Unsettled Christianity

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July 5th, 2011

In the Mail? Unseen Realities: Heaven, Hell, angels and demons by R.C. Sproul

I didn’t ask for it, but somehow, I got on the mailing list of Christian Focus publishers. I appreciate the book, but I suspect that I may not actually be the best person to review this book. For example, on page 143, Sproul (who by the way, is a well respected theologian, and while we may disagree on a few points, I have no doubt that he loves the Church of God) writes,

Luther sometimes experiences what he called the anfechtung, the unbridled, relentless assault and attack that the prince of darkness brought against him. We can understand why Luther would have been in Satan’s crosshairs – if the Devil could get Luther to fall, the Reformation might well fail.

Okay, my first thought is rather to the psychological. I have a problem with ‘supernatural’ talk and while it may be found in Scripture, I often times revert to interpreting through the idea that Satan is a personified evil, myth. Further, Luther who had been raised Catholic, with it so engrained, was no doubt feeling some sort of post-traumatic stress issues which his break from Rome, and thus himself. (Not saying Rome is or was a cult). We understand that when someone so engrained with a belief looses it, it may do mental harm to them. Finally, I disagree that upon Luther hung the shoulders of the Reformation. Zwingli was around. Calvin was coming. Tyndale was in England. Others, of whom we shall only know along Antipas were present.

Anyway, I’ll take a gander at the book.