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Subject: Part II: A review of The Srewtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

(Thur., Dec. 22, 2005)

(approx. 4745 words, 9 pages)

"Can we talk?"

(or)

The 'problem' is demons (sometimes, anyway)

(or)

"Demons, demons, and more demons?" Maybe, sometimes?

(so)

Satan is the enemy and Satan is 'the problem'? Yes, at least sometimes, anyway. . .

Can we talk? Let's be honest, there is no subject more controversial than so-called "demons." The Srewtape Letters is a highly respected book by the highly respected C. S. Lewis, and Pigs in the Parlor (by the pretty unknown and late couple Frank and Ida Hammond) is a generally denounced book by all, both inside and outside the Church (that is, the Body of Christ), but, in truth, both books have something interesting things to say and some interesting insights on the issue of demons, both in the life of the born again Christian believer and the non-believer.

A Quick aside, and the two books. . .

It is a common teaching in the fundamental Evangelical Church, not the charismatic Evangelical Church, that demons can have no place in the life of the believer who has the Holy Spirit living within him. This argument is based primarily on "logic," namely, one cannot have a demon and the Spirit in one at the same time, but experience and scripture both teach otherwise. Clearly there can be demonic activity or temptation or hang ups in the life of the believer or non-believer, and this is what the issue is and not total "possession," as such.

The non-believer can not only have "issues" in his life and be dominated by them (but can he!); Jesus even said he (or she) is of his (or her) father, the Devil!!! But the primary deliverance the non-believer needs is from not being able to see the glorious truth of the Gospel. All else for him or her is somewhat secondary, in truth. However the born-again believer can certainly have 1.) passing "demonic" issues or temptations in his life to make a shipwreck of his faith, or even 2.) so-called "strongholds," and that is what these two books are about. The Screwtape Letters is about the first of these things and Pigs in the Parlor is about the second.

The Screwtape Letters deals with how the new Christian, who has been lost to Satan's Kingdom (in finding GOD in Christian salvation), is distracted by his demon Wormwood from following the Christian faith and placing God first in everything he does, and potentially even how the new Christian might be derailed from the Christian faith altogether to the point of making a shipwreck of his salvation, as Paul would say, if not losing it altogether. This includes everything from skipping church to making worthless activities and pursuits central to one's life (such as playing cards, watching TV, or whatever) to Lewis's even saying at one point in "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" that nutty laws in Parliament are caused by demonic deception and foolishness!

Lewis attributes virtually everything from extreme political ideologies to Parliamentary foolishness to serious personal sins to seemingly "minor" vanities and conceits to "the Devil" or, that is, our personal demons trying to undermine if not destroy outright our Kingdom life and walk in the Spirit. The key for Deliverance for Lewis is primarily in placing God first in our lives in all we do and seeing how we can be pulled off this path by the world, the flesh, and in this case a devil or demon using his devices against us in the realm of the spirit.

The Screwtape Letters is more of a recognition of demons and how they work in our hearts, lives, affections, minds, and thoughts than a "deliverance" ministry as such. In any case, if you are a Christian and you are interested in how demons can work in the lives of the Christian, there is probably no better place to start than this modern "classic" by C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, which is a series of letters in a fictional account of how an experienced demon named Screwtape writes letters of advice to the novice demon Wormwood on how to deal with or derail a new Christian believer. But what of Christians who feel they are plagued and even tormented by demons? Is their no hope for them in this life? This is the question addressed by Frank and Ida Mae Hammond in the very controversial book Pigs in the Parlor.

Technically, Christians are said to be tempted, tormented, and even plagued by demons, but they are not said to be "possessed," as such, though exactly how this works is not really clear in Scripture. Pigs in the Parlor is a much more controversial book than The Screwtape Letters, and it deals with an actual "deliverance" ministry from demonic forces in the lives of believers which can plague, torment or even dominate us. Pigs in the Parlor generally divides the conservative Evangelical Bible-believing Church along so-called fundamentalist and charismatic (or pentecostal) lines. Roughly speaking the "fundamentalists" hold the book to be about 90% wrong and 10% correct, and the "charismatics" hold it to be about 90% correct and 10% wrong. In this writer's view the charismatics are probably closer to the truth. The fundamentalist position is that while the Christian believer may have "issues" or "strongholds" of sin in his life, they are not of demons because they cannot be of demons, but this is mostly just an irrelevant semantical or logical argument about "possession," and not what happens when one gives place to the devil or a demon, and how this sets up hang-ups or stronghold problems in our lives.

