DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES AND CULTIC TENDENCIES
Deliverance ministers, those who teach that Christians can be
indwelt and controlled by demons who cause the believer to sin,
are guilty of cultic tendencies whether they know it or not.
No matter how orthodox these deliverance ministers or counselors
are in the rest of their theology, they are blind to their error
on the subject of spiritual warfare. In their zeal, these minis-
ters teach and practice things that go beyond scripture and that
touch cultic tendencies. No amount of sincerity on their part can
erase the inconsistencies that riddle their teaching and practice
with regard to spiritual warfare.
For example, deliverance teachers appeal to Ephesians 6 and talk
of "warfare." However, Ephesians 6 hints at neither indwelling
demons nor exorcism; it presents Satan as an external foe. Here
deliverance teachers are guilty of reading into Scripture, a
practice called eisegesis, which is a cultic tendency.
Another example of the deliverance teachers' eisegesis is their
reading of Ephesians 4:27. Here "place," metaphorically means
"opportunity." (Vine's Expository Dictionary of the New Testament
Words, pg. 185) Deliverance teachers see metaphorical opportunity
as a literal place inside the believer's body.
Other cultic tendencies that appear in deliverance teaching are:
1. Mislabeling scriptural categories: Deliverance teaching
blames believers' sins on indwelling demons, which must be exor-
cised if the believer is to be free of besetting sins.
Scripture is clear about "sins of the flesh." Colossians 3:5-9
mentions anger, fornication, lying, and so forth. Christians are
told to mortify these and to replace them with godly alternatives
such as kindness, forgiveness, mercy and truth. Galatians 6:19-21
talks of the "works of the flesh." Certainly Satan tempts and
works through the flesh, but nowhere does Scripture confuse the
flesh with demons, much less teach that we can be free of these
sins through exorcism.
2. Misuse of source material: In personal correspondence with a
deliverance counselor, this writer was told that others for many
years held to deliverance teaching. The name of John L. Nevius
and the book, Demon Possession and Allied Themes was cited for
validation of this teaching. Citation of this book was curious
since Nevius taught the opposite of deliverance beliefs. Consider
these statements:
"In China, the uniform testimony of the supposed demon is...'I
cannot live where Christ is. I must go.' There is something in
the very atmosphere of Christianity which is repellent to them."
(pg. 278)
Again he wrote:
"We believe that Christ is present with his people, and that His
Spirit dwells in them. Is it strange then that demons, recogniz-
ing Christ's presence with his people, should instinctively escape
from a Christian atmosphere?" (pg. 290)
Commenting on Nevius, Dr. Ben Rogers wrote in his book, Can A
Christian Be Demon Possessed?:
"It is also the uniform testimony of demons that they fear the
one great God and acknowledge the power of Jesus Christ our
Lord." (pg. 9)
Deliverance teachers also use sources that disagree with them on
many issues but agrees with them that Christians can be demon-
possessed.
An example is Moody College's C. Fred Dickason. Dickason says of
Ensign and Howe that they are a "valuable resource" (Demon Pos-
session and the Christian, pg. 83), have "considerable experi-
ence" (pg. 99), are "weighty" (pg. 172), "particularly helpful"
(pg. 299), and quotes or cites them on 37 pages, but never hints
at all the theological points on which they disagree. The
Jehovah's Witnesses are notorious for this practice. (See, PFO
Newsletter January-March 1985, "A Lie Grows in Brooklyn.")
3. Manipulation through fear and guilt.: "We are talking about
those who have been invaded through grounds given in ancestral
involvements," writes Dickason on page 347 of Demon Possession
and the Christian.
A statement such as that could put true fear into the heart of
an immature and untrained believer. The idea that believers can
be affected by the sins and demon problems of their ancestors
raises a whole raft of questions: Which ancestors? Which demons?
What about ancestors I didn't even know? How could I ever be sure
or free from fear knowing I might have had a drunk or a pervert
as an ancestor? How does Mr. Dickason know he doesn't have ances-
tral demons? These questions don't have biblical answers.
Use of fear and psychological bondage is a favorite cult prac-
tice. Ex-Moonie Steve Hassan elaborates:
"The cult member comes to live within a narrow corridor of fear,
guilt, and shame. Problems are always the fault of the member,
and are due to his weak faith, his lack of understanding, 'bad
ancestors,' evil spirits, and so forth. He perpetually feels
guilty for not meeting standards. He comes to believe that "evil"
is out to get him.
In every destructive cult I have encountered, fear is a major
motivator. Each group has its devil lurking around the corner
waiting for members to tempt and seduce, to kill or to drive
insane. The more vivid and tangible a devil the group can conjure
up, the more intense is the cohesiveness it fosters." (Combating
Cult Mind Control, pg. 82)
Like it or not, realize it or not, deliverance teachers are
creating confusion and bondage. They are leaning in a cultic
direction. In their use of Scripture, their use of sources and
their fostering of fear they are to be challenged and confronted.
-GRF
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