First, Scripture clearly communicates that consequences—not curses—are passed on through the generations. In this sense, the Bible says that children are punished for the sins of their fathers “to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:5). The children of alcoholic fathers frequently suffer neglect and abuse as a direct consequence of their father’s sinful behavior. Moreover, the descendants of those who hate God are likely to follow in the footsteps of their forefathers.

Furthermore, Scripture explicitly tells us that “the son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son” (Ezekiel 18:20). Indeed, when ancient Israel quoted the proverb, “The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2), God responded in no uncertain terms: “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel . . . The soul who sins is the one who will die” (vv. 3–4, emphasis added). Consequences—not curses—are passed on through the generations.

Finally, while the notion of generational curses is foreign to Scripture, there is a sense in which the curse of sin has been passed on from generation to generation. Through the first Adam, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Through the Second Adam—Jesus Christ— atonement is offered to all. Says Paul, “Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men” (Romans 5:18). Through no act of our own we are condemned; likewise, through no act of our own we are saved (Romans 5:12–21).

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, The Covering: God’s Plan to Protect You from Evil (Nashville:W Publishing, 2002).

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First, Satan is not God’s equal. Rather, according to Scripture, Satan is a finite, created being (Colossians 1:16). He was the first sinner (1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:7–9) and will one day be cast into the lake of burning sulfur for all eternity (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10; cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Thus, Christians need not fear the god of this age, for “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Furthermore, Satan, whose name means “adversary,” is the god of this age in that he is the supreme exemplar of evil. In the words of Jesus, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Indeed, all the sin of the world is patterned after Satan: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8). It is he “who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9).

Finally, Satan is the de facto ruler of all who willingly subject themselves to his masterful deceit (2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3). If we do not belong to the God of the ages, then we are of Satan—the god of this age.

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, The Covering: God’s Plan to Protect You from Evil (Nashville: W Publishing, 2002).

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First and foremost, the notion that demons can “produce” real bodies and have real sex with real women would invalidate Jesus’ argument for the authenticity of his resurrection. Jesus assured his disciples that “a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39 nkjv). If indeed a demon could produce flesh and bones Jesus’ argument would be not only flawed but also misleading. In fact, it might be logically argued that the disciples did not see the postresurrection appearances of Christ but rather a demon masquerading as the resurrected Christ.

Furthermore, demons are nonsexual, nonphysical beings and as such are incapable of having sexual relations and producing physical offspring. To say that demons can create bodies with DNA and fertile sperm is to say that demons have creative power—which is an exclusively divine prerogative. If demons could have sex with women in ancient times, we would have no assurance they could not do so in modern times. Nor would we have any guarantee that the people we encounter every day are fully human. While a biblical worldview does allow for fallen angels to possess unsaved human beings, it does not support the notion that a demon-possessed person can produce offspring that are part-demon, part-human. Genesis 1 makes it clear that all of God’s living creations are designed to reproduce “according to their own kinds.”

Finally, the mutant theory creates serious questions pertaining to the spiritual accountability of hypothetical demon-humans and their relation to humanity’s redemption. Angels rebelled individually, are judged individually, and are offered no plan of redemption in Scripture. On the other hand, humans fell corporately in Adam, are judged corporately in Adam, and are redeemed corporately through Jesus Christ. We have no biblical way of determining what category the demon-humans would fit into— whether they would be judged as angels or as men, or more significantly, whether they might even be among those for whom Christ died.

I believe the better interpretation is that “sons of God” simply refers to the godly descendants of Seth, and “daughters of men” to the ungodly descendants of Cain. Their cohabitation caused humanity to fall into such utter depravity that God said: “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:7–8).

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, “Questions and Answers: Genesis 6:4,” available from CRI at www.equip.org; see also Gleason L. Archer, New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 79–80.

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First, while Scripture makes it clear that Satan is often the agent of sickness, he is not always the author of sickness. Sometimes God is. For example, in Exodus 4:11 God himself asks the rhetorical question “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or dumb? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” In 2 Kings 15:5 we read the well-known story of the Lord striking King Azariah with a skin disease from which he suffered till the day he died. And in Luke, the angel of the Lord came directly from God’s presence to strike Zechariah with an affliction because he doubted God’s word regarding the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19–20).

Furthermore, we live in a cursed creation in which aging is the primary sickness of humanity. Thus, humanity’s fall into a life of constant sin terminated by death, rather than Satan, is by far the primary cause of sickness. As we get older we all get wrinkles, some of us need glasses, our muscles get shorter, and eventually we all die. Since the fall of humankind, both the righteous and the unrighteous have been subject to sickness and disease. Job, who is affirmed by Scripture as a great man of faith, was covered with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head (Job 2:7). Paul confessed to the Galatians that he preached the gospel to them for the first time because of a “bodily illness” (Galatians 4:13). Timothy was called Paul’s “son in the faith” (1 Timothy 1:2) yet he suffered from frequent stomach problems (1 Timothy 5:23). And Elisha was blessed with a “double-portion anointing,” yet he suffered and died a sick man (2 Kings 13:14).

Finally, it is crucial to note that this world is under the sovereign control of God, not Satan. Thus, we can rest assured that even in sickness and suffering all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). For the child of God, the hope is not perfect health in this lifetime but a resurrected body in the life to come. As John the apostle so beautifully put it, “‘There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” (Revelation 21:4–5).

In part adapted from Christianity in Crisis

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House Publishers, 1993).

Exodus 4:11 NASB
“The LORD said to him, ‘Who has made
man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf,
or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?’”

First, while Satan cannot read our minds he can influence our thoughts. Thus, the Bible instructs us to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). Without it, you are a guaranteed casualty in the invisible war; with it, you are invincible. Spiritual warfare is waged against invisible beings that personify the extremities of evil. And their weapons are spiritual, not physical. While they cannot bite us physically, violate us sexually, or cause us to levitate, they can tempt us to cheat, steal, and lie.

Furthermore, it is crucial to note that if we open the door to Satan by failing to put on the full armor of God, he does, as it were, sit on our shoulders and whisper into our ears. The whisper cannot be discerned with the physical ear; it can, however, penetrate “the ear” of the mind. We cannot explain how such communication takes place any more than we can explain how our immaterial minds can cause the physical synapses of the brain to fire. But that such mind-to-mind communication takes place is indisputable. If it were not so, the devil could not have tempted Judas to betray his Master, seduced Ananias and Sapphira to deceive Peter, or incited David to take a census.

Finally, while fallen angels are not material beings and thus cannot interact with us directly in the physical sense, they are as real as the very flesh upon our bones. No doubt much to the devil’s delight we often depict him as either a cartoonish clown, with an elongated tail, red tights, and a pitchfork—or as a cultural caricature. Far from silly or stupid, however, Satan appears as a cosmopolitan angel of enlightenment. He knows full well that without our spiritual armor we are but pawns in a devil’s game.

In the final analysis, the whole of Scripture informs us that spiritual warfare is the battle for the mind.

Adapted from The Covering

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, The Covering: God’s Plan to Protect You from Evil (Nashville:W Publishing Group, 2002); and C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan, 1982).

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“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” (2Cor.10:4–5NIV).

While we would greatly overestimate Satan’s power by supposing that he can interact directly with us in a physical sense, an equal and opposite error would be to suppose that he does not have access to our minds.

