In the last few years, there has been a resurgence of
interest in the demonic in general and in how, more specifically,
Satanic forces interface with the world of human affairs. This
flurry of interest has particularly been fueled by a number of
Christian leaders who have been closely associated with what is
known as the Third Wave movement. C. Peter Wagner, of Fuller
Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission, Tom White, founder
of Mantle of Praise Ministries (now Frontline Ministries), John
Dawson, Southwest U.S. Director of Youth with a Mission, and Frank
Peretti, author of the popular novels This Present Darkness
(1986) and Piercing the Darkness (1989), have been among the
most influential leaders and spokespersons in the Movement.1
The ideology of the Third Wave movement reproduces
many of the elements of the old Mesopotamian worldview in contrast
to the biblical view.
Along with other Evangelicals, Mennonite Brethren have shown
broad interest in these matters. Not only have some Mennonite
Brethren pastors and youth workers adopted beliefs and practices
which are akin to those advocated by the Third Wave movement, but
one Mennonite Brethren/General Conference school (Columbia Bible
College, Abbotsford, British Columbia) has officially recognized and
sanctioned, within the institution itself, a ministry of spiritual
deliverance for students who feel they may be under some form of
demonic influence.2
It is no secret that Youth Mission International, a very fine and
{154} highly popular Mennonite Brethren
youth organization led by Randy Friesen, has given, over the last
few years, a high profile to the issue of spiritual warfare and
deliverance. Until recently, demon possession and spiritual
deliverance was the object of vigorous debate in the Quebec
Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches.3
Moreover, many Mennonite Brethren church members in Canada and in
the United States seem to accept the basic validity of the
underlying assumptions found in Frank Peretti’s popular
novels.4
What are we to think of this growing interest in the demonic and
the increasing acceptance of the views presented by the Third Wave
movement? Is there any possibility of evaluating these beliefs and
practices when there appears to be no way of verifying whether they
are true or false? There are indeed no scientific tests which could
objectively determine whether a person suffering from chronic
depression is struggling with a neurological disorder or is in fact
the victim of demonic oppression.
WORLDVIEW: KEY TO INTERPRETING THE WORLD
The reason behind the intrinsic difficulty of evaluating the
Third Wave ideology is first and foremost linked to the issue of
worldview.5
My basic premise in this essay is that ultimately our worldview—our
basic conceptual framework—determines how we interpret the world and
dictates to a great extent how we will behave. Thus where we end up
on the spiritual warfare controversy will primarily depend on our
starting point. For this reason, I will examine the issue of
spiritual warfare and deliverance from a worldview perspective.
I will begin with a survey of the beliefs of the Third Wave
movement through selected writings of C. Peter Wagner, John Dawson,
Frank Peretti, and a few others. The underlying intent is to explore
whether this movement’s worldview may in fact be a manifestation, in
the Christian community, of a mode of thinking which is becoming
more and more prevalent in postmodern society. The approach to which
I refer is increasingly characterized by the use of magical
categories and by superstition. I will limit my evaluation of the
Third Wave belief system to the reconstruction of its cosmology.
Secondly, I will examine a few basic biblical texts, particularly
Genesis 1-3, in order to discern the building blocks of what could
be considered a biblical worldview or cosmology. Finally, I will
reflect on the implications of Third Wave claims as compared to
those of my proposed alternative.
TEACHINGS OF THE THIRD WAVE MOVEMENT
As a means of focusing the major areas of concern I wish to
address, {155} it is important to outline
some of the affirmations which both fuel the controversy around the
spiritual deliverance debate and lie at the root of the teachings
and practices of the Third Wave movement. These affirmations include
the following:
People can be possessed (or demonized) by evil spirits with or
without their consent.6
Some Christians have a special gift to discern demonic
presence and exorcize it.
There are beings called “territorial spirits” who hold a
special kind of domination over neighborhoods, cities, and even
countries. Some Christians have a special ability to identify and
to challenge their control.
Objects or places can project evil influence and act as
conduits for demonic oppression.
Traumatic events, either in our lives or in our ancestral
past, can make us particularly vulnerable to demonic
influence.
Although it is not my intention to address these affirmations in
detail, my hope is to provide a frame of reference for evaluating
statements such as those listed above.