Again, the argument of the fundamentalist is if a person is truly "born again," he has the Holy Spirit within, and no person can have the Holy Spirit and a demon at the same time, but the fact is the New Testament is replete with admonitions on resisting the devil (or demons or the demonic) or not giving place to the devil, or to doctrines of demons, or even to our being sifted by the Devil with God's permission and on, and on. Clearly this means that Christian believers can give place to the devil, that is, "demons," and can be tempted and even fooled by them, and so forth. However, "demon possession," as such, is usually reserved for those people who are violently controlled by demons and not merely afflicted in some way, but again even this can be a matter of degree and of terminology. I personally bought my copy of Pigs in the Parlor in a major conservative (fundamentalist) Christian bookstore, and the Christian lady behind the checkout counter informed me that I really did not need to buy the book if I was a Christian because it is "impossible" for a Christian to have any "possession" problems or even serious problems with demons! Really? "Yes, because we have the Holy Spirit in us!" (Well, that takes care of that!)

Pigs in the Parlor is written the authors say plainly not so much to do "exorcisms," as it were, on other people (and certainly not non-believers generally), but rather primarily to see and recognize how "demons" can work in the lives of believers, and how to get rid of them in your own life! And, hence, be "delivered". The sub-title to the book is "A Practical Guide to Deliverance" (essentially for one's self, they say). In my view, if one pursues God seriously and walks in the Spirit, one tends to overcome temptation and the fiery darts of the enemy in the normal course of events and spiritual growth, but to say that the Christian believer can have no problems with demons or that they can have no place in our lives is just plain silly, and in fact they can have seeming strongholds of doubt, despair, temptation, discouragement, sloth, resentment, etc., especially as we give place to "them" or indulge such "thoughts," etc.

If the whole Bible story or cosmology is true, which it is, there is what is known as "binding and loosing" (of Matthew 16:18-19, Matthew 18:18-20, etc.) in the spirit realm by the power and "blood of the Lamb," as the expression goes. Why "the blood"? "The blood" simply means the atoning sacrifice of Christ unto death, and this gives the Christian as a mere mortal his spiritual authority and power, in the realm of the "demonic." Otherwise, without Christ crucified (the atoning sacrifice, the so-called "blood," etc.), we are still dead in our trespasses and sins, and fallen condition, and under the spiritual authority of the devil and his demonic hordes. (You might say, no guts, no glory; no blood, no victory; no surrender, no life, etc.)

The "binding and loosing" ("in the name of Jesus," the more common expression than "blood") has to do with the authority of the Christian believer in the realm of the spirit, and hence the spiritual authority to "cast out" demons. And if a person is not yet "saved" (from God's Final Judgment) then one is still blinded by demons to the truth of the Gospel and that is what the non-believer needs to be delivered from! But in the overall Bible cosmology, the believer can have "issues" in his life which are clearly "demonic," at least in some cases, and in fact this book, Pigs in the Parlor, breaks down the types of demons or "issues" or hang ups we can have into 53, no less, general categories with literally hundreds of subcategories!

For example: strife, contention, bickering, resentment, hatred, destruction, spite, dominance, fault-finding, fear of rejection, pretension, despondency, despair, discouragement, gloom, pride, confusion, envy, lust, restlessness, distrust, vanity, shame, sorrow, cruelty, witchcraft, occult, mocking, blasphemy, railing, rationalization, denial, dread, greed, and on and on the lists go! This is just getting started! What a lovely list of character traits and spiritual conditions! The Hammonds want to have virtually every negative psychological state be a demon that we cast out or send to the pit, but this is a bit over the top in my opinion. On the other hand, clearly certain way-out or extreme conditions have demonic characteristics. And, further, some people even seek the occultic, overtly, no less. (And the Bible even calls some demonic spirits "familiar spirits." Presumably because we can be familiar with them! Unfortunately.)

Let's get practical. . .