First, while Satan cannot read our minds, he can influence our thoughts. Thus, the Bible instructs us to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph.6:11NIV). Without it, you are a guaranteed casualty in the invisible war; with it, you are invincible. Spiritual warfare is waged against invisible beings that personify the extremities of evil; and their weapons are spiritual, not physical. While they cannot bite us physically, violate us sexually, or cause us to levitate, they can tempt us to cheat, steal, and lie.

Furthermore, it is crucial to note that if we open the door to Satan by failing to put on the full armor of God, he does, as it were, sit on our shoulders and whisper into our ears. The whisper cannot be discerned with the physical ear; it can, however, penetrate “the ear” of the mind. We cannot explain how such communication takes place any more than we can explain how our immaterial minds can cause the physical synapses of the brain to fire; but that such mind-to-mind communication takes place is indisputable. If it were not so, the Devil could not have tempted Judas to betray his Master, seduced Ananias and Sapphira to deceive Peter, or incited David to take a census.

Finally, while fallen angels are not material beings and thus cannot interact with us directly in the physical sense, they are as real as the very flesh on our bones. No doubt much to the Devil’s delight we often depict him as either a cartoonish clown with an elongated tail, red tights, and a pitchfork — or as a cultural caricature. Far from silly or stupid, however, Satan appears as a cosmopolitan angel of enlightenment. He knows full well that without our spiritual armor we are but pawns in a devil’s game.

In the final analysis, the whole of Scripture informs us that spiritual warfare is the battle for the mind.

Can Christians Be Demonized?

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”(1John4:4NIV).

Over the years, I have read a wide variety of stories that claim to support the notion that Christians can be demonized. In the end, they all have one thing in common: they greatly overestimate the power and province of Satan. Some deliverance ministers make a more valiant attempt than others to provide a biblical basis for the contention that a Christian can be inhabited by a demon. Inevitably, however, Scripture itself undermines their stories.

First, Christ himself precludes the possibility that a Christian could be inhabited by demons. Using the illustration of a house, Jesus asks, “How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man?” (Matt.12:29NIV). In the case of a demon-possessed person, the strong man is obviously the Devil. In a Spirit-indwelt believer, however, the strong man is God. The force of Christ’s argument leads inexorably to the conclusion that, in order for demons to possess believers, they would first have to bind the one who occupies them — namely God Himself!

Furthermore, I discovered an equally airtight argument against Christian demonization in the gospel of John. The Jews once again were accusing Jesus of being demon possessed. Rather than circumvent their accusations, Jesus condescends to reach out to His accusers with reason. The essence of His argument is, “I am not possessed by a demon” because “I honor my Father” (John8:49NIV). The point is impossible to miss: Being demon possessed and honoring God are mutually exclusive categories.

Finally, Scripture does not contain a single credible example of a demonized believer. Instead, the consistent teaching of the Bible is that Christians cannot be controlled against their wills through demonic inhabitation. The principle is foolproof. If you are a follower of Christ, the King Himself indwells you; and you can rest assured that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1John4:4NIV).

— Hank Hanegraaff

NOTES

1. Adapted from Hank Hanegraaff, The Bible Answer Book (Nashville: J. Countryman, 2004). For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, The Covering: God’s Plan to Protect You from Evil (Nashville: W Publishing, 2002).

C. S. Lewis cautioned against both imagining a demon behind every tree and believing Satan doesn’t exist. While two kingdoms are indeed in conflict (Matt. 12:22-30), Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, made a spectacle out of the powers of darkness (Col. 2:15). What this means is that we engage in spiritual warfare by the sheer act of pursuing Christ.

Scripture admonishes us to stand firm against the devil and the evil forces of this world by employing the full armor of God, which is metaphorical language for knowing the truth, exercising faith, and practicing righteousness in our daily lives (Eph. 6:10-18; cf. 2 Cor. 10:4-6). To engage in spiritual warfare is to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to lead lives characterized by honesty, purity, prayer, Bible study, evangelism, and so on.

If someone struggles with bad thoughts, for example, rather than addressing demons on the issue, we ought to replace the bad thinking pattern with a good one. First, regardless of the source of the original thought (whether from Satan, another human, or our own sinful flesh), we are responsible for what we do with it. Furthermore, while we cannot directly stop thinking a bad thought (it’s virtually impossible not to think about a pink elephant when told not to!), we can consciously focus on something else in its place ¾ a thought that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and so forth (Phil. 4:8-9). Finally, practicing discipline in one area of our daily lives can affect our ability to overcome bad habits in other areas as well.

The bottom line is that we must submit ourselves to God through faith in Jesus Christ, who by His life, death, and resurrection has defeated Satan (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8). What remains is to simply resist the devil, for then, the Bible says, he will flee (James 4:7).

The acceptance of such a doctrine may have a profound effect on the evangelistic tactics and strategy of a ministry. Larry Lea invested millions of dollars in this belief. But there are many other examples that can be cited. Brazilian evangelicals mobilized a national movement and petitioned President Fernando Collor de Mello to remove a day of national homage to a religious statue, saying that their nation is under a curse because of institution­alized idolatry to the demon behind the idol. In a Brazilian book on spiritual warfare, Gilbert Pickering wrote of a personal encounter with a demon that oppressed an Amazonian tribe, and how his victory over the spirit led to successfully evangelizing them (this is not an uncommon episode among trib­al missionaries). An unnamed (for obvious reasons) expert in Muslim evangelism gives a detailed account in private conversations of how he believes that Islamic rituals came from Islam’s founder’s occult experience with a powerful demon. His opinion is that the demon uses these rituals to shackle its adherents in spiritual darkness. A Chris­tian man (who overcame the temptation) on one occasion felt a tremendous sexual lust toward a baby for no appar­ent reason. He later discovered that his great-grandfather was a voracious child molester who abused his own granddaughters. He renounced the sin of his predecessors at a prayer meeting designed for the breaking of generational curses. Frank Peretti dramatized a scene where a slithery demon of lust accompanied a temptress who unsuccessfully tried to bring down the morals of a dedicated pastor.

I was first exposed to the idea of ter­ritorial spirits ten years before Larry Lea’s meeting when some well-mean­ing Christians called a weekly prayer meeting to “bind Satan from the San Francisco Bay Area and bring godliness to public life through spiritual warfare.” I was impressed by their concern over the rise of non-Christian influence over the region. They were meeting to estab­lish godliness in the school systems, regional politics, the media, and to dethrone the spirit of homosexuality from its capital city, San Francisco. I was happy to accept an invitation to participate with them, but I was very disturbed by the time left the meeting. I had assumed its purpose was for intercessory prayer, but the hour was spent instead rebuking Satan from all of the above areas by addressing him directly and “binding” him verbally. The thought struck me, “This group spends more time talking to Satan than to God!” Since then, this style of spiritual warfare has proliferated while the school systems, politics, media, and especially the homosexual movement have gone much further away from the goals of that prayer meeting.

Is there really a demon of homosexu­ality over San Francisco? Does a demon regulate the teaching of Islam? Does a spirit of sexual abuse victimize succes­sive generations of a family line? Is there a specific demon of adultery in womanizers or a spirit of alcohol (demonic, not distilled!) in alcoholics?

The Bible calls drunkenness and sexual immorality “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-22 (NASB). Colossians 3:1-10 instructs us to “lay aside” such deeds as part of the corrupt “old self” that was crucified with Christ. We are never told to deal with such behaviors by exorcising the “spirit of lust” or the “spirit of alcohol.”