A COSMOLOGY OF THE THIRD WAVE MOVEMENT
Leaders of the Third Wave movement and those who espouse similar
positions in regard to spiritual warfare and deliverance have
developed a relatively clear and self-consistent cosmology, i.e., a
way of understanding God, the universe, and humanity.7
The following elements are submitted as a preliminary outline of
that cosmology.8
Violence and Creation
According to the Third Wave ideology, there has been a cosmic
conflict between God’s forces and the rebellious demonic powers
originating even before the creation of the world and extending into
human history. It is believed that some of these demonic beings have
been left free to roam the earth as an opposing force to humankind.
This was necessary, for only in conflict could humanity attain the
fulfillment of its true destiny. But war and conflict are not only
present at the eve of creation and necessary for the fulfillment of
human destiny; it characterizes human existence. God created the
human race as a warrior race. The logic of this perspective is that
God’s intentions for humanity to be a warrior race required an
environment containing the opposition necessary for the human race
to fulfill its true destiny. {156}
Mythologization of the Universe
According to the Third Wave paradigm, the universe is populated
with millions of superhuman/supernatural beings bent on destroying
humanity and God’s designs.
The Universe as Subject
The universe is given the status of subject. The spiritual beings
which inhabit it adversely affect the lives of humans through the
manipulation of the physical elements of nature. Thus, the basic
validity and reality of magic is assumed: objects can have special
powers, the spoken word is inherently efficient,9
places and objects can mediate evil powers and influence, traumatic
experiences (either in the life of an individual or in his/her
ancestral history) can generate “open doors” through which demons
can take possession or gain significant influence over that
person.
Pantheon
According to Third Wave ideology, there exists a highly
sophisticated organization with a hierarchy of demonic beings. At
the top of this demonic organization there is Satan. Satan is not
omnipresent, but he delegates his authority and power to other
spirits to accomplish his malevolent objectives. Three major
categories of demons are identified: territorial spirits,
middle-level spirits, and ground-level spirits. The extent of the
spirit’s power is directly proportional to its rank; the higher the
rank, the more powerful that spirit is. These spirits are said to
have specific names and well-delineated roles and territories.
Christian Experience Is Characterized by War
Since the warfare paradigm is suggested as the operative and
normative principle, it is important to realize that the conditions
usually associated with war are perceived as characterizing human
life in general and the experience of the Christian in particular.
The Christian is living under conditions of war and is therefore
under the constant threat of being attacked and overcome by evil
spirits. In fact, in terms of the church, the more effective a
Christian leader is, the greater the likelihood that this person
will specially be targeted by evil forces. The Christian must expect
and will experience intense spiritual conflict.
Christian Experience Is Characterized by Fear and
Uncertainty
The source of spiritual attack is manifold and ultimately
impossible to identify with precision. Any negative feeling or
emotion can be evidence of demonization. One can be demonized either
by coming into {157} contact with a person
who is demon-possessed, by contacting an occult object, or by being
present in a place inhabited by, or otherwise associated with, evil
spirits. The extent of the fear, if not the terror, and the
uncertainty inherent to the Third Wave ideology is particularly
evident in Frank Peretti’s novels which take to their logical
conclusions the teachings of some of the Third Wave leaders alluded
to earlier.
A New Priesthood
The Third Wave movement has its cast of “specialists” who have
the special knowledge needed to deal with demons. These specialists
have a distinctive status, for we are said to be living in the “end
times,” i.e., on the brink of an all-out war with the powers of
darkness. As the prospect of war becomes an increasingly imminent
and unavoidable reality, it follows that the spiritual warfare
specialists will be called to take on correspondingly critical
roles. Although these spiritual warfare “generals” liberally share
their knowledge, the average Christian must be extremely careful in
any attempt to deal personally with demons.
In fact, the assumption is that only those with the required
spiritual qualifications should deal with higher-level demons. The
higher ranking the demon may be, the more necessary it becomes to
appeal to the knowledge and experience of the spiritual warfare
specialist. Since an average Christian can never know whether he or
she has reached a sufficient level of spirituality, and since it is
virtually impossible to determine the type of demon one might be
dealing with, the average person is left with little choice but to
defer to the specialist. This is especially true when one considers
the dire consequences of incompetent dealings with demons (such as
demonization, death, and illness).
The spiritual warfare specialist plays a role equivalent to that
of the priest, the prophet, or the diviner in primitive societies
who alone have the special knowledge to manipulate the powers and
protect the common people from evil entities.
A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: THE CREATION ACCOUNT
I suggested earlier that the theology of the Third Wave movement
should be examined and critiqued at the level of its worldview and
not simply in terms of the social acceptability of specific
demon-casting practices in any one community. In an effort to
outline the basic tenets of a biblical worldview, I have decided
first to examine Genesis 1-3.
