Are Christians Afraid To Talk About the Devil?

[seanD]

What does that have to do with the OP or the topic of the thread?

[Cow Poke]

What does that have to do with the OP or the topic of the thread?

Touched a nerve, eh?

[seanD]

And we can spend too little time focusing on what he does such that his attacks limit and disrupt efforts to fulfill the Commission.

To know thy enemy is one of the greatest defenses in combat.

[Adrift]

We can be both Soul Winners and routinely kick some Devil butt. Sometimes a good butt-kicking is what helps us win the souls.

[Cow Poke]

We can be both Soul Winners and routinely kick some Devil butt. Sometimes a good butt-kicking is what helps us win the souls.

Agreed -- my concern is with those who are more focused on the Devil than on the winning of souls.

[Adrift]

Agreed -- my concern is with those who are more focused on the Devil than on the winning of souls.

Roger that.

[Truthseeker]

Do you disciple anybody?

Is that a verb? Or perchance you meant "discipline." I guess you meant, "Make anyone a disciple," though that doesn't seem right.

[Cow Poke]

Is that a verb?

Yes, "to make disciples". Probably not technically, but it's frequently used in Christian circles.

Or perchance you meant "discipline."

No, I meant disciple as a verb.

I guess you meant, "Make anyone a disciple," though that doesn't seem right.

Source: Matthew 28:19New International Version (NIV)

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...

© Copyright Original Source

But it really doesn't surprise me that people (including many Christians) are unfamiliar with that term.

[Jedidiah]

Truthseeker, to disciple also includes teaching and encouraging new believers, not just telling.

[One Bad Pig]

I don't think its universally true, and there are certain areas within Christianity where its not true at all, but it seems like a lot of people get skittish when the subject of the Devil comes up. Has anyone else noticed that or am I just imagining things?

For instance, in apologetics, very rarely do I hear people talk about Satan and his effect on this world system, especially in regards to issues like the Problem of Evil. Now, I don't think that Satan has to be referenced when dealing with the Problem of Evil, and in fact, I can see why people would find it unnecessary to refer to him at all, but its interesting to me that his role in producing or influencing the evil that is done in this world is rarely mentioned at all when the issue is discussed.

We're all aware of that famous quote by C.S. Lewis,



And to be blunt, in my experience, this divide often seems to fall in line with, I don't know, the intellectual acuity(?) of a particular church. I'm familiar with some churches where members could recite whole books from the Bible through memorization, but a deeper understanding of the text, especially in relation to the original languages or historical context is little evidenced. These same places often avoided deeper theological discussions which they seem to consider ivory tower-ish, and impractical in the real world application of Christianity. And a real world application does seem to be their main focus; Basically, bringing the Bible to the people (the common man on the street) in a simple to understand and relatable way. These churches seem to like to talk about Satan and demons a lot.

On the other hand, I'm familiar with other churches that are steeped in an intellectual appreciation for doctrine and dogma and whatnot. They often have a strong focus on tradition, church history, and theology. These churches seem to (in my opinion) almost avoid talking about Satan and demons. As though they were side concerns that Christians shouldn't spend hardly any time focusing on.

What are your thoughts?

One of the things I've come to appreciate about Orthodoxy is its balance. The devil is taken seriously - exorcisms are an integral part of the standard baptismal service - but the adversary is not something that is focused on. Our own fallen nature is usually more than sufficient to cause us to trip up.

An illustration I heard recently: there was a demon at a tavern, just hanging out bored, while across town there was a widow praying with a legion of demons attempting to distract her.

[Adrift]

One of the things I've come to appreciate about Orthodoxy is its balance. The devil is taken seriously - exorcisms are an integral part of the standard baptismal service - but the adversary is not something that is focused on. Our own fallen nature is usually more than sufficient to cause us to trip up.

Can you explain the exorcisms at baptismal services? Is there an attempt to drive out demons from people before or as they're getting baptized?

An illustration I heard recently: there was a demon at a tavern, just hanging out bored, while across town there was a widow praying with a legion of demons attempting to distract her.

I don't get it. Why would a demon hang out at a tavern bored? Seems like they'd be continuously active if there really is a spiritual struggle in this world. And it sounds like the widow praying is doing some battling of her own if she's praying and they're attempting to distract her. I'm probably taking it too literal though...

[Kelp(p)]

The exorcism just consists of the person turning and spitting on the floor, when prompted, as a rejection of Satan. Then the priest blesses them, telling all demons to leave in the name of Christ. The person is also anointed with oil beforehand.

This stands in contrast to the Anglican service which cut out the renunciation of Satan from their service book decades ago (not trying to throw rocks at anybody, just pointing out the difference).

[Paprika]

Touched a nerve, eh?

One does wonder if you'll ever tire of such childishness.

[Paprika]

To know thy enemy is one of the greatest defenses in combat.

Precisely. It isn't just merely about trying to delimit his capabilities, but taking stock of what he has done, is doing, and can be expected to do; where is his strongholds, what are his current strategies, and so on.

[Adrift]

The exorcism just consists of the person turning and spitting on the floor, when prompted, as a rejection of Satan. Then the priest blesses them, telling all demons to leave in the name of Christ. The person is also anointed with oil beforehand.

Hmm. That's pretty cool. I like that.