By Reverend Mark
Hunnemann
The answer I was given a number of years ago was
this: demons oppress people by breaking them down physically, emotionally, and
spiritually; often to the point where they are at their wits end…. or even end
their own lives. The manner in
which the demonic do this is limited only by their extensive, depraved
imagination….and they are relentless. It is obvious that they get a perverse
pleasure from causing a person or relationship to unravel. It is not uncommon
for an oppressed person’s home to be a pig-sty….an outward symbol of inner,
psychic dislocation; and they are laughing at both. I think of Jim Morrison,
the poet of psychic dislocation, in People are Strange: “…women
seem wicked when you are unwanted, roads seem uneven when you are down…”
People’s perceptions become strange when oppressed. (and under the
effects of acid!)
In 1979 I enrolled in a three year Masters of
Divinity degree, and afterwards was ordained in 1985. Once I put the books aside and got
involved in actual pastoral ministry, I learned the following truths in a
visceral way: ministry is messy, and hurting people hurt people.
Both are intensely biblical. Though all Christians could benefit from being
reminded of these facts of life, I wish to apply them specifically to those who
have been called to help those suffering from demonic oppression. My daughter
texted me tonight Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy
laden…” Bone weary from sleep deprivation, and heavy laden with the effects of
chronic and acute diabolical torture, we approach our clients at the nadir of
their lives. It is so humbling to hear, “This is the lowest I have ever been.
Had you not come when you did, I am not sure what I would have done because I
can’t take it anymore. Thank you for coming to help me. Everybody else had
given up on me….” To hear those words is humbling and precious, isn’t it?
Oftentimes family and friends give up on them
because they don’t understand. To make matters worse, the average person I have assisted has
been turned away by several pastors. And to top it off, many have been
neglected, mis-diagnosed, or judged harshly by Christian demonologists.
Friends, what are we doing? Physically, emotionally, and spiritually these
folks are wrecks, which means they just might not be doing very well
spiritually; their patience may be very thin which means they are
short-tempered and angry; and they just might not live up to our standards of
responsibility when they are struggling to stay alive. C’mon, how do we feel
when we miss just one nights full rest? Try being a young mom who hasn’t had a
decent night sleep in months because of being tormented by demonic shadows
every night or possibly even being raped by these supernatural putrid perverts.
Jesus showed his most tender and gentle side to those who had been beaten down
by demonic oppression/possession…or those with had symptoms similar to it.
“Don’t mess with that case because he is nothing
but an attention seeking king, and he gets angry at everyone who has tried to
help him in the past. It is all in his head… He has gotten so good at faking
it, he even has his wife and kids in on it.” That is a composite of warnings I have received from
folks over the years. I ALWAYS listen carefully, but occasionally I want to
find out for myself…especially IF they are seeking my help—in EVERY case
I’m glad I did (because it turned out they were wrong). You know the
drill…certain people get a reputation, and soon nobody wants to help them. If
you have uttered similar words, perhaps you need to remember what we have been
talking about—the deleterious effects of demonic oppression. DON’T EVEN
THINK ABOUT WRITING SOMEONE OFF, UNLESS YOU SPEND THE HOURS NEEDED
TO SIFT THROUGH THE WRECKAGE—AND COMMUNICATE THAT YOU REALLY CARE FOR THEM AND
ARE NOT JUST AFTER DATA ACQUISITION.
Just a basic knowledge of psychology is helpful
here. The nexus of
attitudes and behaviors of the demonic oppressed is complex and unique to each
individual. We really need to cry out to the Holy Spirit for wisdom before we
dismiss someone. My point is this: the very things that we see as red flags in
our criteria for determining those who are faking demonic oppression (attention
seeking, anger, irresponsibility, inconsistency in memory, seeming
exaggeration, and so on), these are often part of the complex of symptoms that
demonic oppression causes! Again, the very signs we look for in spotting the
fake cases, are often the signs of a case being genuine! To put it simply,
hurting people hurt people (we will get hurt), and I trust we all would agree
that demonic oppressed folks are hurting. But often when folks display hurtful
behavior we see that as a red flag, when it is the very thing we should expect
from those experiencing diabolical torture. I am reading John Mc Cain,
his autobiography, and he speaks of the savagery of his captors while a POW.
The NVA and VC seem to know demonic tactics well. As I get older it is
being impressed upon me of how madness surrounds demonic activity...sheer
madness.
Why do we believe that demonic oppression breaks
people down so comprehensively (especially spiritually), but then turn around
and question: is their faith in Christ real or strong enough to do this
cleansing successfully, when Jesus NEVER asked that question before he
exorcised anyone? What of the power of
faith the size of a mustard seed? Spiritually is where folks are hammered the
worst. One can’t say everything in a blog, but certainly Jesus is the only
means by which we can liberate folks. However, am I being a Pharisee by
expecting people to clean up their lives before I deem them “cleansable”? It is
similar to cleaning up ones act before becoming savable….which is a
false gospel.
To be forewarned is to forearmed—expect folks to
be tough to deal with at times. Sure we need to be discerning, and establish
ground rules, but hurting people hurt people, and ministry is messy….especially
this ministry. In the pastoral ministry I saw all kinds of evil and the effects
of evil, but it did not compare with the relentless and savagery of the evil
found in helping folks with demonic oppression. I bow before the Lord in
worship for calling us to be co-workers with Him in liberating the captives.
Please, let us be extremely careful that we not dismiss one of God’s wandering
and savaged sheep.