Now, Jesus did attribute the homici­dal motive of His opponents to their association with their “father, the devil” (John 8:44, NIV). John also said that “Cain belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother” (1 John 3:12, NIV). Paul wrote Timothy that those who oppose the Lord’s servant are in “the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26, NIV). Certainly, then, demonic influence is involved in the choice to sin, and if a person repeatedly chooses sin he or she becomes a slave of the Devil. But this is not the same as saying that certain behaviors are the works of certain spirits, or that those behaviors are eliminated by rebuking such spirits. We become slaves of sin by choosing sin, and we only become free of sin when — by God’s grace — we choose obedience to God. Thus, “the devil made me do it” is no excuse for sin.

What about corporate demonization over regions, nations, cities, ethnic groups, and generations of families? First, we must acknowledge that there is some biblical evidence for territorial spirits. Jesus called Satan the “prince of this world” (John 12:31) while Paul named him “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). “He leads the whole world astray” together with his angels (Rev. 12:9, NIV).

A strong argument for regional demonization can be found in the three-week delay of the angelic messenger to Daniel who was opposed by “the Prince of Persia” (Dan. 10:12-13). This is understood by many scholars to mean an evil spiritual prince over the Persian nation, race, and land. Two classic references to satanic domination over earthly kingdoms are those attrib­uted to Satan when Isaiah and Ezekiel are addressing the kings of Babylon and Tyre (lsa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-16). An interesting case of diabolic attachment to a geographic location is found in the “Legion” (Mark 5:1-20) begging Jesus not to send them out of the region. The glorified Lord called Pergamum the place where “Satan’s throne is” (Rev. 2:13, KJV). Jesus also spoke concerning the religious life of Smyrna, identifying the synagogue there as belonging to Satan (Rev. 2:9-10).

Interpretations of such passages may vary among sincere Christians, but one thing is certain: belief in territorial spirits should not be considered aberrant, as is, for example, the health and wealth gospel. The issue should never become a point of division among brothers and sisters in Christ.

But what about generational spirits? There are five explicit references in the Old Testament which promise that God will visit the fathers’ sins upon the chil­dren with punishment (Lev. 26:39; Jer. 32:18), even to the fourth generation (Exod. 20:5; 34:7; Num. 14:18). As a result of the sin of his father Ham, Canaan’s descendants were cursed by Noah, and Jacob feared a curse from Isaac over his family line (Gen. 9:25; 27:12). To support the doctrine of generational spirits one must infer that the visitation of punishment and the fulfill­ment of the curse consist in a demonic presence visited upon succeeding gen­erations as a result of sin. This also is not an aberrant doctrine, but it does require an interpretive leap. Some evi­dence may exist in the fact that after Samuel’s curse upon Saul “an evil spirit” (1 Sam. 18:10) tormented Saul. But this Scripture does not make conclusive an argument for a demon becoming attached to a cursed generation.

Where teachers of these doctrines depart from Scripture more definitely is in the practice of trying to expel these spirits. The Bible does show Jesus and Paul verbally rebuking demons which physically possessed individuals. Each of these individuals was freed, and, like the Gadarene, was found to be “in his right mind” after the expulsion.

It is important to note, however, that neither Jesus nor the disciples ever ver­bally rebuked (or taught others to do so) national, ethnic, behavioral, or generational demons. The Bay Area demons have been thoroughly rebuked but the region is still not in its “right mind,” while materialism, immorality, and irreverence are common behavior.

Verbally binding the enemy is also employed in attacking invisible spirit thugs of the dark world. One pastor I’m aware of opened every service say­ing, “Satan, I bind you from hindering this gathering in Jesus’ name.” A broth­er in Christ with good intentions is subtly led astray when Satan is the first one he speaks to in a service of wor­ship to God.

Such “binding” is based on scriptures that were never meant to be applied as a formula of verbal rebuke. While Jesus did say the strong man must be bound in Matthew 12:29, this happens by the arrival of God’s more powerful kingdom. This metaphor in no way instructs believers to change the world through verbal rebuke.

In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 Jesus speaks of believers having authority to bind which affects both heaven and earth. In 18:19 church discipline (deal­ing with professing Christians) is the subject of binding and loosing, not spir­itual warfare (dealing with the demonic realm). In verse 20 this is done by agreeing in prayer to God, not talking to Satan.

The Lord did say, however, that there is a conflict of kingdoms (Matt. 12:22-30). Paul instructs the Ephesian church about spiritual warfare against the schemes of a dark celestial hierarchy composed of “the devil,” “rulers,” “authorities,” “powers of this dark world,” and “spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12, NIV). (Perhaps territorial spirits are included in this list.)

To fight this war, Paul tells believers to “stand” against them in God’s power using His armor (Eph. 6:11, 14). The weapons he lists for battle are: honesty, righteousness, witnessing, assurance of salvation, belief in God, and proficien­cy in the Scriptures. But wait, isn’t this simply obedient Christian living? Where’s the mystical mumbo jumbo — the direct encounter with the supernatural? It would appear that Christians who effectively live out their faith assault satanic oppression of a society with an onslaught that verbal rebukes cannot approach.

After describing the Christian’s spiri­tual armor Paul then emphasizes the importance of prayer. It is instructive to examine the nature of that prayer. He first requests prayer “in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Eph. 6:18). Victory over a demonic hierarchy involves persistence in talking to God. Then he follows by requesting prayer for “all the saints.” By praying for one another, Christians bat­tle demons. In the next two verses, Paul requests prayer twice for himself as a missionary. Prayer empowers the preaching of the gospel.

Maybe this is what happened in Northampton, Massachusetts where a monument states that there Jonathan Edwards encountered the Devil and defeated him. In Ireland, Patrick encountered the druid witches, and the Celts recognized God’s power as supe­rior. History notes that following both events, multitudes turned to Jesus Christ These men spent considerable time with God, but I’ve never seen any record of their talking to the Devil. Bib­lically and historically, then, spiritual battles are won by living for God and talking to Him in earnest intercession rather than by talking to Satan.

Eric Villanueva is a cross-cultural mis­sionary and graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Hank Hanegraaff has done it again. After first providing an extremely concise, accessible, and engaging treatment of prayer (The Prayer of Jesus, W Publishing Group, 2001), he has now provided the same service with the topic of spiritual warfare (The Covering, W Publishing Group, 2002). In both cases he brings a refreshingly biblical perspective to subjects in which Christians show great interest, but also great misunderstanding. Just as we complemented the publication of The Prayer of Jesus in the Journal with Lee Strobel’s dynamic interview of Hank on prayer, in this issue we feature an equally profound discussion between Strobel and Hanegraaff on spiritual warfare.

Like prayer, spiritual warfare is of great practical importance to Christian growth. It is critical to accurately understand and apply what the Bible has to say about overcoming temptation and withstanding the wiles of the Devil. If the Evil One could convince a large enough percentage of Christians to substitute a superstitious¹ approach to doing battle with him in place of the biblical model, he would largely neutralize the witness of the church. This scenario may sound preposterous, but there is good reason to believe it is well underway.

