NEIL T. ANDERSON
SETTING
YOUR CHURCH FREE -- LIVING FREE IN CHRIST
Miles J. Stanford
May 1994
SETTING YOUR
CHURCH FREE, by Neil Anderson and Charles (Chuck) Mylander (Regal books
[Gospel Light] 1994, 352 pages).
In quick succession Dr. Anderson produces
another of his Charismatic, Satan-oriented books. Dr. Anderson is founder and president of
Freedom in Christ Ministries. His co-author is Dr. Charles Mylander, superintendent of
Friends (Quaker/Arminian) churches in California and Arizona, as well as an adjunct
professor at the Pentecostal Azusa Pacific University.
DR. CHARLES (CHUCK) SWINDOLL
-- Dr. Swindoll, president of Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote a dust-jacket
recommendation for this demon-centered book:
Neil Anderson is one of the most
experienced and dependable authorities in America today when it comes to knowing what the
Bible says about: the methods, goals and destiny of our adversary, the devil; what our
super defense system is; how to make the correct diagnosis in order to find deliverance
from demons; and how to implement a calm, practical, workable plan from Scripture that
results in freedom and victory for the child of God.
DEMONIZING PRESIDENT
--
Dr. Swindoll can enthusiastically tout Dr. Anderson's demonism because he himself is a
demonizer. In his booklet, Demonism (Multnomah Press, 1981), Dr. Swindoll wrote:
Can a Christian Be Demonized? --
For a number of years I questioned this, but I am now convinced it can occur. If a
"ground of entrance" has been granted the power of darkness (such as trafficking
in the occult, a continual unforgiving spirit, a habitual state of carnality, etc.,), the
demon(s) sees this as a green light okay to proceed. Wicked forces are not discriminating
with regard to which body they may inhabit. I have worked personally with troubled,
anguished Christians for many years. On a few occasions I have assisted in the painful
process of relieving them of demons.
The alien, wicked spirit certainly cannot
claim "ownership" of the Christian. He is still a child of God. But while
present in the body (perhaps in the region of the soul) the evil force can work havoc
within the life, bringing the most extreme thoughts imaginable into his or her conscious
awareness. Couldn't this explain how some believers can fall into such horrible sins?
Early in 1988 three Dallas Seminary
professors were charged with Charismatic involvement. Dr. Walter Bodine and Dr. Donald
Sunukjian were allowed to resign, and Dr. John Deere was discharged--neither of these
being guilty of Dr. Swindoll's error! Dallas and the entire Church are in enough doctrinal
trouble, without contributing to this demonic plague.
DR. ROBERT L. SAUCY --
Longtime professor of Systematic Theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University,
father of Progressive Dispensationalism, Dr. Saucy supplied the Foreword to this
demonization volume. His closing sentence is as follows:
At the time when the effectiveness of the
church is being questioned, the insights of this book will help Christian leaders find
God's answer for free victorious living and successful ministry in Christ (p. 10).
You will be interested to know that a book
is due to be released containing articles by Dr. Ryrie, Dr. Walvoord, Dr. Ice and a number
of others, with the intention of countering Progressive Dispensationalism.
The authors' statements will be in green italics; all emphases ours.
RENUNCIATION --The title
of this Anderson/Mylander book, Setting Your Church Free, makes it clear that its
theme is freeing churches from bondage-Satanic bondage. Churches are "delivered"
from demons and curses, and their memories are healed. Entire congregations are subjected
to extended periods of spiritual exercises and numerous steps. Renunciation is a favorite
means of theirs in solving church problems, as if Satan could be affected by their
renunciations:
We renounce attacks of
the devil in stimulating doubts and discouragement. We renounce the spirit of darkness and
heaviness that seeks to destroy our church.
We renounce the spirit
of fear that paralyzes open sharing.
We renounce any
foothold gained in our church by the evil one through past hurts and traumas.
We renounce Satan's
using discouragement as a tool against us.
We renounce the
"destroyer" spirit and all his attacks on our church and community (p. 264).
One of the prayers used in the process of
delivering a church is:
We thank You for
opening our eyes to see the strength, weaknesses, good memories, painful memories,
corporate sins and spiritual attacks of evil enemies. Thank You for helping us grasp our
spiritual battle with the demonic powers (p. 320).
COMPLETELY DEMONIC --
Everything negative is attributed to Satan and demons:
Consider the problem
of falling asleep in a church service. Some people, of course, are so exhausted that they
sleep any time they become quiet and relaxed. But others sleep only in church, not in
other settings. In these cases, it is not exhaustion at all, nor is it a boring sermon,
but rather a deceitful ploy of the devil (p. 246).