While such a limited sample of the biblical text may seem
restrictive, it is justified because of the the literary nature and
function of these chapters. Although it is not feasible here to
present a comprehensive {158} proof, it is
my contention that these texts are foundational and that biblical
theology as a whole reflects the principles they contain. The
following discussion is intended to clarify this assertion.
The Purpose of the Creation Story
In order to understand the presence of the creation story in the
book of Genesis, it is necessary to provide some background
information about the role such stories played in the ancient world.
Creation stories are not unique to Hebrew literature. We find many
of them in the ancient Near East, particularly in Egypt and
Mesopotamia. Beyond that, they are found in every period of history
and in every culture. These stories are generally called
myths. In popular language, myth usually denotes something
which is false. When scholars refer to myths in ancient cultures,
however, they refer to stories which essentially provide a
comprehensive and coherent view of the origin of the universe, the
nature of the divine, and the origin and destiny of humankind. These
stories are extremely important for they give us an insight into the
very heart of a people’s worldview.
The creation story found in Genesis 1-3 plays a similar role and
came into being in a very specific context. According to Exodus 5:22
through 6:8,10
Moses was given a twofold mandate: (1) to deliver the Hebrew people
from the Egyptians, and (2) to communicate to this new people the
essence of who Yahweh was so that the Israelites might adopt him as
their God. The first part of this mandate was relatively simple, but
the second part was considerably more complex, for it involved a
change of mind-set, a change of heart, and ultimately a change of
worldview. This was necessary, for it appears that the Hebrews in
Egypt had essentially adopted a pagan worldview.11
If this is the case, then one needs to realize that Moses had to
transmit to his people much more than a few truths about this new
God. He had to communicate a new worldview which would in fact
compete with the Hebrews’ understanding of the gods, the universe,
and themselves. In a real sense, the creation story is a polemical
text; it is designed to persuade the recipients of the validity of
the concepts associated with the new worldview which is being
presented to them.
If the biblical creation story was in fact designed to provide an
alternative worldview, then what was it competing against? What was
the belief system the Hebrews had come to accept? It is very likely
that the Israelites in Egypt had adopted the cosmology commonly
found in Canaan and Mesopotamia in ancient times. The essential
elements of the Mesopotamian worldview can be gleaned from different
kinds of documents but are most readily found in ancient
Mesopotamian myths. {159}
The most widely-known creation myths of the Ancient Near East are
the Atrahasis and the Enuma Elish.12
These stories teach that the universe was created in conflict, war,
and violence and that human beings were conceived to be slaves in
the service of the gods. According to these myths, the gods are
fundamentally evil and unpredictable. Furthermore, human beings have
no ultimate value: their fate is determined by the gods and by
anonymous forces in the universe; their existence is characterized
by uncertainty and fear; there is hope neither in this life nor in
the one to come. The life of the average Mesopotamian is ultimately
devoid of meaning. It is significant to note that the biblical
creation story is indeed good news in that it provides a
revolutionary understanding of creation, the universe, God, and
humanity.13
Two Key Concepts from Genesis 1-3
There are two critical concepts in Genesis 1-3 which deserve to
be highlighted.
The Demythologization of the Universe. By its constant
emphasis on the nature and function of the physical elements of the
universe, whether it is referring to the sun, the stars, the moon,
the waters, or the other elements of nature, the creation story
strongly affirms that the universe is “object” and not “subject.”
Whereas the physical universe is perceived as the medium of divine
essence in Mesopotamian cosmology, in the biblical creation account,
the physical universe is devoid of consciousness. According to the
narrative, the universe is not populated by evil powers bent on the
disruption of human life, and physical objects in no way represent
the essence of the divine. In the biblical story, the universe is no
longer an object of worship, fear, or terror. By its repeated
reference to the “goodness” of creation, the author explicitly
proclaims that humanity lives in a friendly universe.
The immediate implication of this text is that magic does not
exist.14
Further, objects have no power in and of themselves and thus cannot
mediate conscious and sentient evil influence. The notion that magic
can mysteriously influence human life was one of the beliefs the
author of the creation account was attempting to counteract. Moses
could not have been more explicit. By emptying the physical universe
of its divinities, Moses was in fact destroying the very existence
of magical power and the possibility of manipulating it. In effect
he declares, “A piece of wood is just a piece of wood!”15
(see Isa. 44:13-19).
The Nature of Humanity. In Mesopotamia, human existence
has no ultimate significance. Humanity is created in order to be
slaves of the gods. The Genesis account states the exact opposite.
