Saturday, January 25, 2014

Tim Challies: 'Spiritual Warfare' Strikes Balanced, Biblical View of Dark Forces


Is there any category of book that goes more wrong more often than books on spiritual warfare? There can't be too many. Few subjects are more important to the life and well-being of the Christian, but I fear few topics receive worse treatment. Novel interpretations abound, as do outright unbiblical ones.

Into the fray step Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura with their new book Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective. Borgman is pastor of Grace Community Church in Minden, NV while Ventura pastor's Grace Community Baptist Church of North Providence, RI, and together they attempt to strike a position that is both biblical and balanced. They succeed well, which is no easy feat. C.S. Lewis aptly caught the challenge when he said, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight."

The second half of Ephesians 6 is the clearest biblical description of spiritual warfare as well as the most detailed description of the manner in which we are to fight this war. Here Paul describes a Roman soldier, looking at each part of the soldier's armor and weaponry, and drawing a parallel to the Christian life. Spiritual Warfare is, at heart, a detailed but reader-friendly examination of this text and the armor it describes. Keep reading

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