GENERATIONAL TRANSFERENCE
--According to these demon-oriented leaders, demons can be passed down not only through
family generations, but also church congregation generations:
Familiar spirits can
be passed on from one generation to the next if not renounced and your spiritual heritage
in Christ not proclaimed. You are not guilty for the sin of an ancestor, but because of
sin, Satan has gained access to your family.
Because familiar
spirits can follow generational lines with a single family, so can they with generations
of church families. Main Street Church opened doors to the evil one through the scandal of
sexual sin on the part of former pastors (pp. 240,241).
DISCERNING DUO -- Neil
and Chuck comprise an invincible team when it comes to demons:
Neil and I discern a
demonic presence at work in Main Street Church. We see a fallen angel or evil spirit
targeting this church (p. 240).
Neil and
I
routinely experience the adversary's opposition before our conferences and seminars on
spiritual conflicts. Some of these attacks are mere harassment of increasing temptation or
accusations; others are interpersonal in our marriages and families. A few are physical [and Neil has demon tooth marks to prove it!]
(p. 248).
Whenever Neil
and I do conferences, we ask an unusual [setup] question. "How many here have been awakened, either terrorized
or alertly awakened, at precisely 3:00 A.M?" At least one-third of the audience will
respond that they have [every one a Charismatic] - Chances are they are being targeted, as Satan sends demons to
terrorize and harass (p. 233).
CHARISMATIC CHILD ABUSE
-- Charismatic families condition, train, and raise their own demonists, from childhood:
The problem of
lying and stealing continued until one day the eight-year-old boy suddenly blurted out,
"Daddy, I had to, the devil said he would kill you if I didn't." The
pastor-father told me [Neil] that if he had not heard me talk about the battle for our
mind, he would not have responded properly and the real [!] problem would have gone unresolved.
Instead of
saying, "How dare you blame it on the devil?" he asked his son if he was hearing
voices that were threatening him. The boy said he was [of
course he would], and then the father explained that the
devil was only trying to destroy their family and ministry.
Once the boy
understood that he was paying attention to a deceiving spirit, he stopped lying and
stealing. I wish I could say that was an isolated experience, but we are running into
similar situations all over the world, especially with children of spiritual [Charismatic] leaders (pp. 71, 72).
NEVER A QUESTION! --
There is no possible alternative to Neil's discernment:
Ten minutes into my
sermon a young man suddenly fell out of his chair and had a seizure. Two of our doctors in
the church immediately attended to him. When the nature of the problem was made known to
me, I stopped and prayed. Somehow I knew it was a spiritual problem designed to distract
the people from my message.
Publicly I asked God's
protection and commanded Satan to release the young man. He did [take note,
Archangel Michael!]. After the service, the chairman of the
board said he did not like the way I prayed because it implied that the young man had a
spiritual problem. I told him that I didn't imply it; I clearly said it. Then I asked him
to inquire what happened to the young man after I prayed. He never brought up the subject
again (p. 72).
In his zeal to bring Satan into every
situation, Neil doesn't always keep within scriptural bounds. Revelation 12:10 says,
"... for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God
night and day."
Have you ever
struggled with thoughts such as, "I'm stupid," or "I'm ugly," or
"I can't," or "God doesn't love me," or "I'm different from
others"? I know you have, because the Bible says Satan accuses the brethren night and
day (p. 25).
In conjunction with this constant
Satan-blaming we might consider Dr. Swindoll's previously-quoted statement:
While present in the body (perhaps in the
region of the soul) the evil force can work havoc within the life, bringing the most
extreme thoughts imaginable into his or her conscious awareness. Couldn't this explain how
some believers can fall into such horrible sins?
WRONG SOURCE -- The
indwelling Adam flesh-life and nature need neither external nor internal assistance from
Satan, his demons, nor anyone else. When it comes to sin, the old man is totally
self-sufficient.
"The works of the flesh are
manifest [evidently not to Neil and company], which are these: adultery, sorcery, hatred,
strife, jealousy, wrath, factions, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revelings, and the like" (Gal. 5:19-21).
The all-important factor for Christian
freedom and growth, and the answer to sin in the life of the believer, is totally missing
in these deliverance ministries. They have substituted Satan and demons for the
scriptural source of all sins--the fleshly, Adamic old man; self himself!
Dr. Anderson's ministry, via seminars and
numerous books, is an attempt to free individuals, and churches, from bondage--the bondage
of Satan and demons. His method is to show believers that they are in Christ, so that they
can then take their "authority" and get free.
