I wonder if Fyodor Dostoevsky’s
tale about Jesus’ return might have been inspired by an actual story of Jesus
in the synagogue of Capernaum. In The
Brothers Karamazov, the character Ivan Karamazov tells the tale of a Grand
Inquisitor who puts Jesus on trial upon His return to earth. The Inquisitor claims that the Church has
improved upon Jesus’ work and no longer needs Him. This Church, whatever it is, does not need
Jesus, does not want Him. The shocking
story Ivan tells is shocking mostly for how true it is in so many contexts,
denominations, and local churches.
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus attends
the synagogue of His adopted home in Capernaum and immediately encounters a man
possessed by an unclean spirit. The man—or
the unclean spirit in him—cries out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are—the Holy One of
God’ (Mark 1.23-24).
Beyond the connection in these
stories of a religious establishment that not only has no need for Jesus but
also sees Him to be the opposition to it is the additional piece in Mark that,
immediately in the synagogue Jesus encounters the man with an unclean
spirit. Jesus did not only encounter
unclean spirits outside religious establishments but also inside them. Let’s put it this way, just because someone
is in a church, perhaps even regularly attending a church, even the minister of
a church, does not mean that he or she cannot be demon possessed. Of course, anyone demon possessed is not a
Christian, but that does not mean he or she cannot be in the church, even lead
it. One might think that demons would
not ‘attend church’. I am of the opinion
that unclean spirits have a fondness for church, rather like the cynical person
who enjoys heckling a speaker.
I remember after speaking in an
Evangelical church in Ethiopia one Sunday encountering a man after most people
had departed who was eager to speak with me.
His English was very good—on reflection, troublingly so—and he spoke
very fast. Yet what truly surprised me
was his knowledge of Scripture. He
quoted passage after passage, weaving them together, but twisting their meanings
and attempting to make some argument against the faith. A more seasoned missionary managed to bring
the encounter to an end, but I left feeling that I may well have encountered
someone demon-possessed.
Some years later, I was asked to
teach a series at a Methodist church in the United States. I had a good-sized class of eager adults, but
one man with, I should add, a very dark demeanor, regularly attempted to debate
with me. His concern did not seem to be
this or that point so much as to cause disruption and doubt. I thought that here, too, was a man with an
unclean spirit in the church.
My parents’ stories of
encountering evil spirits in South Africa sixty or more years ago also included
encountering them in church services (cf. Stewards of Grace: A Reflective,
Mission Biography of Eugene and Phyllis Grams in South Africa, 1951-1962). These were often evangelistic services, and
those with unclean spirits were not regular ‘church attenders’. The persons were wonderfully and powerfully
delivered from demon possession. Such
encounters were more frenzied. We have
Biblical examples of the same. Yet the
demonic is not always so and is sometimes encountered even as though Satan were
a gentleman. As Paul says,
For such men are
false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And
no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So
it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of
righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds (2 Corinthians
11.13-15).
I go back to Jesus’ immediate
encounter in the Capernaum synagogue with a man who was demon possessed. In fact, in Mark 1.39, we read, ‘And he went
throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.’ I think it would be safe to say that those
demons were regulars in the local synagogues.
Jesus also warned of false
prophets. Here again we have people presenting
themselves as religious—even having religious authority as prophets—who were
false. Jesus said, ‘Beware of false
prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves’
(Matthew 7.15). The Old Testament, too,
speaks of many a false prophet. The
prophets we read mostly about in the Old Testament are true prophets of God,
but they seem to be a minority.
Jesus warns, ‘And many false
prophets will arise and lead many astray’ (Matthew 24.11) and ‘For false
christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so
as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect’ (Matthew 24.24). Peter, looking back at the Old Testament
narratives, draws a warning for the Church: ‘But false prophets also arose
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will
secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction’ (2 Peter 2.1). John corroborates this view: ‘Beloved, do not
believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
for many false prophets have gone out into the world’ (1 John 4.1).
The warning of false teaching and
prophets also extends to individuals making false claims to be Christians. Jesus says, ‘Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 7.21).
Of course, one of Jesus’ close followers—one of the Twelve—was the one
who betrayed Him.
One might say that predictions of
coming false prophets, teachers, priests, and persons claiming to be religious
do not require inspiration so much as observation. Israel’s canonical history climaxes in the 8th
and 6th centuries as the northern (‘Israel’) and southern (‘Judah’)
kingdom are overrun by invaders as punishment God allowed. God says,
For the children
of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from
their youth. The children of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger
by the work of their hands, declares the LORD. 31 This
city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so
that I will remove it from my sight 32 because of
all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah that they did
to provoke me to anger—their kings and their officials, their priests and their
prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 They
have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them
persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction (Jeremiah 32.30-33).
Jeremiah, for that matter, was a
true prophet. For his prophecy, however,
‘the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You
shall die!”’ (Jeremiah 26.8).