I personally think there is a tendency to get a little carried away with this stuff, but without any question people have these and numerous other "issues" and "hang ups" in their lives (whether Christian or non-Christian), and without any question they are at least sometimes "demonic" in a literal sense, in the writer's view, and they are certainly often "demons" figuratively speaking, regardless! (What gets "into" a guy with a ponytail, earrings or generally even a tattoo? Some "demon," it would seem?)

The interesting thing about this stuff is the "demons" of personality traits and dysfunctionality of the believer are generally spiritual conditions that virtually ruin the life of the Christian but are generally not against the moral law of God, as such, though they are certainly not in or of the Spirit of God. On the other hand, the non-believer is often given over to complete sin, outright, and even calling it good, no less, and is almost completely blinded to the truth and desirability of the Gospel and salvation, and all of these issues are clear potential matters of prayer for deliverance by the believer in God's "opening the eyes" of the blind in the non-believer, demons or no demons.

Still, the Bible clearly has instances where both Jesus and the disciples and later the apostles in the early church cast out demons, directly. So, it is extremely scriptural to pray for those afflicted of the devil, or who think they might be, just as the disciples and Paul and Jesus himself did, but the Hammonds tend to get a little carried away in turning virtually every psychological condition into a "possession" issue, though clearly most psychological states are spiritual conditions in the general sense, which we tend to resolve as we grow and walk in the Spirit from a Christian point of view, and clearly the major spiritual "issue" in the life of the non-believer is salvation (which the Hammonds clearly acknowledge), and hence, it is a spiritual matter of "seeing" the truth of the Gospel. Without any question, in both sets of instances we can pray for God's will to be done, and if this involves His removing demons, so be it. But according to Jude 9, even Michael the archangel did not bring a reviling accusation against the devil but said, "The Lord rebuke you." And of course the disciples themselves could not cast out some demons when this action was called for because of a lack of prayer and spiritual depth on their own part. Still, the believer's power is "in the name of Christ," without question, in dealing with demonic issues as such. But a real exorcism of major demons can make cold chills go up and down your spine, and such demons can certainly manifest themselves in various body contortions, movements, and speech and so forth. In my personal opinion, the Hammonds are right about this sort of stuff, but this hardly means that every issue or hang up in life is a matter of casting out a demon (which they seem to think). But clearly some "issues" are, one must assume?

I, personally, have known countless Christian who were living miserable defeated lives, and it was certainly not always the fallen nature (selfish "flesh") and the world which were causing it! And I have known many non-believers who irrationally rejected the Gospel, for no apparent reason, even when they thought it true!

In short, it is my personal view that the Hammonds are much more right than we like to think, though they tend to see "everything" as literally demonic and to be cast out (or in our time into the pit), and I personally think this is a bit over-the-top, and the whole matter is much more complicated than that, and many problems are a matter of learned behavior, psychological trauma, and lack of character and spiritual growth, etc. (It is also my personal opinion, as something of a different matter, that most problems in life whether psychological, spiritual, emotional, "acting out," or otherwise cannot really be treated with "drugs." It is my opinion that, on the whole, drugs drug you (hello?), but that can no doubt be helpful in some cases, one must assume? And, of course, it can be "fun" to drug yourself up (a social problem today); they definitely can make you "feel good," etc. No doubt about that! The Bible (Proverbs 31) even recommends wine (not drugs) for the depressed and broken hearted, I do believe. But not for those in places of authority or responsibility, lest they lose their good judgment. (But it does not recommend "drugs" for young boys who are not being properly disciplined, to my knowledge, anyway.)

It is also my personal view that the Hammonds (as Lewis) are much more right than we like to think in the role of literal demons in our lives more generally.  Demons can work in 2 obvious ways, again, so called familiar spirits, that is why they are called "familiar," but also in heightened dysfunctional activities of the fallen nature or so-called selfish "flesh."  Just as the holy Spirit in our lives is really something of a heighten sense of "conscience" or a sensitive conscience to God, so too the (literal) demonic can be little more than a heightened activity of the fallen selfish flesh or nature, which the demonic appeals to, or exacerbates, as it were.