TOO MUCH TOO SOON -- The
majority dealt with are Charismatics, those who are barely into the Christian life--hence
he is seeking to apply the highest truth to those who are in the lowest condition:
The one common
denominator of all the people whom I have had the privilege of helping to find their
freedom in Christ was the complete lack of assurance of salvation and ignorance of their
spiritual heritage (p. 49).
It takes us an average
of about three hours to help a person find freedom in Christ (p. 26).
That "freedom," of course, is
freedom from the so-called bondage of Satan and demons. It has nothing to do with freedom
from the scriptural source of sins, the indwelling Adamic life, in which dwelleth no good
thing. Hence, despite all of this deliverance ministry, the hapless individual remains in
his "O wretched man that I am" condition--perpetual Romans Seven.
Dr. Anderson's timeless claim is similar to that of Dr.
Solomon's:
Some people have
been psychoanalyzed for 25 years [consider that total $$ expenditure!] and they gradually get worse. God meets a person's need almost
instantly. I usually see patients from three to five times (National Courier [Charismatic], Nov. 4,
1975, p. 33).
BY-PASSED CROSS -- There
is no establishing a Christian in his position in Christ until he is first established in
his death unto sin (personified by the indwelling Adam). Normally, the experiential
realization of this is a matter of years. There is no leaping over self to abide in
Christ--if attempted, self will leap upon you!
Neil Anderson and Charles Solomon spend a
few hours with an individual. Tell that to these typical leaders, who averaged twenty
years more or less, in order to discover, and rest in, their position in Christ: Pierson,
Chapman, Tauler, Moody, Goforth, Mueller, Taylor, Trumbull, Meyer, Murray, Havergal,
Guyon, Mabie, Gordon, Hyde, Mantle, McCheyne, McConkey, Deck, Paxson, Stoney, Saphir,
Carmichael, Hopkins, et al.
These demonization ministries are
Satan-centered, with Christ brought in to save the situation. If they were Christ-centered
they would seek to minister the two aspects of the Christian life: death to sin (the old
man, the law, the world, and Satan), and Christ as Life, with the Christian life hidden
with Christ in God. Romans. 5-7 comes before Romans 8. All ascended life is predicated
upon death. The believer is to be taught to count himself dead indeed unto sin, and alive
unto God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:11).
Then, if there is to be any dealing with
Cross-defeated Satan and his demons-all of whom are under the Sovereign Father's control
at all times--it is simply to stand, and resist, upon the basis of his total defeat at
Calvary.
THIRD WORLD INFATUATION
-- Neil Anderson, Peter Wagner, Timothy Warner and the others are constantly deprecating
the Scripture-centered American (Western) churches, in favor of the spirit-centered, third
world Eastern churches:
Western churches
have tended to dismiss the activity of witch doctors or shamans as mere superstition [what else, if not Scripture-based?] As
it begins to emerge in our country [via the
Charismatics], however, more thinking Christians are
taking a second look (p. 256).
Lot's wife also took a suicidal second
look. And as for thinking, the subjective Charismatics do not think, they only
feel--"I feel," I sense," I'm aware," etc.
It is interesting
that, although their situations are hardly perfect, churches in third world countries have
grown significantly during this time. Several factors make their situation different than
in our country. First, the church in Africa, South America, and Indonesia is not as
sectarian as it is in America. They have a sense of greater unity because Christ is more
prominent. Second, they have a greater appreciation for the reality of the spirit world.
Third, they are far less self-centered and narcissistic than the Western world (p. 60).
The Third World church is almost entirely
Charismatic. What may exist of their superior "unity" is based upon the
Charismatic's "Jesus," a far cry from the dispensational Head and Life of the
Church, the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, their appreciation for the
"reality" of the spirit world is exemplified by the Satan- and demon-centered
ministries of Neil Anderson and the rest of the Charismatic realm.
COLUMBIA BIBLE COLLEGE AND
SEMINARY (recently re-named COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY) -- In our recent
Polemic Paper, "The Day of the Demon," we referred to the charismatic conditions
at CBC. Neil supplies a corroboration of that sad fact in sharing a letter from Dr. David
Finnell, a faculty member of the school:
I came across your materials a couple of
months ago and really sensed that they express the truths that I have been struggling with
concerning power encounter. I have been involved with power encounter on the mission field
and as a professor here at Columbia Bible College and Seminary.
All of my students in my Prayer and
Evangelism class are reading The Bondage Breaker and going through the
"Steps to Freedom." I am spending personal sessions with those whose bondage is
too great for them to deal with on their own (p. 40).
LIVING FREE IN CHRIST --
Herewith a closing word concerning Dr. Anderson's previous book, Living Free in Christ
(Regal Books, 1993, 310 pages). This book is also disqualified, despite the truth it
contains, because self has been traded off for Satan, and the heart of the Christian's
freedom from bondage has been omitted--the CROSS of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20a)!