There seems to be no end to the subjective, sensational, and superstitious fare on spiritual warfare that dominates the Christian book market. Pay a visit to your local Christian bookstore. Chances are you will find 10 to 20 books on spiritual warfare themes. Two radically different approaches will be represented. The vast majority of the books will advocate the relatively new deliverance model for spiritual warfare. This model affirms the capacity of evil spirits to possess or “demonize” Christians. It assumes the existence of, and need to identify, spirits associated with various sins (e.g., the “spirit of lust”), spirits attached to specific physical locations (e.g., “territorial spirits”) or objects, and spirits of various sins passed down through human blood lines (i.e., “generational spirits”). In any of these cases, it emphasizes that God has given Christians authority to confront these demons directly through rebuking them, verbally “binding” them,² and commanding them to leave whatever person or place one believes they inhabit. The use of this authority is considered central to both spiritual warfare and Christian sanctification or victory over sin. This direct confrontation can take the form of “warfare prayer” — in which one primarily addresses the Devil and his legions, not God — as well as deliverance sessions (i.e., exorcisms) performed on Christians, including sometimes oneself.

Unless your Christian bookstore is under unusually discerning and conscientious ownership, you will only find a few books at the most that will not teach these concepts and practices but will rather advocate the historic discipleship model for spiritual warfare and sanctification. There probably will be only one book in the latter group that will clearly dissociate itself from the former group and call those recent innovations in spiritual warfare biblically false. That book would be The Covering.

At CRI we are comforted by the realization that there actually are many Christians who agree with us. In terms of the publishing world, however, we often feel like voices in the wilderness as we continually stand for the largely obscured discipleship model for battling against sin and the Devil, described in detail by Hanegraaff and Strobel in this issue.

In the past this magazine has responded to the deliverance teachings of such authors as C. Fred Dickason, Mark Bubeck, Frank and Ida Mae Hammond,³ Neil T. Anderson,⁴ and Bob Larson.⁵ These articles may be accessed at our Web site (www.equip.org). Since the publication of these articles, new authors have come to the forefront with best-selling books that spread further into evangelicalism the errant spiritual warfare ideas and approaches of the deliverance model.

Some of these authors, such as Stormie Omartian and Beth Moore, are likable personalities with obviously sincere faith in, and love for, Christ. It is especially hard for me to write critically of Omartian, since she was one of my favorite lyricists in the 1970s when she contributed to her husband Michael’s progressive Christian rock albums. Her series of books on the power of prayer⁶ have dominated the Christian nonfiction bestseller’s lists in recent years, breaking records in the process, and they show no signs of abating.⁷

Much of what Omartian has to say about prayer and the Christian life is good, and there’s no disputing that her books have helped many people. What’s the problem, then? Despite Omartian’s good intentions, when she touches on spiritual warfare issues, she repeats the errors she imbibed at her church of 23 years (until she moved to Tennessee), The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California (associated with the Foursquare Gospel denomination).

The Church on the Way, whose pastor, Jack Hayford (Omartian’s “spiritual father”⁸), is highly respected in the charismatic/Pentecostal movement, is a dynamic and in many ways fruitful church.⁹ It has, however, embraced, or at least failed to take a stand against, many of the errors that have spread through much of the charismatic movement. It recently has become a leading dispenser of the deliverance model of spiritual warfare through its Cleansing Stream Ministries (CSM). The mission statement of CSM states that it is “committed to partnering with pastors and churches in teaching and training leaders and maturing believers in personal cleansing, deliverance, and spiritual warfare so they can be released to serve, minister, and disciple others in the Body of Christ” (emphasis added).¹⁰ All of the distinctives of the deliverance model mentioned above — along with the errors of the word of faith movement concerning the creative power of human speech — are taught by CSM in seminars and retreats to local churches across North America and around the world.

Like CSM, Omartian affirms that Christians can be demonized and need to seek deliverance from this affliction.¹¹ She assumes the existence of, and need to identify, spirits attached to physical locations and objects, generational spirits, and specific demons associated with, and assigned to, specific sins.¹² She further teaches that God has given Christians authority to directly address, rebuke, command, and bind demons, and that using this authority is central both to spiritual warfare and sanctification.¹³ Several of these points can be demonstrated from just one quote, taken from Lord, I Want to Be Whole:

The first step in renouncing sin is to ask God exactly what you need to be delivered from. If you’re dealing with evil spirits, ask Him to show you which ones. Say, “God, give me revelation. Show me if an evil spirit is causing my fear.” Then speak a Scripture from the Word of God that backs up your authority to cast out this spirit. Choose a Scripture that applies to your own life. For example, say, “God has not given [me] a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Then cast out the spirit. Speak directly to the evil spirit with confidence and boldness and the full knowledge that Jesus has given you authority to do so in His name. Be specific. Say, “I address you, spirit of fear. I will no longer entertain you. I renounce you and remove your right to stay. I say you have no power over me. I bind you in the name of Jesus Christ and in the authority He has given me. I cast you out of my life and command you to be gone.”¹⁴

Much of the confusion that exists over spiritual warfare arises from taking Bible passages that have a limited application and treating them as if they have no limits. The Bible does say that Christ has unlimited authority over demons, and He gave His disciples the specific authority to cast demons out of possessed individuals and to overcome any other manifestations of the Evil One they might encounter in the work of preaching the Gospel (Matt. 10:1; Mark 3:13–15; Luke 10:17–20; cf. Acts 13:7b–12). In that context, we do find believers in the Gospels and the book of Acts directly addressing demons, rebuking them (not Satan himself; cf. Jude 8–10), and casting them out of people. Jesus never even hinted, however, that this authority carried over into our personal battles with sin and Satan.

Nowhere do we find the apostles or disciples addressing invisible spirits (i.e., spirits that are not inhabiting a human body). We are promised victory over the Devil in James 4:7: if we resist him, he will flee from us; but we are never told that we resist him by commanding him to leave us alone. In the larger context of James 4, it is clear that this resistance involves submitting to God, drawing near to Him, becoming serious about repentance, and humbling ourselves in the presence of the Lord (James 4:7-10). The same applies to all other Bible passages that speak of resisting Satan (e.g., Eph. 6:13-18; 1 Pet. 5:5-10). Spiritual warfare does not consist in addressing the Devil but rather in addressing God in prayer; it is not a matter of asserting one’s own authority to use Christ’s name over the Devil but rather of standing firm and unmovable in one’s faith in, and obedience to, God. This sustained commitment in the face of spiritual opposition — a moral exercise that causes us to grow in the image of Christ — is what makes the Devil go away. Satan will be “bound” and cast out of our presence at the Second Coming (Rev. 20:1-3), but in the meantime he serves a purpose in God’s development of our character,¹⁵ and it is only our steadfast resistance of evil that makes him flee — not the mere utterance of words or the assertion of our authority in Christ.

This more restricted view of the believer’s authority over demons does not mean that the believer is less equipped to prevail against “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12; nasb) than he or she would be in the deliverance model. In this issue’s discussion, as in The Covering, Hank Hanegraaff takes the focus off of errant views of spiritual warfare in order to provide a positive presentation of what God has provided to ensure our spiritual victory: the “armor of God” (Eph. 6:11–18), which Hanegraaff calls “the covering.”

