Ask Andrea

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My friend is really caught up in spiritual warfare, attributing every bad thing that happens to the devil. I’m concerned she’s fallen into ungodly superstition, while she accuses me of ungodly disbelief ! Who’s right?

Needing an arbitrator,

Ima Googler*

Dear Ima,

I tend to side with C S Lewis, there are two errors people fall into, thinking the devil doesn’t exist (or has no power and isn’t out to get us), and attributing to him more power than he actually has (being overly scared of and focused on) and tend to think C S Lewis was right that the enemy himself has no preference which error we slip into.

That said, when times are hard, it can be more beneficial to look for God in the situation than to focus on the enemy’s movements. But do be cautious about sneering at demonic warfare. The devil may not be as powerful as many of us give him credit, but he does hate you and he is out to get you. We are most blessed to have one powerful God on our side, though. If he is for us, who can stand against us?

So many debate whether some bad thing that happened is the result of spiritual or physical causes. That’s usually a false dichotomy.

There is a law of sowing and reaping. Diabetes, for instance, isn’t caused by the demon of diabetes, it’s caused by genetics and an unhealthy lifestyle (eating the wrong foods and not getting enough exercise). The devil, however, does tempt us to eat too much and exercise too little so we’ll become obese and out of shape and hence less effective for Christ’s kingdom. The devil will attempt to exploit every spiritual and, yes, physical weakness we have to advance his agenda. So the relationship between the spirit and the physical is complex and rather codependent. The question, “is this a physical problem or a spiritual problem?” often is like asking, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Incidentally, I am not fond of spiritual warfare novels that portray there as being any real contest in order to make it interesting.

In Christ’s Love,

Andrea Graham

http://www.povbootcamp.com

*Ima’s columns are based loosely on conversations with various people I know, or issues I happen to know people are asking Google for help with.

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Last month, I had the opportunity to read Jantsen’s Gift, by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy, which is in essence a biography that covers Cope’s journey through grief after the loss of her son Jantsen and how this led her to begin Touch a Life (see link under Cope’s name). It’s a very touching story with the occasional difficult paragraph, meaning in a few spots, we could have hit enter (paragraph breaked) a few more times, and with Molly’s help, you could well need the tissues yourself.

Of course, if you really love children, many, many paragraphs are difficult because much of their stories are heart-breaking, which is a credit to the writers, or perhaps Molloy, who like any good ghost, is nice and invisible in the text, which, if you understand how ghost writing works, creates a bit of dissonance when she shows up in the story line, as usually ghosts write the actual text based on often-verbally communicated material the author who hired them  provides. But the ghost keeps the narrative in her client’s voice even when she ends up a “character” in the story herself, and that’s to Molloy’s credit.

Without prejudice, there is some content some readers may find objectionable,  which includes some cussing (which is mild by secular standards), references to the consumption of alcohol, and the unavoidable, but potentially disturbing details of the horrors of childhood slavery and sex trafficking brothels.  If you have a weak stomach for such things, that’s something for you to consider. Otherwise, I think those are stories that do need told and the authors do so well.

Besides the topics already mentioned, if you’re interested in overseas adoption or concerned about the self-centered materialistic lifestyle that’s currently fashionable in the United States, or overseas missions, especially helping children, you’ll find this informative, edifying, and encouraging. Likewise if you’re struggling with grief.

The authors do a good job of moving the reader and convincing them of the need to act. My critique is that they may not do such a good job of closing the sale. Like many such books I’ve read, the reader is left wanting to do something, but not sure what to do, besides give money, and they shied away from coming right out and asking the reader to donate to Cope’s  non-profit, perhaps at the request of the publisher, I wouldn’t be privy.

My recomendations, unfortunately, can’t include giving to touch a life, as I am concerned about the references in the book to taking care of the children for the rest of their lives. If I understood the intent correctly, I believe this policy is harmful to the children and one of the many, many problems plaguing Africa.  Giving a handout to an adult is keeping that person a child and depriving them of their dignity. The proper path, which I believe the bible depicts,  is to provide him the resources he needs to fish (including fishing lessons) and therefore give him the dignity and pride of an honest day’s living.

Now, should we say, “oops, you’re eighteen now, nothing more I can do for you?” Of course not, but the goal should be to bring the child to a place where they’re able to take care of themselves. That’s what good old fashioned parenting is all about, after all.

Groups I give to and recommend, by the way, include Compassion International, an overseas child sponsorship program, and Kiva, which grants small business loans to impoverished families in third world countries.

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