Spiritual Warfare
The term spiritual warfare is used in certain Charismatic circles to denote activities believed to be directly challenging evil supernatural entities. This has nothing to do with the kind of scriptural concept spoken of by Paul, in which he admonished individual believers to "put on the whole armor of God" so that they may resist the wiles of the Devil. Paul does indeed use the symbolism of warfare in a number of places. But modern Charismatic spiritual warfare is different. It does not consist of prayer and Bible study and the like. Rather, it involves such things as bombastic verbal affirmations by evangelists, joined by the voices of thousands in their audience, that they have the power to "bind the Devil" and his power-or the power of his evil accomplices in the supernatural world-over cities. A common strategy of spiritual warfare ministries is called "spiritual mapping." Bill Randles, in a highly critical look at the movement, describes spiritual mapping:
"Spiritual mapping involves researching the secular and religious history of a city to determine the names and characteristics of "ruling spirits" over the area. In spiritual warfare knowing the name of the strongman is a must. If you are really right on, you can actually determine the address; the geographical location of the spirit! According to Dick Bernal, the way to take a city is fourfold. 1. Proclaim a fast with prayer. 2. Identify the principality over the city. 3. Determine its geographical location. 4. Call him/her by name. Bernal also tells us that God revealed to him the name of the principality over his city. 'In prayer, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that the title of the ruling principality over our area is "Self." ' " (Bill Randles, Making War in the Heavenlies: A Different Look, p. 13.)
Many grandiose claims have been made for the results of these efforts, but it is difficult to find any substantiation for such claims. |