One part of this armor, Scripture, is correctly noted by Omartian as playing a critical role in spiritual warfare; it is the “sword of the Spirit,” our one offensive weapon (Eph. 6:17), and Satan must yield to its authority. This happens naturally, however, as we stand in faith upon the Word during times of temptation and trial and use it properly when communicating with both the lost and the saved. There is neither need nor biblical basis for quoting Scripture to the Devil.¹⁶ When Omartian says we should look for Scriptures that apply to our situation, she is right. When she tells us to find Scriptures that will back up our authority, she is wrong.

It is the authority of God’s Word and Christ on which we stand. That is more than sufficient.

— Elliot Miller

NOTES

1. By superstitious I mean belief in powers and principles that are more akin to magic than to anything that can be substantiated from Scripture or science.

2. This practice is based on a misunderstanding of Matt. 18:18, which is actually talking about dealing with sinning Christians (see vv. 15–17; cf. John 20:21–23), not dealing with demons.

3. For a general treatment of Christian deliverance teachings up to 1993, see Brent Grimsley and Elliot Miller, “Can a Christian Be ‘Demonized’?” vol. 16, no. 3.

4. For an in-depth analysis of the teachings of Anderson on spiritual warfare and sanctification, see the four part “The Bondage Maker” series by Elliot Miller and Bob and Gretchen Passantino that appeared in vol. 21.

5. See Steven Parks, “The Devil Is in the Details: An Examination of the Teachings of Bob Larson,” vol. 24, no. 2.

6. See The Power of a Praying Parent (1995), The Power of a Praying Wife (1997), The Power of a Praying Husband (2001), The Power of a Praying Woman (2002), and The Power of a Praying Nation (2002), all published by Harvest House (Eugene, OR). See also Lord, I Want to Be Whole: The Power of Prayer and Scripture in Emotional Healing (2000) and Praying God’s Will for Your Life (2002), both published by Thomas Nelson (Nashville).

7. See “Prayer Power: Omartian’s Popular Series Breaks Best-Seller Records,” Book and Bible News and Reviews, CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) Web site (http://www.cbaonline.org/), http://204.71.129.243/MarketPlace/_sep02bnr.jsp.

8. Parent, Acknowledgments, v.

9. At least that was the case when I visited it a few times in the 1970s.

10. http://www.cleansingstream.org/intro_to_CSM.html.

11. See Lord, I Want to Be Whole, 77-78, 83ff. Like many deliverance teachers, Omartian makes distinctions that are supposed to reassure Christians about the limits of the Devil’s power over them but that, in fact, make little or no difference. She makes a distinction between a demon indwelling a believer’s spirit — which she says can’t happen — and a demon attaching itself to a believer’s life — which she says does happen frequently and is the reason why believers need deliverance. She also qualifies that Christians cannot be possessed, but only oppressed. On the one hand she maintains, “Jesus is in you. Evil spirits are not in you.” (Ibid, 79.) On the other hand, she affirms, “Deliverance, then, is evicting the Devil and refusing to be crippled by him” (ibid., 78; emphasis added), and she instructs believers to “cast out the spirit” and “remove [its] right to stay.” (Ibid., 86.) Omartian is using biblical terminology when she speaks of casting out or evicting a demon, but she fails to realize that this necessarily implies something much worse than attachment to one’s life. Whenever the Bible speaks of deliverance, it is always referring to evicting a demon from a person’s body, which the demon had made its home, and from which the demon was able to exert complete control of, and inflict extreme affliction on, the wretched, lost victim. There is, furthermore, no biblical ministry of deliverance to believers. Christians who are overcome by temptation are consistently instructed to put “to death the deeds of the body” (Rom. 8:13; NASB); they are never told to cast out the demons of various sins. Omartian teaches that demons can control believers against their will, and this is the biblical doctrine of demon possession by another name. For a fuller development of these points, see Elliot Miller, “The Bondage Maker: Examining the Message and Method of Neil T. Anderson (Part Two: Spiritual Warfare and the ‘Truth Encounter’),” Christian Research Journal 21, 2 (1998): 10–21.

12. See Lord, I Want to Be Whole, 81–82, 85–86; Parent, 94–95, 133–34, 174, 176.

13. See Lord, I Want to Be Whole, 86. Cf. Husband, 24–25.

14. Lord, I Want to Be Whole, 85–86.

15. See, e.g., 2 Cor. 12:7–9. Paul did not rebuke Satan for giving him this “thorn in the flesh” or command him to take it away, but he rather besought the Lord to remove it from him, and graciously accepted the Lord’s answer that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9, NIV). Paul was able to appreciate that this satanic affliction served a divine purpose in keeping him humble, despite the great revelations he had received (v. 7).

16. The one biblical instance in which the Devil was addressed directly, and Scripture was spoken to him, was when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11). It should first be noted that no one is disputing that Jesus has the authority to address and rebuke the Devil (see, e.g., Jude 8–10). Jesus is God and Lord of all creation, including Satan, and so it does not necessarily follow that what was proper for Him is also proper for us, John 14:12 notwithstanding. The very point under dispute is whether all of Jesus’ authority transfers over to us or only that specified in Scripture, and so it would beg the question to use this verse as a proof text without establishing the practice of addressing and rebuking the Devil elsewhere in Scripture. It is clear enough, furthermore, that Satan appeared to Jesus in some sort of visible form. If the Devil visually manifests himself to you, then perhaps you will have a biblical basis to quote Scripture to him! If not, quote your Scriptures to yourself or those who are with you, for the only invisible being you have a biblical basis for addressing is God. If Scripture provides no justification for speaking to angels or departed saints, why should we think it is OK to talk to Beelzebub and his demons?

BOB LARSON- SYNOPSIS

For many years, the Christian Research Institute has warned believers about a massive shift occurring within the contemporary church. Sadly, many believers are being ushered out of the age of objective biblical exposition bequeathed to us during the Protestant Reformation and into the age of unbridled subjective experience. Examples abound, but few exemplify the paradigm shift better than Bob Larson.

Larson’s newfound emphasis on spiritual warfare highlights his proclivity toward subjectivism, and his recent venture into performing live public exorcisms before capacity crowds further accentuates his sensationalistic approach to ministry. While some of what Bob Larson teaches on demonology and spiritual warfare is theologically sound, what he gives with the right hand of sound biblical exegesis is quickly snatched away with the left hand of alleged experiences with the supernatural.

Larson thus wavers between presenting balanced teaching grounded in biblical truth and espousing dangerous ideas established by his alleged encounters with the supernatural. Unfortunately, even the biblical aspects of Larson’s theology end up overturned as a result of his supposed skirmishes with the demonic. As Larson’s focus on spiritual warfare intensifies, subjective experience reigns supreme.

Throughout the millennia, the Christian church has faced myriad trials in the form of doctrinal controversies. While enduring these tests of faith, one constant temptation for believers has been to base their beliefs not on the objective written Word of God but rather on subjective experience. Movements such as Montanism and mysticism have enticed many away from objectivity grounded in Holy Scripture and into the realm of autonomous esoteric experience.

Not much has changed over the centuries. For years, the Christian Research Institute has been warning believers about a massive paradigm shift occurring within the contemporary church, as the faithful are being tempted to abandon biblical exposition in favor of extrabiblical experiences. While any number of examples could be given to illustrate evangelicalism’s growing obsession with subjectivity, few exemplify this paradigm shift better than Christian television and radio personality Bob Larson.

Bob Larson uniquely embodies the church’s perpetual struggle to subjugate personal experience to the inspired text of Holy Scripture. His evident desire to remain faithful to the Bible is tragically overridden time and again, and in the end most of what he teaches is based more on alleged encounters with the supernatural than on a careful exegesis of Scripture.

