demons Archives - Chris Morton

As a suggestion for my 40 books in 2010, I found myself wading through C.S. Lewis’s Til We Have Faces. It’s unlike any of his others: a fascinating retelling of the story of Cupid and Psyche.

Faces explores the reality of how our physical bodies can shape our character. Unlike the amazing Space Trilogy or Narnia, there is no hidden theology here. Just a discussion of what it means to be human.

A dream/vision sequence near the end of the book shows the main character encountering several gods and perhaps a veiled reference to a God above gods.

It reminded me of the mind-blowing description of the heavenly creatures at the end of Out of the Silent Planet. This in turn reminded me of some of the powerful creatures, both good and evil, found in Narnia.

It made me start thinking something almost heretical:

Was C.S. Lewis a Henotheist?

A henotheist worships one God, but doesn’t deny the existence of others. Maybe Lewis was on to something.

I’m not suggesting that any power beyond the triune God is sovereign, or that any being beside Jesus can help me find my way back to God. But our modern scientific sensibilities lead us to ignore that there are other powers at work. Lewis’ works portray angels that would scare us to death, and demons that trick us into worshiping them.

Lewis reminds us that these are creatures of enormous power, which should respected; as one respects the power of an atomic bomb. It’s also a reminder of what we’ve found in Jesus Christ.

…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38

The last few months have been some of my most trying ever. In less than 2 weeks, I’ll be on a plane to participate in a globetrotting summer long mission trip.

As it approaches, things seem to be getting ever harder. In the last week, I’ve had a few encounters that threw me for a complete loop. I told my friend Sarah about these today, and her response was: “You’re experiencing Spiritual Warfare.”

I used be comfortable with “cessationism,” that teaches that spiritual signs, like healings, or humans interacting with Angels and Demons ceased after the New Testament was written. This doctrine fits well within Western Enlightenment culture, and it helped differentiate me from my Pentecostal/Charismatic friends that cast demons out of washing machines.

The problem is, I can’t find ceasationism in the Bible. Jesus spoke to demons. Paul taught that “our battle is not against flesh and blood.” I’ve also encountered godly, reputable people who have had “supernatural” experiences.

The idea of spiritual warfare is enticing to me, because it gives a broader purpose to my personal struggles. But my anti-supernatural background is well rooted, and keeps me suspicious.

I’m looking for a theology that incorporates the supernatural, without becoming that guy who sees a demon behind every shadow.

Archives For demons

Was C.S. Lewis a Monotheist?

Demons Behind Every Shadow?

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