Sometimes – not all the time – conflict is evidence of battles in the spiritual realm. Sometimes – not all the time – significant conflict in families is rooted in the spiritual realities of generational sin, cycles of abuse, and even certain mental health disorders.*
Sometimes – not all the time – a conflict isn’t about who we are. It’s about Who’s we are.
Spiritual warfare, spiritual realities, and the spiritual realm aren’t common topics in most modern-day denominations and in the American church. It’s foreign territory for most Western Christians, and that’s okay.
I can’t share my experience with my in-laws without addressing the spiritual nature of our conflict, though, so I’m going to give you a quick rundown on the different approaches to the theology of spiritual warfare.
The battle of good and evil – for this is what spiritual warfare is - is not unique to Christianity. Judaism acknowledges the presence of evil spirits. Islam views this battle personally as a fight against your own human nature. Hinduism is built on a mythology of epic battles between gods and demons – practicing Hindus often engage in rituals and mantras to protect themselves against negative energies.
Christianity at its core is rooted in spiritual warfare. That’s why Jesus had to die on the Cross – to defeat Evil and to make a way for us to also defeat evil as we partner with God in His Kingdom Come Here and Now.
To declare yourself a Christian is to declare that you believe in a spiritual realm. One where your soul lives forever. Where sin and evil exist. And where Good triumphs over Evil in the end.
You cannot claim to be a Christian and also claim there is no Hell, no Evil.
Now, the details of spiritual warfare vary widely among the Christian traditions and denominations, and we can organize them into three traditional views – Catholic, Charismatic, and Evangelical.
In Catholicism, spiritual warfare has two branches: exorcism and the veneration of saints.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1673 defines exorcism as “a public and authoritative prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, asking that a person be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion.”
An exorcism can be minor – like that which happens when someone is baptized into the Catholic Church – or major. The Rite of Major Exorcism is performed when the person is determined, by the church, to have the spirit of the devil living in them.
Designed to expel demons or liberate a person from demonic possession, the Catholic Church cites the ministry of Jesus (see Matthew 17.18; Mark 1.34, 39; Luke 4.33-36) as the Scriptural basis for the rite of exorcism.
It is important to note that the Catholic Church believes those saved by Jesus Christ can become possessed by a demon at any time. Most exorcisms are performed on believers.
The Catholic Church also practices the veneration of saints, which simply means that certain “very spiritual” individuals from Church History have been give greater status and are believed to intercede for believers with God.
A number of these saints are believed to be powerful intercessors against temptation and spiritual harm. Invoking their name and/or saying scripted prayers to these saints is believed to protect oneself against various forms of evil.
For example. In the Catholic tradition, St. Michael the Archangel is known as a warrior against evil, a defender of faith. A Catholic who feels under attack by Satan would pray, “St. Michael the Archangel, defend me in battle. Be my protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, I humbly pray. O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.”
St. Benedict and St. Christopher are other popular saints revered for protective powers against evil. Many Catholics will wear or carry a Saint Benedictine or Saint Christopher Medal to defend them constantly against harm, temptation, and spiritual attacks. Reciting the saint’s prayer while holding their medal is believed to enhance its effectiveness.
On the opposite side of the Christian tradition spectrum is the Charismatic Movement which contains the Pentecostal church, Assemblies of God, Association of Vineyard Churches, Hillsong Church, and certain Episcopal churches, to name a few. Any church or denomination can “lean Charismatic,” so some of this might ring true of your Lutheran, non-denominational, or Reformed church experience, too!
The Charismatic Movement is most infamous for their belief in speaking in tongues, deliverance ministries, and divine healing.
They directly engage the enemy by “binding him,” “rebuking him,” “breaking strongholds,” and/or “loosing his clutches.” Like the Catholics, this is usually done in and over the lives of believers.
It is often public and can take the form of babbling in an unintelligible language, spinning in circles, dancing frenetically, falling on the ground, and laying hands on other people.
Oftentimes, the theology behind this approach to spiritual warfare is that we must break the power of Satan, forcing him to retreat so that God can draw the person closer to Himself. There is also a subset of this theology that believes the devil attempts to steal the blessings God gives His children. It is taught that Satan stands in the way of the good things God has for His people, and the believer must learn to fight Satan and take back what he has stolen.**
Like the Catholic approach to spiritual warfare, Charismatics believe that demons reside in the human heart, even in believers. But where the Catholic Church doesn’t believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Charismatics seek to harness His power as their own.
