Most of my reflections in this regard have been about the effects of disenchantment upon how we think about Satan and what many Christians describe as "spiritual warfare." This is what Reviving Old Scratch is all about.
But over the last year I've been thinking more about more about how our disenchantment affects how we view the Holy Spirit. And this is actually a bigger and more pressing problem than how disenchantment affects our views of the devil.
As a simple example, here's how Paul starts off his beautiful prayer about the love of God in Ephesians 3:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.How do we make sense of a petition "may you be strengthened with power through his Spirit" in our disenchanted age?
And consider this from Romans 8:
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.What does it mean in a disenchanted age that Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, giving life to our mortal bodies?
I think my concerns here should be obvious. The Holy Spirit, to state the obvious, is understood to be a supernatural power that dwells in us, giving us life and infusing us with strength. Supernatural strength and supernatural life.
How do you make sense of the Holy Spirit giving you supernatural power, strength and life if you're a disenchanted Christian?
I'm not sure, but I do feel convinced that we must make sense of it if we call ourselves Christians.
