" A bishop then must be blameless....Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride
he fall into the condemnation of the devil."
I was reading posts on line and came across someone who seemed to think the Satanism and Occult of the early 80's was all manufactured by charlatans such as Mark Warnke who became famous in Christian circles for his book titled, "The Satan Seller." Yes there is a lot of money grubbers in American Christianity and unfortunately they get a large following. As I began a text in response to this post it got to be quite long so I decided to place it on my blog and just post a link to it. So here is my response.
I am a small church pastor. I stay out of most Christian television and radio and book fads. Don't recall reading Warnke but I am familiar with the name. There are a lot of charlatans out there and one of the sad things about Baby boomer Christianity is that they look for people with "exciting testimonies" and propel them into the front lines as if how much evil they have done makes them special. You don't draw crowds advertising that the special speaker has lived a life of testimony and faith from his earliest days... those people are considered dull by the mega christian crowds. Jesus did say that the one that is forgiven much, loves much but that does not mean that those who have a history of bad behavior should be heralded because of how bad they were which is what is often done. Those that walk a quiet peaceable life in humility are sidelined in modern American pop Christianity. Pop Christianity tends to ignore that the Scripture teaches that the man of God ought to be "blameless" having his household in order.
When I was a teenager in the early 70's there was a young man that had gotten himself into drugs and other sin but then was saved by the grace of God. His testimony made him a christian celebrity in our area and was asked to speak to many large groups. There was no shame in fact it was like he was boasting of his sin. I knew impressionable young people that came to the conclusion that they ought to "experiment" also because they can always return to Christ and then they will have a "testimony."
At the time I was leading a large Bible study among students in my high school every lunch hour. The school system tried to shut us down. We would fill the hallways before the school bell with guitars and spiritual songs. Administration tried to shut us down. This went on for a couple of years until I had to leave town with my parents when they relocated. Did this get the attention of local "Christianity"? No, and probably rightly so. It was just teenage Christians excited about the Lord but we were teens and should not be elevated as if we were special. It is Christ who is special. That He would touch us in such a way during those crucial teenage years is something I did not know was as special and unique as it was.
However I would contend that the reason that Warnke and others got so much attention back during what you call the "Satanic panic" is because at that time there really was a great increase in Satanism and demonic activity. Here in Wisconsin there were coverups. Bodies of animals and even children found that had been burned in sacrificial fires that not only did not make the news but were swept under the rug. At the time there was only one man in our state that was trained and therefore qualified to determine if a crime scene was related to Satanism. He told me that there were such crimes all over the state but he was only allowed to investigate a paltry few in the Milwaukee area but local police were not allowed to make the determination themselves that a crime was Satanic in nature even when it was obvious.
At the time I was under threat from Satanists. They threatened to abduct my two daughters and use them in a child sacrifice. They targeted me because of a successful ministry of casting out demons from some of their cohorts and leading them to Christ. One woman who they used as a breeder to produce babies for sacrifice contacted me. She was scared to death. She would not allow me to take her to the police for protection because according to her the police chief, lawyers and even a Judge in the area were involved. I spoke to her through a cracked door of a motel. I was alone and dared not go in. I could see she was battered badly with black eyes and swollen face. I went home to get my wife and when we returned about 10 minutes later she was gone. Someone had seen. Never heard from her again.
The reason for the explosion of Satanism in the late 70's and 80's was because it was connected to the drug trade and I believe it was a deep state project. It was not only centered in large cities but in rural areas such as Richland Center out in the hills.
Recruits were taken to Mexico for training and indoctrination. Those attracted into Satanism, generally because of the loose sex and drugs would find themselves not only addicted to drugs but possessed by demons.
While this worked in the short term for developing mules and routes for the drug trade coming from Mexico it had to be abandoned. I think the powers in high places gave up on what seemed to be an ideal method of control and manipulation on the physical, emotional and spiritual level because demonic possession is real and demons are not trustworthy and the drug crazed Satanists were blowing their cover because their demons took them too far.
Those indoctrinated into the occult were used as mules to bring cocaine over the border from Mexico for their white collar overlords who the underclass were never supposed to know or be able to identify. There was also child smuggling for sex purposes.
I hardly ever talk about such things even to my own congregation for several reasons. One of course for personal protection but mostly because we are not supposed to think on Satan or demonic things as Christians but on things that are pure and of good report. Those who talk a lot about demons are inviting infestations to those around them. To talk and think about demonic things is a form of meditation. Those that do so will find themselves "spooked." Christians fool themselves thinking that because they are the Lord's they cannot be possessed by a devil... they can be possessed by any master they yield themselves to. To have the Holy Spirit's protection they must walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. That is why church meetings that sensationalized people like Warnke found themselves surrounded by demonic activity. I even heard of one church in my area that was "casting demons" out of the rafters in their church". Demons would only stick around a church of Jesus Christ if the church is invoking them by meditating on them.
In any case the name of Jesus is powerful and demons do not want to hear that name but remember there are other powers... fallen angels and one such angel even dared to challenge the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Christians should not have a cocky attitude about spiritual powers. The best way to defeat them is to keep your heart and mind on Christ Jesus and they will eventually leave you alone just like your worldly friends.
Pop Christianity would do well to have a little less glamour and money. There is nothing glamorous about the cross. There ought to be shame over our sin not pride. No one should be "celebrated" or made rich because once they were devils. Pastors should not be followed because they are cool or with it or the world thinks they are ok because they look like the world, talk like the world and act like the world. All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution... not celebrity life.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
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