Obviously, if there were no demons, we can still be in the fallen flesh nature, but many times in many people living truly defeated lives with real "issues" in their lives, these things are, in my personal opinion, beyond mere psychological explanation, and a prayer for deliverance, after we have done all we can do "to stand," is certainly not unreasonable, literal demon or no literal demon! Clearly Christians do and can have real "issues" ("strongholds," etc.) in their lives, and can lead discouraged, defeated, fearful, non-victorious lives, essentially of the fallen nature presumably but certainly not excluding the possibility of the actually demonic. In such cases, much like praying for healing, it cannot hurt to cast out a demon (or two!) and in some cases it may even be quite effective?! (to the pit, to the pit, to the pit, pit, pit!?)

In any case, demons (as the Bible tells us) can also work through so-called "doctrines of demons" which is totally foolish, outlandish or nutty thinking as (supposedly) profound (pc is a good example?!), and even more overtly in outright occultic, New Age, and witchcraft, which, essentially, claim to be of the so-called "spirit" world of their own accord, no less. So, what is the BIG PICTURE on the "demonic" before they are all cast or at least bound into the pit for 1000 years?

In point of fact, Biblically, most demons are said to be active on earth as powers of the air and not to be bound in "the pit" until the 1000 year reign of Christ. At that time (our current era of history this writer would say) demons are no longer simply cast out and shifted around from place to place (as it were), but actually bound in the pit for the 1000 year duration at which time they will be released briefly at the end of time.

It is this writer's personal opinion that we have, by a Sovereign act or decree of God, entered the 1000 year Kingdom Era, and somehow in the realm of the sprit that we will never know or understand, demons are currently being removed from earth and bound for 1000 years, because their time, "the time," has come (Matthew 8:29). Simple enough. Previously, demons were usually just cast out and shifted around or driven from one place to another, but in the 1000 year Kingdom Era, by God's sovereign will, they are to be removed, literally, from earth and put in the pit! Why? Because their time has come! And that was the way the play of history and creation was scripted from the very beginning. The Hammonds cast demons out but do not sent them to "the pit," because in the 20th century the demons time to be removed or leave for the pit (so to speak) had not yet come.

A New Spiritual Era?

If this new spiritual era is indeed here (with new "spiritual warfare" ground rules, so to speak), one must assume we will know it because we will see people, inexplicably, start finding God or getting "saved" in unbelievably large numbers! In fact, it is this writer's personal opinion that Satan himself has already been captured and bound, and the demonic hordes are now leaderless, and they are currently being bound for 1000 years in their thousands as they fall back and re-group as best they can. The image we have from Revelation 20:1-3 is that Satan would be the last to go down, but it does not say that. (Sort of like Hitler holding out to the end in his bunker.) It is my personal opinion that Satan is one of the first to go (not the last), and he is already gone! Captured and bound, no less! He made a foolish, very foolish tactical error and was taken virtually without a fight. In fact, shortly after the battle of "Gaugamela," believe it or not. (Could I make this up? Too bad. . . Gone? . . for 1000 years, anyway!)

But it really does not matter if Satan is already gone, or if he (along with the rest of his crowd) will be in the near future, if we have indeed entered the Millennial Era. The Gospel will triumph, and we will get everyone or most everyone on board with the will and wisdom to establish the whole of the society (in law, legislatures, education, entertainment, journalism, government, religion, personal life, etc.) on the principles of truth, good, and righteousness, and we will all sit safely under our own vine and fig tree, etc., and not make war anymore, and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and each shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest, and so forth. This would clearly be the Kingdom on earth and the end of the demons' reign, and it would be peace on earth with liberty and justice for all! Piece of cake! (No big deal really.) 

"But are we really in the time of 'to the pit'?" I guess we will know soon enough. If their numbers start falling off significantly, we will see many come to the glorious light of the Gospel, and then all things will be possible!  So, why do we not just sit down and pray and cast out demons in binding and loosing in the "power," "name," or "blood" of the Lamb, etc. and be done with all of our problems on earth? Maybe we should! But obviously not just personal problems but earth's problems can be much more complicated than that! Obviously not all problems in the lives of believers are a matter of demons or demon influence, if not possession, as such, but some of them are and historically were so understood, by the stalwart Christian writers through the ages. So, some problems are mere psychological, and due to various types of learning and conditioning and so forth, and similar things, but some of our problems and issues in the lives of believers and others are of a demonic type of one degree or other.