Again, I am reminded of the Grand
Inquisitor. Israel had come to a point
that they—the kings, officials, priests, prophets, and men of Judah—thought that
they had things well in hand without God and His instruction. The government, the religion, and the people
found God inconvenient. The true
prophet, the minority of prophets, were rejected. God did send prophets to warn Israel (Jeremiah
44.4)—we must not imagine a single prophet standing against the whole
people. Yet imagining a minority of
people out of a whole religious community as faithful to God is, it seems, one
of the major points of Scripture. Jesus
said, ‘Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that
leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For
the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find
it are few’ (Matthew 7.13-14).
So we come to this summer’s round
of ecclesiastical meetings, or ones within the last few years. The
Presbyterian Church (USA)—the failing mainline denomination, not the smaller
groups that have broken away—'has passed a measure [441-30]
expressing support for body-deforming sex-change surgeries for youth exhibiting
gender dysphoria.’[1]
The United Methodist Church,
having already removed proscriptions against same-sex marriage and the ordination
of LGBT clergy, has this summer rejected Asbury Seminary as a place where clergy may train
for ministry.[2] Asbury’s stated principles on sexuality and
marriage affirm historic Christianity and Scripture—marriage is between a man
and a woman, and sex is appropriate only in such a marriage.
The United Church of Christ
already declared itself to be ‘open and affirming’ of homosexuality in 1985.[3] It more recently extended its affirmation to
transgenders and nonbinary persons.[4] Its last General Synod, in 2025, managed to
find something else still to say about this topic.[5] The Synod found a new mission and produced
tools to ‘educate themselves and others about how Our Whole Lives and Sexuality
and Our Faith’, tools it has produced, might be ‘tools for celebrating the sacred embodiment of people
of all ages, and how they engage with the intersectional justice issues of
reproductive justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning,
Intersex, Asexual, Plus+ (LGBTQIA+) lived experience, racial inequality, and
sexual violence’.
The Church of England continues inexorably
toward the same sorry end. This year’s synod
voted on a motion stating 'that it is a legitimate theological perspective to
believe that a committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationship is entirely
compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.’[6] That such a vote was even considered by an
historically orthodox denomination is still troublesome, even after all these
years of moral failure. The closeness of
the vote—the motion only just failed—is telling for where the denomination is:
bishops: 11 for, 14 against, 4 abstentions; clergy: 93 for, 79 against, 0
abstentions; laity: 101 for, 83 against, 0 abstentions. The Synod also decided to ‘hear’ a paper
alleging that Israel is a colonizer of Palestine and has committed genocide. The Church of England is an old man on a littered beach trying to surf the waves of culture. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, and the surf's up.
The Evangelical [sic] Lutheran
Church in America is another mainline denomination, declining like the rest,
that has previously affirmed gender theory and sexuality opposed in Scripture
and historic Christianity. In recent
years, it has doubled-down on its commitment to unbiblical ethics. Its approach to this includes an affirmation
of the postmodern values of diversity, equity, and inclusion:[7]
a. Diversity is
a reality rooted in the variety found in the body of Christ: the wide range of
communities and identities related to race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexuality,
age, background, ability, socio-economic status, culture, and perspective.
b. Equity means
fair treatment of people according to their needs. The principle of equity
takes into account that due to poverty, sexism, racism, and other factors
individuals or groups may require different resources and support to ensure
that they have the same rights and abilities to make choices as others do.
c. Inclusion
means the proactive and meaningful engagement of diverse individuals in all
aspects of church life, especially indecision-making processes and leadership
roles, creating a church culture of welcome, respect, and value for unique
perspectives and abilities.
The ELCA defines diversity as
having to do with ‘Persons of diverse gender identities and persons of diverse
sexual orientations means individuals who identify beyond the sex and gender
binary, individuals whose gender identity may be fluid, and individuals who
identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or
other sex, gender, and sexual identities that are more complex than sex, gender’. To this end, the denomination has a quota
system: at least 10% of ‘voting members in the Synod Assembly, Synod Council,
committees, and organizational units of this synod’ are to represent ‘historically
underrepresented groups’. Holiness in
the Church is not mentioned. Voting,
with representational diversity, establishes church governance, even though the
Church Council has appointed a ‘task force on interdependence and purpose that
will be grounded and rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ and guided by
Scripture and our theological discernment as we live into the gospel through
the leading of the Spirit’. The form of
Christianity is still present in such a statement even as the ELCA has long
since departed from the substance of the faith.
The double-speak of revisionist, mainline denominations, still using
Christian language while affirming the culture’s values, might even have
confounded the Grand Inquisitor.
Jesus responded to His
inquisitors, who mocked Him and sought to kill Him:
Why do you not
understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You
are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for
he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8.43-44).
