Post by Daniel on May 2, 2016 8:20:45 GMT -5
Apologist's Warning to Christians on the Paranormal: 'Once You Open a Door to the Demonic It's Hard to Close'
By Kevin Porter, Christian Post Reporter
April 30, 2016
Pop culture has a growing fascination with the occult. From zombies and vampires, to Hogwarts and horoscopes, and even witches and Ouija boards — the mystical, unknown and undead seem to dominate TV and movie screens.
While many celebrate this phenomenon, is it appropriate for Christians to get caught up in the zombie zeitgeist?
Apologist and New Testament scholar Jeremiah Johnston discusses paranormal entertainment, conjuring the dead, and "ordained" mediums in a section of his new book Unanswered, a volume intended to shed light on several hot-button topics that loom large within the Church.
By and large, a majority of Americans say they've had a personal connection to the paranormal. According to Johnston's book, 71 percent say they've had paranormal experiences, and 37 percent believe in ghosts, while 56 percent believe those ghosts are spirits of the dead.
So is watching paranormal-themed TV shows and movies simply a normal extension of those experiences? After all, the mainstream hit show "The Walking Dead" resonated with more than 22 million viewers during its fifth season premiere alone, and it's probably safe to say that plenty of those viewers were Christian. Is there any harm in a little paranormal entertainment?
While apologist Johnston doesn't condemn shows like "The Walking Dead," he does caution Christians to find a healthy balance when it comes to their consumption of paranormal content.
"It's important to balance. … This is one of these difficult issues, like alcohol in the Church and others," Johnston told The Christian Post earlier this month. "It really comes down to one's spiritual maturity, it comes down to the priesthood of the believer."
The theologian warned, however, "Anything that takes away from your love for God, anything that detracts you from all the joys that we have in Jesus Christ — [you] should be very careful [about]."
All paranormal entertainment isn't as harmless as it may seem. In fact, some entertainment can have treacherous results, according to the Bible scholar. To Christians who are curious about the hereafter and dabble on the dark side using games to contact spirits, Johnston issued a stern warning.
"The paranormal is a slippery slope, and it always starts with a Ouija board or reading a horoscope — something that just seems harmless," he told CP. "Once you open that door to the demonic it is very difficult to close."
The author's book pointed to a 2006 study which found that 73 percent of teens have participated in contacting the dead and engaged in "other related witchcraft activities beyond the more pedestrian exposure from entertainment channels or horoscopes." Sadly, only 28 percent of the youth said they had learned anything at church to help educate them on the supernatural.
Along the same lines, Johnston warned Christians about the pitfalls of consulting "psychic ministers" who claim to be able to speak to the dead.
"Astonishingly, some psychics, mediums, and necromancers claim to be Christians in order to lure new clients," Johnston wrote in the book, adding that over 300 psychics in America also claim to be ordained ministers. "They advertise the fact that you are not consulting any ordinary medium but an ordained medium!"
continue reading
www.christianpost.com/news/apologists-warning-to-christians-on-the-paranormal-once-you-open-door-to-the-demonic-its-hard-to-close-162924/
By Kevin Porter, Christian Post Reporter
April 30, 2016
Pop culture has a growing fascination with the occult. From zombies and vampires, to Hogwarts and horoscopes, and even witches and Ouija boards — the mystical, unknown and undead seem to dominate TV and movie screens.
While many celebrate this phenomenon, is it appropriate for Christians to get caught up in the zombie zeitgeist?
Apologist and New Testament scholar Jeremiah Johnston discusses paranormal entertainment, conjuring the dead, and "ordained" mediums in a section of his new book Unanswered, a volume intended to shed light on several hot-button topics that loom large within the Church.
By and large, a majority of Americans say they've had a personal connection to the paranormal. According to Johnston's book, 71 percent say they've had paranormal experiences, and 37 percent believe in ghosts, while 56 percent believe those ghosts are spirits of the dead.
So is watching paranormal-themed TV shows and movies simply a normal extension of those experiences? After all, the mainstream hit show "The Walking Dead" resonated with more than 22 million viewers during its fifth season premiere alone, and it's probably safe to say that plenty of those viewers were Christian. Is there any harm in a little paranormal entertainment?
While apologist Johnston doesn't condemn shows like "The Walking Dead," he does caution Christians to find a healthy balance when it comes to their consumption of paranormal content.
"It's important to balance. … This is one of these difficult issues, like alcohol in the Church and others," Johnston told The Christian Post earlier this month. "It really comes down to one's spiritual maturity, it comes down to the priesthood of the believer."
The theologian warned, however, "Anything that takes away from your love for God, anything that detracts you from all the joys that we have in Jesus Christ — [you] should be very careful [about]."
All paranormal entertainment isn't as harmless as it may seem. In fact, some entertainment can have treacherous results, according to the Bible scholar. To Christians who are curious about the hereafter and dabble on the dark side using games to contact spirits, Johnston issued a stern warning.
"The paranormal is a slippery slope, and it always starts with a Ouija board or reading a horoscope — something that just seems harmless," he told CP. "Once you open that door to the demonic it is very difficult to close."
The author's book pointed to a 2006 study which found that 73 percent of teens have participated in contacting the dead and engaged in "other related witchcraft activities beyond the more pedestrian exposure from entertainment channels or horoscopes." Sadly, only 28 percent of the youth said they had learned anything at church to help educate them on the supernatural.
Along the same lines, Johnston warned Christians about the pitfalls of consulting "psychic ministers" who claim to be able to speak to the dead.
"Astonishingly, some psychics, mediums, and necromancers claim to be Christians in order to lure new clients," Johnston wrote in the book, adding that over 300 psychics in America also claim to be ordained ministers. "They advertise the fact that you are not consulting any ordinary medium but an ordained medium!"
continue reading
www.christianpost.com/news/apologists-warning-to-christians-on-the-paranormal-once-you-open-door-to-the-demonic-its-hard-to-close-162924/