Watching the news; needing definitions
Okay, I have learned from experience that some evangelicals use very different definitions for words like witchcraft, magic, mysticism, esoteric than I do. I will admit that my definitions are not influenced particularly by Christianity by rather by an ancestor executed as a witch in Salem, classes in comparative religion and anthropology, and being a child of the 70's. So, I was reading newspaper headlines and found a minister referring to witchcraft in a context that I could make no sense out of. Can you recommend a Logos resource or two that will provide definitions of this class of words that I can make sense out of?
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
Comments
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To get an evangelical perspective on these topics, I would recommend books by the late Dr. Walter Martin, such as...
https://www.logos.com/product/12618/the-kingdom-of-the-occult
That's the book that came to my mind when I read your post.
According to Wikipedia, "Martin was an American Baptist Christian minister and author who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a parachurch ministry specializing as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics."
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Walter Martin’s book “Kingdom of the Occult” is a good source for a broader academic understanding of witchcraft and Wicca (see particularly Chapter 12). However, for many evangelicals the question of witchcraft fundamentally involves considering demonology and potentially spiritual warfare. It’s within that practical context that you may also get ‘terms of art’ or specialised definitions that fit situations. Rebecca Brown’s book “He came to set the captives free” and its sequel “Prepare for war” gives practical Charismatic and evangelical context as does Derek Prince’s “They shall expel demons” (particularly chapter 15 – “Is witchcraft still at work today”).
Keep well Paul
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Walter Martin’s book “Kingdom of the Occult” is a good source for a broader academic understanding of witchcraft and Wicca (see particularly Chapter 12). However, for many evangelicals the question of witchcraft fundamentally involves considering demonology and potentially spiritual warfare. It’s within that practical context that you may also get ‘terms of art’ or specialised definitions that fit situations. Rebecca Brown’s book “He came to set the captives free” and its sequel “Prepare for war” gives practical Charismatic and evangelical context as does Derek Prince’s “They shall expel demons” (particularly chapter 15 – “Is witchcraft still at work today”).
Keep well Paul
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Walter Martin’s book “Kingdom of the Occult” is a good source for a broader academic understanding of witchcraft and Wicca (see particularly Chapter 12). However, for many evangelicals the question of witchcraft fundamentally involves considering demonology and potentially spiritual warfare. It’s within that practical context that you may also get ‘terms of art’ or specialised definitions that fit situations. Rebecca Brown’s book “He came to set the captives free” and its sequel “Prepare for war” gives practical Charismatic and evangelical context as does Derek Prince’s “They shall expel demons” (particularly chapter 15 – “Is witchcraft still at work today”).
Keep well Paul
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David P. Moore said:
This looks like it may serve my purpose ... a couple of things in the preview were far enough away from my perspective to imply that he truly offers a different perspective.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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MJ. Smith said:David P. Moore said:
This looks like it may serve my purpose ... a couple of things in the preview were far enough away from my perspective to imply that he truly offers a different perspective.
I've not read this particular book but I have read Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults, and if you're looking for a conservative evangelical perspective on these topics--yeah, this is the author you want.
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