GOSPEL COALITION COUNCIL MEMBER MARK DRISCOLL TELLS US ABOUT HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH DEMONS

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Oct 24, 2011 in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current Issues, Features

By Apprising Ministries correspondent Christine Pack and Cathy Mathews of Sola Sisters

According to the video above, Mark Driscoll has embraced a dangerous false teaching in which Christians are taught what amounts to hand-to-hand combat with demons. This bizarre teaching was once confined to the hyper-charismatic denominations but has now invaded mainstream evangelical Christianity. (Incidentally, this teaching is also pervasive in C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation.)

This teaching instructs that Christians are authorized by God to deal directly with so-called territorial demons, in which a Christian must “reclaim” dominion over a territory (spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, etc.) that has been given over to demons due to personal sin. A recently published book (by Karl Payne) that is endorsed by Mark Driscoll might give us some insight into how and why Driscoll thinks the demon world should be directly engaged. From the publisher’s notes:

“Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization and Deliverance
is a transferable, step-by-step training manual on spiritual warfare. It focuses
on clarifying and explaining “how to’s” for recognizing and resolving attacks
from the world, the flesh and the devil.” (online
source, Amazon)

Mark Driscoll’s endorsement of Karl Payne’s
Spiritual Warfarebook:

From
the Appendices, Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization and Deliverance
(pp 240-242)

On a
personal note, my sister and I both have had first-hand experience with so
called Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance Ministries, having both been personally
involved with these ministries as very new Christians. We will be writing more
on this in upcoming posts, but suffice it to say, we both came out of those
experiences strongly committed to warning others about the unbiblical nature of
such ministries.

While we both recognize and affirm that there IS a
spiritual battle raging all around us in the unseen realm, we strongly disagree
with those who believe and teach that the Bible instructs us to engage demons
directly, as Mark Driscoll is discussing in the video above.

At the end
of this article are a number of resources which were extremely beneficial in
helping both me and my sister form a more biblical worldview. Coming out of the
occult as we both did, we were virtually sitting ducks for deliverance
ministries. Although we were true, born again Christians, realizing how
much occultic stuff we had done – and at the same time having a very high view
of God and not wanting to sin against Him – rendered us very vulnerable to
suggestions to get rid of past curses, generational sin, etc. through unbiblical
binding/loosing and deliverance ministries. These ministries, however, instead
of helping us, led us into darkness and despair.

More to come on
this….

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Radio
Series

Spiritual
Warfare According to the Warfare Worldview – Part 1, presented by Bob DeWaay
& Dick Kuffel
C. Peter Wagner, Bob Larson, Greg Boyd and others teach
a worldview in which the well-being of Christians depends on interactions
between spirits and humans. They claim there is a spiritual legal system that
must be uncovered and used to fight the spirits.

Spiritual
Warfare According to the Warfare Worldview – Part 2, presented by Bob DeWaay
& Dick Kuffel
We examine the claims of proponents of the warfare
worldview that suggest we need to gain information from shamans, New Agers, and
even demons themselves in order to do battle with spirits. They create a
spiritual technology based on secret information.

Spiritual
Warfare According to the Warfare Worldview – Part 3, presented by Bob DeWaay
& Dick Kuffel
C. Peter Wagner says that we need to use “relatively
new spiritual technology” based on information not found in the Bible. He says
that we need to take this secret information and do “field tests” in the world
of the spirits.

Spiritual
Warfare According to the Warfare Worldview – Part 4, presented by Bob DeWaay
& Dick Kuffel
In this final message, we summarize the claims of the
warfare worldview and show that the only logical conclusion one can come to from
that perspective is that he or she is cursed and it is hopeless. We give the
alternative.

False Spiritual
Warfare Teachings – Part 1, presented by Bob DeWaay & Dick
Kuffel
This program examines the claims of those who teach that Adam gave
world dominion to Satan and that the church has to get it back through
unbiblical spiritual warfare techniques. We show the dangers of dominion
theology.

False Spiritual
Warfare Teachings – Part 2, presented by Bob DeWaay & Dick
Kuffel
This program examines shows how unbiblical spiritual warfare
teachings deny God’s sovereignty over all things. We show that denying God’s
sovereignty leads to many unbiblical errors and creates confusion in the minds
of Christians.

The Bondage
Makers – Part 1, presented by Bob DeWaay & Dick Kuffel
Pastor Bob
offers a frank discussion of the years he spent in deliverance ministry during
the 1970’s, the problems with such ministries, and how God helped him out of his
errors. He explains the differences between the warfare and providential
worldviews.

The Bondage
Makers – Part 2, presented by Bob DeWaay & Dick Kuffel
Pastor Bob
offers a frank discussion of the years he spent in deliverance ministry during
the 1970’s, the problems with such ministries, and how God helped him out of his
errors. He explains the differences between the warfare and providential
worldviews.

Articles

False Spiritual Warfare
Teachings: How the Church Becomes Pagan

How Deliverance Ministries
Lead People to Bondage: A Warning Against the Warfare
Worldview

The Dishonoring of God in
Popular Spiritual Warfare Teaching: Refuting the Bad Theology Espoused by
Spiritual Warfare Teachers

Binding and Loosing, Part 1:
False Spiritual Warfare Teachings

Binding and Loosing, Part 2:
False Spiritual Warfare Teachings

Generational Curses:
Biblical Answers to Questions Raised by the phrase “visit the inquities to the
third and fourth generation