BOB LARSON’S BACKGROUND

Born in 1944, Bob Larson grew up in rural Nebraska. A popular youth excelling in sports and academics, Larson earned the titles of best athlete and best all-around student in high school. During those years, Larson developed a fondness for rock and roll, becoming the lead singer of a band called The Rebels, which enjoyed some measure of success.¹

Shortly after enrolling at the University of Nebraska in 1963,² Larson experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity and felt he could no longer follow through with his “secular” plans. Abandoning his dream of becoming a medical doctor, Larson left college altogether in 1964,³ pursuing ministry with an exceptionally fiery passion.

Drawing from his experience as a rock musician, Larson traveled around the country warning the nation’s youth against the dangers associated with this style of music, even gaining national attention in Newsweek.⁴ Larson soon parleyed this notoriety into a successful writing career, eventually publishing several books detailing the perils of rock and roll.

In 1972, Larson founded Bob Larson Crusades, a strategic move allowing him to expand his focus to deal with issues related to cults and the occult, authoring works on these topics as well.⁵ From these humble beginnings, the broadcasting empire known today as Bob Larson Ministries extended its influence, ultimately taking the evangelical community by storm.

BOB LARSON’S INFLUENCE

Readers may already be living in a community sponsoring one of Larson’s ubiquitous conferences or they may even have attended such an event. Larson has lectured in over 70 countries,⁶ and travels an average of three to four days per week, often attending to ministry duties from his hotel room.⁷

A prolific author, Larson has nearly 30 books to his credit, both nonfiction and fiction, the latter including the bestsellers Dead Air, Abaddon, and The Senator’s Agenda. Over the years, Larson has worked tirelessly to spread his message, and these efforts have gained him a prominent platform within the evangelical Christian community.

As the host of Talk-Back with Bob Larson, a live national radio broadcast heard daily via satellite, Larson offers his unique take on issues ranging from Christian living to apologetics. Employing his trademark style of broadcasting, he has enjoyed much success as a radio personality, and Talk-Back has aired in 200 cities throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Western Europe, and North Africa.⁸

These noteworthy accomplishments have even caused the secular world to sit up and take notice. Television talk show hosts such as Phil Donahue, Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, and Sally Jessy Raphael have all featured Larson as a guest on their programs. In addition to the daytime talk show circuit, Larson has appeared on Larry King Live and Politically Incorrect hosted by Bill Maher.⁹

Larson also hosts two television broadcasts of his own. Bob Larson in Action, a half-hour television series aired weekly on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, is seen “on over 1500 television stations, 16 satellites, the Internet, and thousands of cable systems around the world.”¹⁰ Bob Larson Presents: DWJD-TV (Do What Jesus Did-Television) is Larson’s newest weekly half-hour television show and is aired nationwide via Sky Angel, a direct broadcast satellite system.¹¹

BOB LARSON’S EMPHASIS

After Larson made a name for himself by speaking out against rock music, he shifted his attention to the arena of spiritual warfare. Believing there was a lack of reliable teaching on this topic, Larson took it upon himself to “fill that void with biblically sound facts that meet the scrutiny of serious theological review.”¹²

Aware of chicanery passing itself off as dependable teaching, Larson believes that Christians “need to be very objective in the realm of spiritual warfare,”¹³ denouncing sensationalism for what it is: “Now some in the church have a rather unhealthy, sensationalized, preoccupation with the demonic, and I understand that. And there has been much repute [sic] brought on the arena of this issue by those who have dealt with it very unwisely. They have done so in a psychologically unsound way, and a theologically inappropriate way.”¹⁴

Since an information gap exists, who better to fill it than Bob Larson, a man who purports to have seen more supernaturalism than any living human?¹⁵ Indeed, Larson’s experiences with the supernatural are so astonishing that he is hesitant to relate most of what he has experienced for fear of overwhelming believers.¹⁶ The problem Larson refers to is evident to those carefully examining his teachings on the nature and activity of demons.

BOB LARSON’S DEMONOLOGY

Larson believes studying demonology is part and parcel of Christianity, and he openly laments contemporary evangelicalism’s ignorance in this area.¹⁷ Some of what Larson has to say about demonology is biblically based and has likely been of help to those searching for sound teaching on the subject. For this he is to be commended.

For example, Larson teaches that demons are fallen angels,¹⁸ possessed of all the attributes of personal beings, including will, emotion, and intellect.¹⁹ As fallen angels, Larson correctly notes, “demons are noncorporeal spirits,”²⁰ that is, they are immaterial creatures with no extension in space,²¹ possessing no mass.²² To his credit, Larson explodes the myth that Satan is the infinite, omnipotent, and omnipresent counterpart of God. In no uncertain terms, Larson affirms that Satan is finite,²³ unable to forcibly coerce individuals to sin against their will,²⁴ and limited to operating in one place at one time.²⁵

While these teachings are certainly biblical, Larson nullifies them when he recounts his personal experiences with alleged demons. This penchant for inconsistency is evident throughout Larson’s teaching, and it is common for him to espouse both sound and sensationalistic statements on the same topic.

For instance, while Larson rightly asserts that demons are noncorporeal beings, he also teaches they manifest themselves physically.²⁶ According to Larson, most of these occurrences border on nuisance, such as when demons have crank-called those to whom Bob was ministering deliverance;²⁷ yet Larson believes some crafty demons have gone so far as to duplicate his own physical appearance, masquerading as Larson himself in order to obstruct genuine exorcisms.²⁸

As insidious as these occurrences sound, Larson suggests that many demons have an even more sinister goal in mind, as in the case regarding an incubus, “a demon assuming human physical dimensions and sexually cohabiting with a woman. Succubus is the counterpart, when the demon assumes female proportions and actually cohabits with a man.”²⁹ These erotic encounters may even result in a “demonic impregnation,” which must be countered with a prayer that “Satan’s supernatural offspring be aborted.”³⁰ These ideas have more in common with pagan superstition than with biblical demonology. To ascribe physicality to evil spirits goes beyond the boundaries of Scripture.

In fact, such assertions undermine important truths, not the least of which is the empirical evidence Jesus offered for His own resurrection. After Christ had risen from the dead, He presented Himself to the disciples thereby demonstrating His victory over death. Fearing that He was a spirit, the disciples continued to waver concerning His identity. To dispel their doubts, Jesus offered them a sufficient test for discerning spirits from nonspirits: “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39, NASB). If demons can physically manifest themselves and even impersonate individuals, then Jesus offered an inadequate proof for His own resurrection. Upon what basis could the disciples conclude that an evil spirit was not masquerading as Jesus? The Savior offered His physical body as evidence to the contrary, alleviating any uncertainties harbored by the disciples. Such proof, however, would have been insufficient if demons could assume physical dimensions at will.

Furthermore, Larson relies on his subjective experiences with alleged evil spirits to support his views regarding their abilities. Although Larson affirms that demons are finite beings, he ascribes to them godlike supernatural capabilities. Sometimes the forces of darkness create minor disturbances, such as teleporting important items out of view in order to hide them,³¹ or even setting off hundreds of fire alarms simultaneously.³² On other occasions, demons have materialized dangerous weapons out of thin air,³³ tampered with car brakes,³⁴ and even caused earthquakes registering 5.0 on the Richter scale!³⁵

This is not the picture of demons presented to us in Scripture. It is not even consistent with what Larson teaches elsewhere when he declares, “Demons are noncorporeal spirits. They have no physical mechanism to express their will. They need a body to accomplish their designs.”³⁶ Such inflated assertions regarding the overwhelming power and pervading influence of demons have caused many to become overly preoccupied with satanic activity, focusing more on our adversary than upon our Advocate.

