Conclusions
The biblical worldview presents a challenge both to societies which believe it is possible to access and manipulate supernatural powers, and those that don’t, because the biblical worldview occupies the ‘middle ground’ between spiritism and materialism. In parts of Africa, for example, it means being much more open regarding the prevalence of witchcraft in society, including among African churches, whilst in the British context, for example, it means realising that, as we lose the protection of Christianity, we are in danger of re-entering an age of overt witchcraft. Because witchcraft is real, we need to beware of increasing witchery in our society, and to watch out for unconscious indirect involvement, such as attempts to ‘soften’ people towards such manifestations; as well as reaching out to those who have become involved, either through curiosity, or by genuinely seeking after spiritual things. Unmasking witchcraft means exposing the spiritual insecurity that lies behind the attempts to create fear, the petty forms of control and the shallow manipulations. Against the life of the people of God, witchcraft cannot hold a black candle: Moses’ luminous skin, Elijah’s fiery chariot, Peter’s miraculous healings, the visions of St. John the Divine and, far above all else, the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, in the power of an endless life – a gloriously unique event in the history of the present age, but the destiny of every Christian. We turn, unmasked, from fear, death and shadows to intimacy, life, and light.
Σχόλια