching of Bible prophecy, that all changed. I picked up the Bible and it was a new book to me. I couldn’t get enough of it. I used to drive down to school early just so I could listen to Chuck Swindoll and other Bible teachers on the radio. I genuinely loved listening to Christian music. And on it went.

Simply put, I had a new appetite that I didn’t have before. And so does every other true believer. The new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) has new affections and has a hunger for genuine spiritual food.

These new affections then exhibit themselves in the life of the believer in some form or fashion. James asks, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14).

The answer James expects is, “no”. Real saving faith, says James, will manifest through a person’s life. Or as one of my professors once said, “We are saved by faith alone; but the faith that saves is not alone.”

Edwards puts it like this: “The principle evidence of life is motion; so the principle evidence of saving grace is holy motion.” What he means is that you can tell someone is physically alive by the fact that they breathe, move, and act. In the same way, you can tell someone is spiritually alive by their movement toward the things of God and the spiritual fruit that appears. Jesus simply said, “The tree is known by its fruit” (Matt. 12:33).

Does this mean a true Christian won’t struggle with sin? Not at all. Paul makes this very clear in Romans 7 where he outlines his battle with his old nature. However, while a Christian who struggles with a sinful habit is to be expected, a professing Christian who comfortably lives with a blatantly sinful habit and doesn’t think it’s sinful shouldn’t be.

We don’t need to wonder if we’re saved. A submission of the will to Christ will be followed by holy affections that consistently manifest in a new spiritual life. If you have these things, then God is saying to you through your life and His Word: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).