November 3, 2013:

The Devil You Say?”

      “A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing . . .
      And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
      We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
      The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him;
      His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure: One little word shall fell him.”

      This past Sunday I participated in the annual Reformation Day Service and Celebration of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in our area. Naturally, we sang Luther’s great hymn:  “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”  But, as in the past, I have problems with the third verse that I have printed above.
      Is this world really filled with devils and under the rule of the Prince of Darkness?  Certainly Luther believed that. The story is told that once he became so angry at the Devil disturbing his study and writing that he threw his inkwell at him! Luther had been born and raised in an age that believed passionately that our world was a constant battleground between the forces of God (angels) and the forces of Satan (devils) to influence or control human beings. Medieval churches, paintings, and writings are full of this notion of battlefield earth.
      There is no question that people in New Testament times believed that the devil was real (remember Jesus’ temptation?) and that demons caused mental and physical illness as well as all other sorts of bad things. Maybe even Jesus himself believed this.
      I don’t . . . and I hope you don’t , either. Though Flip Wilson’s Geraldine could say, “The Devil made me do it,” that is simply nonsense. We do not live in a dualistic universe (Good vs. Evil, God vs. the Devil). There is only one reality and that is the infinite God who cares for each one of us.
      So I got more than a little annoyed when I saw the article in the October 21st, issues of the times Free Press where a little-theologically-educated man announced that God has called him to cast out demons in people. Shades of “The Exorcist!”
      Why do people believe such things? Does it have anything to do with the fact that in too many churches pastors and religious leaders have little or no contemporary Biblical and theological training? Or is it simply another instance of what happens when otherwise intelligent people abandon thoughtful Christian faith for emotional ignorance? That’s the real enemy we face today, not the Devil!

Love,
Dave