Loren L. Johns

I found Even the Demons Submit by Johns and Krabill (eds.) and to be representative of the balanced and wholistic deliverance ministry which originated in the IN-MI Mennonite conference through the work of Dean Hochstetler. My personal conversations with some book contributors and those IN-MI persons involved in the deliverance support/accountability-team have persuaded me of the integrity and genuineness of this Christ-centered ministry approach.

An earlier Occasional Papers (no. 11) was published by the Institute of Mennonite Studies that compiled the proceedings of a conference held at AMBS in 1987 entitled "Bondage and Deliverance." The wholistic character is there as well, but seems far more theoretical/scholastic than Even the Demons Submit. In actuality, Even the Demons Submit functions as a Festschrift for Dean Hochstetler.

I'm reading another book; one by a retired Fuller professor who has had some influence in Mennonite circles, C. Peter Wagner. The book is Warfare Prayer: What the Bible Says about Spiritual Warfare. Wagner's biblical and theological scholarship is extremely balanced and self-aware. Conceptually, he deals with demonic influence over societal/social groups as a ministry separate-but-connected-to personal deliverance. It is in the same vein as Even the Demons Submit, with a strong evangelical flavor, yet a plea for the cross-category discernment of Christians of varying stripes; sort of ecumenical that way.… (más)

Loren L. Jones (an educator) and James Krabill (a missionary) present substantial content from a Mennonite colloquium on demon activity and deliverance. These two issues are considered Biblically, theologically, socially, psychologically and experimentally. Because these papers are exploratory, they are at times ambiguous and contradictory. This is not a "thus saith the Lord" proclamation nor "DYI" manual. It avoids simple answers and does not advocate one uniform approach. There is however general agreement on the following points: 1) the post-enlightenment western world-view does not understand the supernatural of the Biblical world, 2) modern demonic activity is real, even if experts disagree on its exact nature, 3) demonic activity is in someway related to both background and personal choice, and 4) deliverance can come through a variety of means ranging from prayer to psychology because it is part of expansion of Christ's Kingdom characterized by setting the prisoners free. His disciples are still amazed that "even the demons submit." to His rule.… (más)