Satan as a Functional Theodicy, Interlude: Satan and Drive-Through Spiritual Formation

This particular post doesn't really fit with my overall theme of Satan and theodicy but, since we are talking about how Satan functions in contemporary Christianity, I thought this post might fit in.

A few years ago the sociologist Michael W. Cuneo published an interesting book called American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty. The book is flawed (the sociological analysis is not as rigorous as I'd want) but the book is a good read and presents an interesting analysis/thesis.

In the book Cuneo documents the rise of demon possession and deliverance ministries (i.e., exorcism) in American suburban mainline churches from the 1970s to the present. I myself have noticed this trend over the last 30 years. In the Churches of Christ I've not seen any direct possession or deliverance situations, but I have noticed a rise in demon-centric formulations of spiritual issues. That is, I've seen more and more church folk move from diffuse formulations of being "tempted" by, let's say, lust to being more specifically "afflicted" by a "demon of lust." I've also seen a rise in prayer formulations where "hedges of angels" are prayed for to protect persons from Satanic or demonic attack. In my church life I saw all this emerge in the 80s with a surge of concern I had not witnessed before regarding things like Satanic cults, Halloween, and Rock and Roll (e.g., Kiss and AC/DC). I recall Frank E. Peretti's book This Present Darkness capturing this zeitgeist in the mid-80s. This Present Darkness transfixed the ACU student body in the late 80s and early 90s. Its demon-afllicted vision dominated the spiritual conversation back then.

Cuneo's book is interesting in that part of his research involved sitting in and witnessing many contemporary exorcisms as practiced in various churches and deliverance ministries. After analyzing these ministries Cuneo offers his thesis regarding the rise of this phenomena.

Basically, Cuneo suggests that the demon-centric or, more mildly, warfare-centric perspective (that spiritual life is largely about battling demonic influences) is a kind of McDonaldification of spiritual formation in contemporary Christianity. That is, Cuneo suggests that suburban Christian America, with its malls and fast food joints, was looking to hit on a way to get quick spiritual fixes for complex spiritual issues. If these fixes could also attenuate moral responsibility so much the better. And Cuneo suggests that pop Christian culture stepped in and created just the fix: A demon-centric vision of spiritual formation. To quote Cuneo: "Personal engineering through demon expulsion: a bit messy perhaps, but relatively fast and cheap, and morally exculpatory. A thoroughly American arrangement."

Let's say I do struggle with lust. With a deflationary view of demons my spiritual struggle with lust is difficult. I must bear the full burden of the blame as well as travel a long difficult road toward holiness. By contrast, in the deliverance demon-centric model where I've been "attacked" and "afflicted" by malevolent spiritual forces I get to reap a couple of benefits.

First, I'm a victim in this scenario. And this reduces my moral culpability. It definately shifts the moral nexus off me and into the spiritual realm.

Second, given that I'm "afflicted" the main intervention is a prayer of deliverance, a prayer to bind the satanic forces that harass me. Well, that seems easy enough. Just say a heartfelt prayer to bind Satan and that problem of lust should be taken care of. As Cuneo suggests, this approach to spiritual formation appears to be a morally exculpatory quick fix. The McDonaldification of spiritual formation.

In recent years, Cuneo notes a decline in this perspective. He charts the disillusionment of many churches who started deliverance ministries. And the disillusionment has everything to do with spiritual formation: Deliverance ministries were not producing holy, Christ-like people. The hard work of discipleship just didn't figure into the equation.

I bring Cuneo's book up for two reasons. First, although the demon-centric models are going away, you still see it here and there in churches. I still stumble upon it with ACU students. So it is interesting to reflect on the spiritual formation implications of this perspective. Second, this series on Satan and theodicy is about how we use Satan to meet certain spiritual and psychological needs. And Cuneo's book is a case study on a different way people might use Satan to meet other needs (to reduce moral culpability and to avoid the hard work of discipleship).

Again, I'm not suggesting that demons don't exist. But I am interested in how people think about demons and how they use those beliefs to to accomplish certain psychological goals. These belief-dynamics are often unconscious and I think a little reflection on the matter is of some use. As a psychologist I tend to reflect not just on what people believe but also on how they believe. For sometimes the how can be more self-serving than we would like to admit.