According to {160} Genesis 1, the creation
of the universe is the result of the peaceful and benevolent
intention of God. There is no hint whatsoever of conflict, violence,
or war. Human beings are not created to serve as mindless slaves but
to be God’s representatives (Gen. 1:26-31) and his partners in
shaping and managing the world (Gen. 2:15-17). Far from being the
victims of the powers of the universe, the account of the “Fall” in
Genesis 3:1-24 proclaims humanity’s freedom and ability to shape its
future. Once again, we have concepts in these chapters which run
deeply against the Mesopotamian ideology.
An Alternative Worldview
It will be helpful to present briefly some of the basic worldview
implications of Genesis 1-3. The portrait which follows also borrows
from the biblical wisdom tradition, a tradition which exhibits both
worldview issues and creation theology.16
The universe is created good by a benevolent God. The universe
is ordered, predictable, and meaningful. The environment is not
something to fear but the very expression of a generous God.
The creation of the universe finds its origin in the intention
of a good God and not in a primordial, violent cosmic conflict.
Human beings are created with fundamental dignity and basic
freedom with respect to God.
Human beings are responsible for their actions.
Human fate is in the hands of God but also in our capacity to
choose that which leads to life or death.
Sin and the results of sin are the consequences of human
choice. If sin affects us both at the level of our humanity and of
human existence, it does not, however, rob us of our basic human
dignity and our ability to choose God (see Gen. 4:6-7).
Human beings are called to embrace life.
The authority to determine what leads to life or to death
resides in the discernment of the community of God’s people. Human
beings do not discern that which is true from false by consulting
some guru, by drawing a precise list of dos and don’ts, by some
magical formula, or in the realm of some unverifiable esoteric
experience. Discerning the true from the false is more often the
result of an intentional, conscious, and reasonable
process.17
Prayer. Genesis 2:15-17 teaches that human beings are created
to be in partnership with God. Humanity is given the mandate to be
God’s “image,” i.e., to represent the suzerain God on the earth
(Gen. 1:26). {161} As such, men and
women are expected to be in constant consultation with God; this I
take to be the basic purpose of praying. This consultation must be
present at all the levels of human experience, such as the
discernment of our role and sustenance in God’s projects, and
special strength and wisdom in times of crisis. The Bible
recognizes the possibility of conflict, opposition, and
difficulties in regards to life in general and the work of the
kingdom in particular. That is probably what the New Testament
authors mostly refer to when they allude to spiritual warfare
(e.g., Eph. 6:12; 1 Pet. 5:8). The constant response to this in
the biblical text is prayer to God, not rituals designed to “bind”
or “limit” the work of evil spirits in our affairs (Phil. 4:4-8).
Prayer or Healing Ritual. Human beings have a basic need for
some form of ritual in their lives, particularly in the difficult
periods. My suspicion is that many people who practice deliverance
ministries plug into this fundamental human need. James provides
one such ritual in 5:13-16 which can be used in cases where there
is an urgent need to invoke God’s special intervention. The
formula suggested by James for dealing with these kinds of
situations could perhaps be adapted for dealing with suspected
cases of demon possession or oppression. The approach would not
presume on the real cause of the illness, but it would involve the
community (such as the elders) and a rational and sincere
conversation about one’s spiritual condition (“if he has sinned,
he will be forgiven,” James 5:15 NRSV).
THREE WORLDVIEWS COMPARED
The ideology of the Third Wave movement reproduces many of the
elements of the old Mesopotamian worldview in contrast to the
biblical view (see Table). I am not suggesting, of course, that the
Third Wave leaders consciously borrowed from the Mesopotamian
cosmology! My hypothesis is that human societies have an innate
tendency to reproduce, generation after generation, ideological
structures of “death,” i.e., ideologies which promote war and
violence as a fundamental construct of human existence, and, on a
deeper level, ideologies which forever recreate the structures of
dehumanization and human exploitation with which we are too well
familiar. All human cultures throughout history have tended to
reinvent in ever new forms what might be called the “Old Myth.”
For example, today the “Old Myth” finds expression in the theory
of evolution with its emphasis on violence and the notion of the
“survival of the fittest” (read, the strongest) and in the New Age
movement with {162} its focus on the
manipulation of magical/cosmic powers and its reductionist
assimilation of human dignity and identity into the realm of nature.
The Christian community is unfortunately not immune to the
temptation of giving in to the “Old Myth,” and in fact many aspects
of the Third Wave ideology represent such a manifestation.
