Deliverance ministry Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == History == === Biblical precedent === Many believers in deliverance ministry cite [[Bible|Biblical]] precedent as an authoritative source for their [[ritual]]s; this forms a significant part in arguments surrounding deliverance practices.<ref name=":1" /> The Biblical precedent for cleansing people of evil spirits returns to Jesus. The [[New Testament]] mentions Jesus casting out [[evil spirits]] fifty-five times but only describes the events in detail five times.<ref name=":1" /> He casts demons out of a man in a [[synagogue]] ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 1) and two men near tombs ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 8). In both episodes, Jesus converses with the demons, and they acknowledge him as the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]] before he casts them out.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=New International Version (NIV) - Version Information - BibleGateway.com|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible/|website=www.biblegateway.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-20}}</ref> This{{what?|date=June 2022|reason=jesSomeoneersing? someone conversing? acknowledging?}} is a common occurrence in modern deliverance rituals as well.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Hunt|first1=Stephen|date=May 1998|title=Managing the demonic: Some aspects of the neo-Pentecostal deliverance ministry|journal=Journal of Contemporary Religion|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|pages=215β230|doi=10.1080/13537909808580831|issn=1353-7903}}</ref> Jesus also casts demons out of a little girl ([[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 7) and a young boy ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 9), both events that the Bible expressly connects to strengthening the faith of their parents;<ref name=":2" /> modern practitioners of deliverance ministry interpret their experiences expelling demons as an opportunity to strengthen their own faith as well.<ref name=":1" /> Jesus heals a [[Demonic possession|possessed]] man (Matthew 12) to show his [[Messiah in Judaism|Messianic]] calling and the fulfilment of [[prophecy]],<ref name=":2" /> leading modern believers to see successful exorcisms as evidence of Jesus' power in their lives.<ref name=":1" /> Jesus' [[Disciples (Christianity)|disciples]] also cast out demons many times throughout the New Testament as a sign of their own [[Faith in Christianity|faith in Jesus]].<ref name=":2" /> This occurs before and after Jesus' death. After his death, believers interpret the events as proof of the authority the disciples still have through faith in Jesus.<ref name=":2" /> Each exorcism event is different in the Bible, and the methods used to cast out demons change; some participants in modern deliverance ministry interpret this to mean that there is no "right" or single way to cast out demons, but that many methods may be used as long as they are rooted in Christianity.<ref name=":1" /> Practitioners of deliverance ministry pay careful attention to each of these Biblical examples as they navigate and interpret demonic activity and deliverance rituals in their own lives.<ref name=":1" /> === Post-Biblical deliverance practices === [[Exorcism in Christianity|Exorcism]] was practiced by [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] throughout the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sluhovsky, Moshe, 1958-|title=Believe not every spirit: possession, mysticism, & discernment in early modern Catholicism|date=2007|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-76295-1|location=Chicago|oclc=309871210}}</ref> [[Martin Luther]] practiced it in Germany during the 1500s as a way of participating in the "war with the [[Satan|devil]]," a tradition continued by [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] throughout the [[Reformation]] to the present day.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Harris2019">{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Elise |title=Exorcists see ecumenical agenda in fighting 'voluntary possession' |url=https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/exorcists-see-ecumenical-agenda-in-fighting-voluntary-possession |publisher=[[Crux (online newspaper)|Crux]] |access-date=21 April 2023 |language=English |date=14 May 2019}}</ref> He simplified the ceremony too avoid drawing attention to evil powers.<ref name=":1" /> Deliverance practices became somewhat more widespread with the growth of the [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] movement, and especially with the [[Charismatic movement]] that began in the 1960s.<ref name=":3" /> These movements continue to understand themselves as part of [[spiritual warfare]], in which Christians are understood to be at war with the forces of evil which work in the world in efficient ways, afflicting people with all kinds of problems (physical, emotional, spiritual).<ref name=":3" /> People believe they can combat these evil forces through the power and authority of [[God in Christianity|God]].<ref name=":3" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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