Clearly non-believers can have demons, but it is really only the Christian believer who wants to get rid of his "demons" in order to live out the full life in the Spirit. For example, most people would say the homosexual has a "demon" of at least some sort, but he is generally not looking to be "delivered," but if he finds the Lord, he will be. In any case, according to the Bible cosmology, we deal with demons as they attempt to tempt, torment, plague, or confuse us or even attempt to get a stronghold in our lives, and we deal with them sometimes as they enliven other people, but those people, not yet given over to God, are not seeking (yet, anyway) to be "delivered" from their "demons" one way or another, literally or figuratively. Still, the real question here is the very one we started with, Are our "demons" in some cases, at least, literal conscious spirit beings we are dealing with within us? And according to Bible cosmology and practical experience the answer is "yes," at least to some instances.

The problem is there is a whole gradation of demonic control and activity in people's lives from total outright violent "possession" to just tormented and plagued by demons. It seems almost without exception, for example, when, say, serial killers talk, they will talk about being taken over by demons or dark powers, and no doubt they are (if anyone is!), but that does not, presumably, make them any less guilty of their crimes, no? This writer has only seen one actual outright "exorcism" (certainly not on a serial killer), where classically the person rolls around on the floor and yells and screams and so forth, and once you have seen one of these, you don't need to see two! (Most "deliverances" (so-called "exorcisms") are much less dramatic, of course!)  

The fact is there are often not simply undesirable personal psychological "hang ups" and "issues" in our lives, but seemingly endless literal wars and conflicts throughout the world as there have been throughout history, no less. But, as the Gospel spreads, in fact Satan and demons are inevitably bound or removed, by the spreading Light of the Gospel, and we will then increasingly, collectively, have the will and wisdom, or the hearts and minds, or the desire and ability for peace, justice, and righteousness on earth, but probably not before a major move of the Spirit in general Christian revival to get everybody "on board" in the "long way around" to moral living in the Millennial Era of righteous Republics with liberty and justice for all!

If you stop and think about it, there is really no reason for us to be in a virtual non-stop state of war and conflict throughout the world nor not to have growing prosperous economies, and happy, healthy, wholesome family lives, and just laws, and uplifting entertainment! No reason at all, except the Devil! But as more and more people come to God in true salvation, the increasing reign of God in people's lives will leave the Devil or the demonic fewer and fewer places or outlets for expression, with virtually no "exorcisms" needed to be done (on ourselves or others!). You might say with the spread or triumph of the Gospel, Satan and the demonic have worn out their welcome on planet earth! End of problem, end of issue!

The bottom-line is the Kingdom of God is wherever the Spirit of God reigns, and this has to do primarily in our lives with salvation, individually, and in holy lives and living, and in a larger sense it has to do with the literal battle in the realm of the spirit between the literal demonic hordes of Satan (tempting, tormenting, blinding or deceiving us) and the people of God taking spiritual dominion of the earth with the spread of the Gospel and thereby causing people to truly seek God with their whole heart and the will of God in their lives, and as this happens, we are somehow in the spirit realm binding Satan and the demonic out of its dominion on earth.

And when this happens the Kingdom of God will be wherever the Spirit of God reigns, not just in our hearts individually as believers, but on earth generally. Where each shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest, and we will have new hearts to God, and His will and ways, and the knowledge of Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. You might say after a good 4000 years or so of recorded history, and countless wars, and much hate, strife, envy, division, and destruction, the rebelliously demonic and a false light spirituality have simply worn out their welcome on this planet, and they are somehow going to be bound by the angels of God in "the pit," or so it is written. So potentially, anyway, our binding and loosing on earth extends even into this realm of the spirit. Is it possible that we are actually going to pray in the Kingdom of God on earth? Maybe? Talk about some serious so-called "praying," "binding and loosing," "spiritual warfare," etc! (And you shall judge angels? 1 Cor. 6:3) "See you later, Satan, like, say, a thousand years!?" Let's get the plaguing, tormenting, dominating, deceiving demons out of here! Out of own personal lives, our homes, our families, our churches, our communities, our nations, heck the whole dang planet! Nothing better to do today?! At least that I can think of! But really, in the end, there is only one prayer in these and all matters of life? "Thy will be done on earth, Father, as it is in heaven. . . !" and that will pretty well take care of the "demons" of our lives, literal or figurative, and all other matters?