Demons, deliverance and complex pastoral care

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I’ve recently been thinking about robust pastoral care systems. I’ve also been talking a bit about deliverance ministry. Putting the two together, here is a first stab at a pastoral care policy/giudance notes for pastoral care in deliverance contexts. Context -why this is important Background We believe in the reality of the Devil and demons… Continue reading Demons, deliverance and complex pastoral care

World Suicide Prevention Day

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Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.  Did you know that there are about 7000 suicides in the UK every year? This means 19 people are likely to take their lives every day.  Both suicide and the mental health factors leading to it including anxiety and depression sadly remain taboo subjects, the elephant in the room. … Continue reading World Suicide Prevention Day

So what about the Christian who seems to be demonised?

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When it comes to the creation v evolution debate, I remember someone once giving some helpful advice. They suggested it was always worth double checking two things, first that we have read the Biblical data correctly and secondly that we have read the empirical data correctly. We should do so humbly, recognizing our own fallibility.… Continue reading So what about the Christian who seems to be demonised?

What about generational curses -can you inherit a demon?

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In his forward to Deliverance by John Thompson, JohnMark Comer writes: “For over thirty years my wife lived with chronic illness. We saw every type of doctor we could imagine…Then we discovered a generational curse. Four generations ago, a shaman In Mexico City had been hired to curse the firstborn daughters of her family line.”[1]… Continue reading What about generational curses -can you inherit a demon?

Haunted: Demons in the House?

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One of the things that has intrigued me over the years has been various accounts of suspected evil spirit presence in particular buildings.  Some people have reported seeing phenomena or detecting the presence of evil in a place and some people practice deliverance ministry with regards to houses and buildings, exorcising spirits just as you… Continue reading Haunted: Demons in the House?

Developing pastoral care systems

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One of the things that I’ve been thinking quite a bit about recently is how a church develops pastoral care as it grows from being a small church plant, a group of young friends that know each other well to being a medium to large sized established multigenerational and multi-cultural church. You can listen to… Continue reading Developing pastoral care systems

Dealing with demons and demonic posession today

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It is perhaps a generalism that there is a high expectation and reports of demonic possession in non-Western contexts. There may be a couple of reasons for this.  First, that we see what we expect to see.  Western-secular societies are more likely to see events and phenomena through that lens and so provide natural explanations. … Continue reading Dealing with demons and demonic posession today

Separating the legal bit of the wedding from the celebration

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The Times observes that people are increasingly separating the legal civil registration of marriage from the celebration, sometimes with a significant period of time in between.  Steve Kneale picks up on this here and argues that it is s good thing and will help The Church get a better and more Biblical view of marriage. … Continue reading Separating the legal bit of the wedding from the celebration

How we live affects what we believe

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The tagline of this site is “What you believe affects how you live” The opposite of this is true as well though.  Our beliefs shape our thoughts, emotions, words and actions (at least if we are being consistent) but not only do those actions demonstrate what we are believing, showing the fruit but they can… Continue reading How we live affects what we believe

How do we help people bring their lives into the light?

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I’ve been reflecting a little more on the topic of brining our lives out into the open and into the light.  Luke 8:16-18 says: 16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in… Continue reading How do we help people bring their lives into the light?