To be sure, the true people of
God, the Church, remains. It is not the
discarded snakeskin of unfaithful denominations that were once alive with the
truth. It is not dead or dying. It is still a holy people. It exists where there are faithful followers
of Jesus Christ.
Yet we must also be wary of the
concerns stated earlier in this essay: the presence of faithlessness,
immorality, and falsity among believers, within the clergy, in Evangelical and
orthodox denominations. Indeed, the
warning of this essay is that Satan’s minions do not only wait outside, even at the
door, of the church. They may have their
favourite pew. The lying person, one causing
strife, the gossip—possibly using prayer in prayer groups to do so, the immoral
man or woman and those ‘affirming’ him or her, the person chasing the latest
false teacher or teaching, the minister relaxing truth to gain friends in the
church—we have here not only human error but also demonic activity. Not only does Satan, the Lord of Lies and Twister
of Truth, want these to succeed; he also wants their success to weaken the
faith of others and shake believers.
Paul warns the Ephesian elders,
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20.29-30).
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul calls believers to unity and peace in Christ. He warns against corrupting talk that does not
build up, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, slander, and malice (Ephesians
4.29-31). He warns, ‘give no opportunity
to the devil’ (Ephesians 4.27). Peter
wrote to the churches, ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5.8). James, warning against friendship with the
world, says,
Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw
near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be
wretched and mourn and weep (James 4.7-9).
Remember, upon entering the
synagogue, Jesus immediately encountered a man with an unclean spirit.
Paul speaks to the Ephesian church, telling them to stand against the schemes of the devil by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6.11). He then describes this armor: the belt of truth, he breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness given by the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith that extinguishes the flaming darts of the evil one, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, along with praying at all times in the Spirit (Ephesians 6.14-18). In Ephesians, Paul talks about cosmic, earthly, human, ecclesiastical, family, and personal conflicts as spiritual battlefields where Christ has won and where we who are in Christ might also win. The battle is not simply the Church versus a sinful world out there but also the schemes of the devil reaching into the Church, our churches, and our families. It is fought in Church synods, on church councils, in classes, among others claiming to be Christians, and in our closest relationships. We are therefore to fight the battle of faith in all these battlegrounds with truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit-inspired Word of God, and prayer at all times. We do not fight alone. Our Lord Jesus Christ is seated in the heavenly places at God's right hand. He has conquered death itself, having immeasurable power toward us. And He is 'head over all things to the church'--the true Church (Ephesians 1.19-23). The Church does indeed need Him, for we are His body, 'the fullness of Him who fills all in all' (v. 23).
[1]
Michael Gryboski, ‘PCUSA declares support for body-deforming trans surgeries
for kids,’ Christian Post (6 July, 2026); https://www.christianpost.com/news/pcusa-declares-support-for-trans-surgeries-for-kids.html
(accessed 18 July, 2026).
[2]
Ryan Foley, ‘UMC removes Asbury Seminary from approved schools over sexuality
dispute,’ Christian Post (26 June, 2026); https://www.christianpost.com/news/umc-cuts-ties-with-asbury-seminary-over-same-sex-marriage-stance.html
(accessed 18 July, 2026).
[3]
United Church of Christ, ‘Resolution: Calling on United Church of Christ
Congregations to Declare themselves Open and Affirming,’ adopted by the
Fifteenth General Synod, United Church of Christ, Ames, Iowa, June 28-July 2,
1985.
[4]
United Church of Christ, ‘Actively Affirming the Human Dignity of Transgender
and Nonbinary Persons,’ adopted by the Thirty-Fourth General Synod, United
Church of Christ, Indianapolis, June 30-July 4, 2023.
[5]
United Church of Christ, ‘Faithful Stewardship of Our Whole Lives and Advocacy
for Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Faith Communities Through Interfaith
Collaboration,’ adopted by the Thirty-Fifth General Synod, United Church of
Christ, Kansas City, July 11-July 15, 2025.
[6]
‘House of Bishops defeats PMM on same-sex relationships,’ AnglicanMainstream
(13 July, 2026); https://anglicanmainstream.org/article/house-of-bishops-defeats-pmm-on-same-sex-relationships/
(accessed 18 July 2026). See also an
article about harassment of and opposition to a fringe event on conversion ‘therapy’
for gender dysphoria some Christians held near the Synod: Holly Baines, ‘Disdain
and hostility: what I witnessed at the Church of England’s General Synod,’ Christian
Concern (16 July, 2026); https://christianconcern.com/comment/disdain-and-hostility-what-i-witnessed-at-the-church-of-englands-general-synod/
(accessed 18 July, 2026).
[7]
Response of the Church Council to the Recommendations in the Report of the
Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church,’ Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America; https://cdn.elca.org/cdn/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_CRLC_Final_Report_Recommendations_and_Church_Council_Response.pdf
(accessed 18 July, 2026).
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