The following observations represent some of the important points
of similarity between the Third Wave ideology and the Mesopotamian
worldview:
Creation is born out of violence and war.
The universe is populated with a great number of evil entities
bent on humanity’s destruction.
The physical universe is subject and not object.
There exists an organization of evil beings with a supreme
leader and a hierarchy of underlings.
Human life is characterized by conflict, war, and uncertainty.
Normal life depends on the ministrations of a cast of
“priests” who have special abilities and knowledge to manipulate
the powers of the universe.
The creation account attested in Genesis 1-3 was designed to
provide both a critique of and an alternative to the Mesopotamian
worldview and may therefore be considered to be foundational for
biblical theology. It follows that Genesis 1-3 can and should be
used to evaluate the basic assumptions of the Third Wave ideology,
especially its perception of the interaction between the physical
universe and demonic entities, the unconscious demonization of
people, the “magical” connection between demon-possession and
violence, and human beings’ utter vulnerability to demonic
influence.18
The Genesis creation account proposes to the reader the notion of
a friendly universe in which human beings can live with confidence,
joy, and certainty.19
This is not to say that the world does not present real and
difficult challenges for human life. Human beings are indeed faced
with a wide range of difficulties, but these challenges are in the
realm of reason. The notion of a universe with a substratum of
occult forces mysteriously affecting human beings or manipulated by
them, à la the television series “The X-Files,” is foreign to the
creation account. Any ideology, “Christian” or non-Christian, which
suggests the existence of such an occult substratum flies in the
face of creation theology.
MATTERS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
In this section, I submit for consideration some thoughts and
{163} intuitions on a number of issues
which deserve further reflection, research, and debate.
Redefining Spiritual Warfare
I am inclined to believe that the New Testament addresses the
issue of spiritual warfare mostly to refer to the tensions, the
conflicts, the ethical options, and the worldview choices which
Christians must face. Using the notion of warfare as the only
paradigm to define the Christian experience, particularly when it
comes to the interaction between our sphere of existence and the
demonic world, may be going beyond what the authors of Scripture
intended. It may be more accurate to understand spiritual warfare as
simply one of many metaphors Scripture uses to characterize
different aspects of the Christian life.20
Each one of these metaphors has its usefulness but also its
limitations. The metaphor of spiritual warfare can be useful, but it
can lead to a gross distortion of our perception of life if it is
sublimated or turned into an absolute representation of the
Christian life.21
The Danger of Paranoia
One of my great concerns regarding the uncritical acceptance of
the Third Wave paradigm by many of our pastors and youth workers is
the fundamental unverifiability and total subjectivity inherent in
diagnosing whether one is oppressed by a demonic presence or not.
According to C. Peter Wagner and other such specialists, there is no
way to ever be certain that one is not being attacked,
possessed, demonized, or otherwise influenced by evil spirits. In
fact, one must live under the assumption that Satan and/or his
minions are constantly active in one’s life in one fashion or
another. I am convinced that such a worldview can lead, in certain
cases, to forms of mental illness. Young people who are going
through profound physical and psychological changes in their teens
can be particularly vulnerable if they are led to adopt the
fundamental premises of the spiritual warfare paradigm as held in
the Third Wave movement.
Manipulation and Spiritual Abuse
Another concern I have about the Third Wave ideology is related
to the critical importance given to leaders who claim to have a
special gift of discernment regarding the presence of evil spirits
in someone else’s life or in some given location. Consciously or
unconsciously these leaders put themselves in a position of
authority over people who may be at a particularly vulnerable point
of their lives. Psychological or spiritual manipulation and abuse is
an ever-present danger. {164}
Propensity towards Reductionism
Third Wave theology, like many systems of belief, is profoundly
reductionistic. It is reductionistic of Scripture; it is
reductionistic of human nature; and it is reductionistic of God.
Demonic Existence and Power
Why do demons seem to have so much power? My suspicion is that
the power demons have is the power we attribute to them. In nearly
all, if not all, of Jesus’ encounters with the demonic, the purpose
of the story is to demonstrate the demons’ powerlessness. The
Gospels dispel the lie communicated by the old pagan religions that
human beings live in a universe filled with evil powers that they
must exorcize at all costs. In the Gospel of Mark, for example, it
is not demons or even Satan that constitute a real obstacle to
Jesus’ authority, but human beings.
Pierre Gilbert holds a Ph.D. from the Université de
Montréal. He is an associate Professor of Old Testament and
Christian Studies at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (Fresno,
California) and Concord College (Winnipeg, Manitoba).