BOB LARSON’S SIDESHOWS

In addition to his skewed demonology, many evangelical observers have expressed concerns over a recent develop­ment in Larson’s ministry: he now conducts live public exorcisms.³⁷ During one such event, Larson declared:

My Bible tells me in Colossians 2:15 that Jesus made a public spectacle of the devil. I’m doing this for a reason. You know if God hadn’t been dealing with my heart in recent months, I never would have done anything like this. But God has been teaching me that I need to give the Christian community a window into the world of the reality of the supernatural, so we wake up, and get off our duffs, and get busy for God.³⁸

This claim comes despite the fact that Larson previously denounced such public displays:

Quite frankly I often cringe when I see public evangelistic displays of what purports to be supernaturalism that only draws attention to a particular individual on stage in front of the camera…I’m just telling you that [exorcisms] take place in private. They take place in cloistered settings where I and a band of intercessors are battling for the sake of a soul, and they’re not the sort of thing where the cameras are rolling, and the lights are on, and folks can look at it and say, “Wow! Look at what he’s doing. He must have the power of God in his life. Oh, what a wonderful servant of the Lord,” because that sort of thing is too easily given over to pride. Cameras aren’t running, nobody is there to get any glory out of it.³⁹

Now, based upon an erroneous interpretation of Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, Larson feels he must share in Christ’s work of publicly humiliating Satan by casting demons out of the afflicted before large crowds. Why does Larson practice what he recently condemned? The answer seems clear: a poor exegesis of Scripture guided by an unbridled subjectivity.

Larson’s proclivity toward sensationalism becomes truly evident in his alleged encounters with the supernatural. In this regard, his “literalizing”⁴⁰ of Scripture has drawn serious criticism⁴¹ and is actually the basis for some of his more outlandish claims. For example, based upon Paul’s teaching that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), Larson wields his Bible as though it were an actual weapon, dealing lethal paper cuts to demons,⁴² even making eunuchs out of incubi.⁴³ Other creative uses of Scripture include restraining demons with invisible rope (because “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken”; Eccl. 4:12)⁴⁴ and raising a person’s body temperature by holding a Bible over the individual (because the Word of God is like a lamp: Ps. 119:105).⁴⁵

Though he appeals to Colossians to substantiate his practice of conducting public exorcisms, Larson seems to miss the entire thrust of Paul’s argument: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col. 2:15). The apostle painted a word picture that would have been familiar to first-century readers. As Dr. N. T. Wright, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, has observed, “The phrase triumphing over them alludes metaphorically to the practice of Roman generals following a conquest. In the days before the modern news media, the most spectacular method of announcing a far-off victory to people at home was to march in triumph through the city, displaying the booty taken from conquered peoples, and leading a host of bedraggled prisoners through the streets as a public spectacle” (emphases in original).⁴⁶

Notice the manner in which Jesus humiliated the forces of darkness: through the instrumentality of the cross. Contrary to what many might had expected, Jesus was actually conquering Satan and his minions at Calvary, subjugating them to open shame. Dr. Curtis Vaughan, professor of New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, amplifies this point: “Christ, in this picture, is the conquering general; the powers and authorities are the vanquished enemy displayed as the spoils of battle before the entire universe. To the casual observer the cross appears to be only an instrument of death, the symbol of Christ’s defeat; Paul represents it as Christ’s chariot of victory.”⁴⁷

It is no secret that Jesus performed exorcisms in the presence of many witnesses (see, e.g., Mark 5:12–13). Nevertheless, it was not those displays that subjected the evil spirits to open shame. Rather, the cross of Christ humiliated the forces of darkness, a historical reality that occurred once for all time two thousand years ago.

BOB LARSON’S THEORIES

While Christianity has traditionally held that demon possession is a rare phenomenon, Larson contends that cases of possession abound. He maintains that demons attach themselves to such inanimate objects as tourist souvenirs,⁴⁸ houses,⁴⁹ and even entire nations⁵⁰ (American demons are the toughest variety⁵¹).⁵² This, however, is just the tip of the satanic iceberg. Demons also possess people, and in Larson’s theology, nobody is safe from incursion. Targets for possession include people from all walks of life, even infants in the womb⁵³ and Christians.⁵⁴ The latter have acted as the impetus for Larson’s public exorcisms, since unbelievers aren’t exactly beating down Larson’s door seeking deliverance. Even if they were, they would find little help from Larson, who believes — in polar opposition to the historic Protestant position — that exorcisms should not be conducted on unbelievers: “I argue, what business do you have trying to cast a demon out of somebody who isn’t a Christian? Think about that for a minute. Do you know how dangerous it is to cast a demon out of somebody who isn’t a Christian?…So in effect, never do an exorcism until the person is a Christian.”⁵⁵

Larson rarely attempts to offer a biblical defense for his view of the demonization of Christians. Like the majority of his teachings on spiritual warfare, his conclusions are based more on experience than Scripture. Although Larson once vehemently opposed the notion that Christians could be possessed, his experience overruled his earlier teaching:

A change in my own theology and heart came about very gradually. The more I got involved in conducting exorcisms, the more I realized that a greater and greater percentage of the people I was ministering to were Christians…but as I began to deal with more and more people who were honestly born again, who knew the Lord as their Savior, and were demon possessed I had to face the reality that my theology, my public statements on the issue, all that I had taught about this was in error.⁵⁶

In Larson’s demonology, possession is the result of demons gaining “legal rights”⁵⁷ to a Christian through the believer’s open rebellion against God, such as involvement in cults or the occult.⁵⁸ Demonization can also be the result of seemingly innocuous activity, such as having too much alcohol to drink with dinner⁵⁹ or becoming overly enamored with one’s automobile.⁶⁰

Larson affirms, nonetheless, that possession usually results from grievous sin. Since Christians often do their utmost to avoid sin, it is often necessary for Larson to locate the cause of demonization outside of the Christian. He finds suitable explanations in the form of curses.⁶¹

In Larson’s worldview, “curses are exacting, legal arrangements of the spirit world.”⁶² Such arrangements give demons permission to inhabit their victims until the curse receives a detailed voiding.⁶³ These enchantments generally come in one of two forms: ancestral or relational curses.

“Ancestral curses are often the most serious and may effect [sic] descendants for generations.”⁶⁴ These are hexes placed upon a victim’s forebear and are passed down to succeeding generations. Relational curses occur because of close associations one might have with those involved in the occult; thus, a Christian wife may become possessed because of her husband’s occult activity;⁶⁵ a person may be demonized because of a close friend’s occultism;⁶⁶ and an individual may even be susceptible to satanic invasion because of a business associate’s misdeeds.⁶⁷ Larson argues that “even though an exorcist might not suspect the victim has any ancestral, generational, or relational curses that need to be broken, there is no harm in addressing these issues as a matter of caution.”⁶⁸

Scripture teaches that such ideas are absolutely repugnant. The Israelites had an infamous proverb blaming others for their woes: “The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Ezek. 18:2, NASB). In response to this saying, God declared, “As I live…you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore” (v. 3, NASB). Yahweh set the record straight, pointing out that “the son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (v. 20, NASB). In short, individuals are accountable for their own wickedness and not for the sins of others.

