Those Things Seen and Unseen

By Rev. John M. Dreyer

One dark evening, right after the two weeks of Christ Academy (CA)-2005, I was up late with some of our CA proctors. Like most CA guys, we like talking theology and we began talking about demonic possession. Andrew Yaeger, one of the CA proctors, loaned me a book called Hostage to the Devil, by Malachi Martin. I have done a lot of reading in this area and because I have had a lot of conversation on the subject with a number of students, I thought this deserved an article.

In our day we live in a time of the "Frankenstein Monster," as I call it. The question posed by this "monster narrative" is, "Can science achieve prominence over God?" Whatever title we may attach to this generation, we must conclude that we live in a very "scientific and materialistic culture" and have been for quite a while. One simple example may be the American’s lack of education in philosophy. A number of our high schools teach psychology, but very few offer philosophy. Psychology in its literal sense means "the study of life or the soul." In the past such a study fit well in the area of religion; it pertained to the study of the metaphysical nature of a human. However, when we wanted to make it scientific, we took God out of the notion of psychology and it became the study of what we call "facts." But in reality, those who studied in this area became philosophers in white robes that excluded God in favor of their "scientific research and evaluations." There is no doubt much we can learn from psychology today, but the philosophical shift has gone unnoticed by many.

In this "scientific and materialistic" culture, we find a shift within society. Where the Founding Fathers of our nation were trained in philosophy, they knew that law was to keep order within society alone and not legislate morality. Why? Because the laws of the land are not capable of interpreting the total metaphysical notion of a human being, so law was there simply to keep order. However, the Founding Fathers also knew the importance of the freedom of religion to fill this void within the American culture. Let religion have the freedom to influence society in the ways that laws cannot or should not.

But in a "scientific and materialistic culture" we continue to impede upon this freedom of religion by development and creation of many laws that try to "legislate morality"; then the role of the freedom of religion to influence society and its thought slowly diminishes.

This is what made the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose so interesting. Many commentators said "It was not scary," or "What is this, a long court trial?" But it was quite revealing in a way unnoticed by all the commentaries I read. Not that I agree with everything in the movie or thought it was so well done that I am left with no criticism; however, when one examines the courtroom conversation it clearly demonstrates how we think as a society. We want "just the facts ma’am," but what is fact? Psychologists were brought in to testify, but are they credible in their testimony or can they ultimately be credible?

The death of Emily Rose is definitely a civil concern and must be taken seriously, but can civil law interpret or have room for religion and the metaphysical world? Have we become a society that thinks religion is about morality and dictated social order?

Is sin for the Christian just the "do’s and the don’ts" or some moral view that allows even a pagan to appear Christian? Did we forget that sin is not only breaking God’s commandments but also a broken communion with God? Has private confession dropped out of use in many of our churches and been replaced with a clinical type counseling for one’s moral dilemma? Have we forgotten our struggle is with spiritual forces (Eph. 6)? Therefore the art and practice of self-examination before God is essential in the face of temptation and sin.

When dealing with demonic forces an unexamined life is a dangerous thing. Our culture may not see this as a reality so demonic forces likely work behind the scene and we become a society unaware of what really is out there. This is the best work of the devil. When the devil can remain hidden and his influence goes unnoticed, all the better for him. He simply wants your attention on many of the following: your sin, this world, your pride, and the list goes on, but he does not want your attention to be upon Christ and Christ alone. When I ask people, "Who is the opposite of God?" they say the devil. But you see, God has no opposites, God is God of all. It is God, not the devil, who has authority and power over all things. Center your attention upon Christ and Christ alone.

In an extended article to be published on the Christ Academy- College webpage of the CTS website, I will address demonic possession and "what to do about it" to a fuller extent. If readers have any questions or comments concerning this matter, please feel free to e-mail me at Dreyerjm@ctsfw.edu.

The Rev. John M. Dreyer is an Admission Counselor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He works with young men in the Concordia University System who are considering the vocation of pastor.