While this theology challenges the spiritual barrenness of our modern world – meaning the avoidance and ignorance we have of the spiritual realm – and encourages people to view the world and ourselves as a spiritual place, it is prone to remove God’s sovereignty in the midst of evil and in the hard places of life. This makes Satan more powerful than he is all while demonizing sin and placing the responsibility for personal holiness on humanity alone.
If you grew up in the church, this might remind you of “Purity Culture.” Sex – a physical act – has spiritual meaning and consequences (true!), and if you have sex outside of marriage, you are forever ruined and unworthy of love.
Which leads us to the evangelical approach to spiritual warfare.
Many evangelical churches have elements of the Charismatic Movement, especially when it comes to sexual sins. The majority of evangelical spiritual warfare theology is more moderate, sitting between the Catholics and the Charismatics, and firmly rooted in a singular belief about the character of Satan: he is a liar (John 8.44).
In the evangelical tradition, Satan is considered a liar, a deceiver, trying to trick and trap believers by subtle tactics. This theology teaches stringent management of the thoughts in the brain – is this God or is this Satan?
The result is believers cannot trust their own hearts and minds. Anxiety is a sin struggle, not a mental health disorder. The voice of God cannot be trusted because it might be Satan. In the extreme, even chronic illness is seen as a spiritual attack, evidence that the believer has bought into the lies of the world.
In practice, the moment a Christian believes a lie – God doesn’t care about me; God doesn’t love me; God limits pleasure; I should be ashamed of this struggle; I’m suffering, so something is wrong with me; Everyone but me is blessed; My children limit my freedom and dreams; Nothing will change – they have lost the battle against Satan. It makes room in the heart for Satan himself and now he has a stronghold in your life.
This evangelical theology quickly follows that up with, “But God has won the ultimate war, so repent and you will be forgiven. Don’t believe that lie again.”
It has now created a cyclical pattern of failure, shame, a small God, and human effort.
So how do evangelicals wage war?
Known as the “classic mode of spiritual warfare,” resisting Satan through Scripture, evangelism, discipleship, and personal growth are encouraged.
Psalms and Proverbs are considered “the textbooks” to resisting Satan like Jesus did. Evangelism includes telling others the Gospel, and also prayer, intercession, living a godly life, enduring trials, and having joy in all circumstances. Discipleship entails being in community, learning to find wisdom in Scripture, and growing in understanding God’s heart. And personal growth involves working as for the Lord and not for men, encouraging others, and not being tempted.
It is worth noting that most evangelicals consider temptation to be a sin. It is this belief that creates the perfectionism and legalism found in many evangelical spaces.
One of the largest evangelical denominations, Southern Baptist, has a saying about the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Scripture. While meant to poke fun at the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC), it is an accurate reflection of most churches that hold this affiliation. The removal of the Holy Spirit from their Christianity also colors their theology of spiritual warfare.
Fighting and resisting Satan’s influence on our life is relegated to our own efforts, sustained by our own will. Refer to the “classic mode of spiritual warfare” a couple paragraphs ago – these are things the believer should be doing, and the power of the Spirit is not among them.
These are the three main buckets of spiritual warfare theology in the American church. Of course, there are others! I myself hold a theology of spiritual warfare that is none of the three I’ve outlined for you today, and one day, I'll share the particulars of it with you.
Regardless of the theology you hold, here’s what I want you to walk away with:
Evil exists. Demons are real. God is powerful. By the Spirit, we walk without fear of our Enemy, and we are equipped with the same power of Christ to recognize, resist, and turn away from Evil.
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters, “As long as he externally retains the habits of a Christian, he can still be made to think of himself as one.”
The goal of Evil is not to make us all abusive dictators, but to move us away from Love Himself. Satan can, and readily does, corrupt Christianity. He prefers spoiled saints, Pharisees with their spiritual pride, harsh elders, and hypocritical leaders because they are evidence that he did his job well. False spirituality is Hell’s bread and butter, and Jesus warns us against it many times (1 John 4.1; Jude 1.4; Acts 20.28-30).
As Christians, we must believe Evil is alive and well, both in the world and in our life, and as faithful Christians seeking to partner with the Lord in His work and in His Kingdom, we must also actively reject the devilish hordes of Hell continually seeking to undermine our faith.
*I am not saying that all mental health disorders are a result of spiritual warfare! This is a different article for a different day, and here I simply mean that some mental health disorders are learned behaviors, passed down, generation to generation. These often have a spiritual component.
**While this article is meant to be objective, I feel it’s important to note that these beliefs are heresy, contradicting large portions of Scripture, as well as disagreeing with the character of God the Bible reveals and the historical Church has upheld for thousands of years. Please see Ephesians 2.6-7; Ephesians 1.3; Matthew 7.11; Jeremiah 32.17; Revelation 19.6.