When pressed for explicit biblical evidence for his belief that Christians can be demonized, Larson points out that Jesus performed exorcisms within the confines of synagogues:

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon. Now Luke chapter four has always been one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but when I read that, and I saw what it said about a man in the synagogue, I realized that the very first case of demonic possession the Lord Jesus ever dealt with was in church! Here was someone in the synagogue. Now he was there to worship God. He was there presumably with right spiritual motives, and he had a demon who spoke out of his body. I mean we’re talking about real demonic manifestation here.⁶⁹

This is the best Larson has to offer. Sometimes the subject of the story changes (he occasionally uses the “daughter of Abraham” mentioned in Luke 13⁷⁰), but the basic thrust of his argument remains constant: If you attend a synagogue, you’re a believer.

Such arguments need no lengthy refutation. The Pharisees attended synagogue; yet Jesus referred to them as “whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27, NASB). Jesus affirmed that in the confines of the visible church there would be believers and unbelievers until the end of time (Matt. 13:24–50). Assuming that location defines a state of belief is therefore a gross error.

Unfortunately, arguments advanced by others in favor of the demonization of Christians are too numerous to address here.⁷¹ Suffice it to say, such assertions contradict Scripture, which affirms that Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), who is more than able to protect His people from unclean spirits (1 John 4:4).

THE PENDULUM

We have the same experience a man has whose head is dizzy. When he is to climb a high tower or to pass over a bridge under which deep water is flowing, one must simply blind him, must hang a coat over his head and lead and carry him blindfolded; otherwise he falls from the tower and breaks his neck or falls into the water and drowns….We, too, must simply close our eyes, follow the leader, the divine Word, and say: I will let myself be wrapped in swaddling clothes, will let a coat be put about my head, and will let myself be led to that which I believe and do not see; and thus I will live and die.⁷²

So cautioned Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation. Luther was well acquainted with those who refused to content themselves with the written Word of God. Among his chief adversaries in the Reformation were the Enthusiasts, who denigrated the divine Word by supplementing it with esoteric experience. Larson essentially commits the same error.

Like a pendulum swinging precariously from side to side, Larson wavers between presenting balanced teaching grounded in biblical truth and espousing dangerous ideas formed by his alleged encounters with the supernatural. In the end, the biblical aspects of Larson’s theology are overturned as a result of his skirmishes with the demonic, and as the pendulum continues its erratic course, subjective experience reigns supreme.

As with the lightheaded individual in the illustration above, those who rely on sources other than God-breathed Scripture to guide them safely through the crumbling towers and wobbly bridges of this life will eventually find themselves in a world of spiritual agony. Such is the tragedy of those who look to Bob Larson for advice on spiritual warfare.

For many years a research consultant at Christian Research Institute, Steven Parks is a student at Concordia University, Irvine.

NOTES

1. J. Gordon Melton, Phillip C. Lucas, and Jon R. Stone, Prime-Time Religion: An Encyclopedia of Religious Broadcasting (Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1997), 191.

2. Clare D. Kinsman, ed., Contemporary Authors, vol. 53 (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1975), 365.

3. Melton, et al., 191.

4. “The Mood at Moody,” Newsweek, 9 March 1970, 51.

5. Melton, 191–92.

6. Bob Larson, Larson’s Book of Spiritual Warfare (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 481.

7. Bob Larson Ministries, “Ministry Update,” 25 February 2001 (www.boblarson.org/newsletter/newsletter.html).

8. Cited in Bob Larson, Satanism: The Seduction of America’s Youth (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989), 223.

9. Book of Spiritual Warfare, 481.

10. Trinity Broadcasting Network, “The TBN Story,” 6 March 2001 (www.tbn.org/about/tbnstory/index.htm).

11. Bob Larson Ministries, “TV and Radio,” 6 March 2001 (www.boblarson.org/TVradio/tvradio.html).

12. Book of Spiritual Warfare, 7.

13. Bob Larson, Spiritual Warfare Basic Training I (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1995), side 2.

14. Bob Larson, Spiritual Warfare Action Training I (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1995), side 1.

15. Bob Larson, In the Name of Satan (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 150.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid., 149.

18. Bob Larson, What Is a Demon? (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1996), side 1.

19. Ibid., side 2.

20. Name of Satan, 117.

21. Bob Larson, Spiritual Warfare Combat Training I (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1996), side 2.

22. Bob Larson, The Exorcism: The Final Battle (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1997).

23. Name of Satan, 91.

24. Ibid., 79.

25. Bob Larson, How to Call Up a Demon (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999), side 2.

26. Name of Satan, 43–4.

27. Ibid., 153–54.

28. Ibid., 154.

29. Action Training I, side 1.

30. Name of Satan, 151.

31. Ibid., 155.

32. Book of Spiritual Warfare, 6.

33. Bob Larson, The Devil: Who He Is and What He Does (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1996), side 2.

34. Name of Satan, 160.

35. Book of Spiritual Warfare, 1–2.

36. Name of Satan, 117.

37. Combat Training I, side 1.

38. Bob Larson, Larson’s Video of Spiritual Warfare (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999).

39. Basic Training I, side 2.

40. Bob Larson, What Scriptures Satan Hates Most (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999), side 2.

41. Bob Larson, Misconceptions about Demons (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999), side 1.

42. Basic Training I, side 2.

43. Bob Larson, Do’s and Don’ts of Deliverance (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999), side 2.

44. Name of Satan, 175.

45. Ibid., 173.

46. N. T. Wright, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Colossians and Philemon, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 114.

47. Curtis Vaughan, “Colossians,” Frank E. Gabelein, gen. ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 202.

48. Name of Satan, 192.

49. Bob Larson, How to Know If You Have a Demon (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1999), side 2.

50. Bob Larson, Five Ways to Deal with the Devil (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1996), side 1.

51. Combat Training I, side 1.

52. For a refutation of “territorial spirits,” see Csaba Leidenfrost, “‘Peretti’ Evangelism,” Christian Research Journal, September–October 1997, 53.

53. Bob Larson, Every Day Demons: Tape 3 (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1997), side 2.

54. Bob Larson, Can a Christian Have a Demon? (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1995), side 1.

55. How to Call Up a Demon, side 2.

56. Can a Christian Have a Demon? side 1.

57. Name of Satan, 79.

58. Basic Training I, side 1.

59. Name of Satan, 117.

60. Ibid., 60.

61. Action Training I, side 2.

62. Name of Satan, 109.

63. Ibid.

64. Ibid., 105.

65. Ibid., 214–15.

66. Ibid., 215.

67. Ibid.

68. Ibid.

69. Bob Larson, Spiritual Warfare Basic Training II (Denver: Bob Larson Ministries, 1995), side 1.

70. Name of Satan, 81.

71. For a comprehensive examination of such arguments, see Brent Grimsley and Elliot Miller, “Can a Christian Be ‘Demonized’?” Christian Research Journal, Summer 1993, 16–19, 37–38.

72. Martin Luther, What Luther Says, comp. Ewald M. Plass (St. Louis: Concordia, 1994), 216.