Hence it has been necessary to warn non-charismatic leaders who are using this material in
their churches:
Dear pastor
A number of Bible Church people are using
Neil Anderson's Living Free in Christ book and/or video for teaching in their
churches.
I know that you are well aware and
concerned about what Charismatic tongues has done, and is doing to the Church. But all of
that devastation in lives pales in the face of this present flood of so-called
demonization. Believers need all the shepherding help they can get to keep clear of this
plague.
Many non-charismatics think that this
Living Free material is very good. Some have gone so far as to tell me that Neil teaches
the same deeper life truth that I do. If that were true I would terminate my ministry
without hesitation.
The primary focus of the ministry of these
"deliverance" leaders is not Christ, but rather Satan and his demons, while
including their Charismatic "Jesus" where needed. Satan is the main subject of
their teaching, both in ministry and publication. Their titles tell the tale: The
Bondage Breaker, Release From Bondage, Walking Through Darkness, The Adversary, Defeating
Dark Angels, The Handbook of Spiritual Warfare, Engaging the Enemy, Breaking Strongholds,
to name but a few.
Neil runs with these people, and is fully
accepted by them. He, recommends their ministries and distributes their books. The stories
he tells and writes about are no less psychotic and bizarre than the rest of them. A
"demon" bit Neil in the hand!
A number of these demonizers, including
Neil, have picked up the so-called deeper life truths, and use them as a front for their
actual ministry. For them it is by no means, "I determined not to know anything among
you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).
Neil's Living Free might seem to be an
exception, but it is not. Anyone who really knows who, and where, and what he is in Christ
glorified would never minister and publish what these demonizers spread among believers;
they would never flood the gullible Church with their Charismatic plague.
Now just what is dangerous and
unacceptable about this Living Free material?
Neil is trying to lead believers into
their position in Christ, and all that that entails. But he is frustrating and
disappointing them, causing them to become disillusioned and bitter toward the so-called
deeper life--testimonies he shares notwithstanding.
How so? He knows nothing of the Scriptural
answer to the indwelling first Adam, and there is nothing of this key matter in his
ministry. Wherever he attempts to lead the believer, good ol' self negates all.
He has substituted Satan for self, for the
indwelling Adamic life and nature. Satan is given the blame for all, while self goes free
to cancel all. He is trying to free believers from supposed Satanic and demonic bondage,
while Scripture clearly teaches and gives the answer to bondage from the Adamic life
within.
Without the Scriptural answer to the
bondage of sin as personified by the old man, there is little spiritual progress or
growth--it is Romans Seven all the way. There can be no bypassing of the Cross in the life
of the believer in order to experience the risen life--which emerges from the death of the
Cross. "... always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh [body]" (2 Cor. 4:11).
When any part of these Satan-oriented
ministries seems to be acceptable and good, and recommended and promoted, unsuspecting
believers become interested and confident in the leader--and thereby the demonic hook is
set, and the rest of their material comes into play. Another life ruined in the vortex of
Charismatic subjectivism.
These materials center the believer upon
Satan, demons, and himself. He becomes taken up with "warfare," and his possible
freedom and victory, rather than the ascended and glorified Source of all Christian life.
There is much about Satan in this Living
Free material. Neil advocates "cleansing" of the home of Satanic curses and
demonic influences--furniture and all. He also teaches the "ancestral
transference" foolishness.
No believer who knows anything at all
about the Cross and position would ever think of going to Neil, or any of these
"warfare" people, to learn of his freedom from the bondage of Adam, and his
liberty in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Life in the Holiest of All!
I know you wouldn't either, dear brother.
Resting in Him,
Miles
The demonizers give more credence to the
power of Satan than they do to their impregnable position in Christ before the throne of
God! But Satan is simply the tool of our Sovereign Father; "and we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to His purposes (Romans 8:28).
It is a wonderful thing to see the way in
which through the overruling power of the Father, the efforts of Satan against His people
only bring them out the more distinctly in their own place of blessing. --J.N. Darby
We are told, "resist the devil, and
he will flee from you" (James 4:7). We are not told to overcome him (that we could
never do), but when he encounters the finished work of the Cross upon which we stand, he
cannot stand that--he must flee. --A. Saphir
Satan may challenge my clearance and MY
acceptance, he may raise all kinds of questions about what I am and what I have done, but
he can never raise a question as to the worthiness or acceptance of the One who is my
Life.
The forgiven man is in an altogether new
position before the Father; he is on the ground of grace--grace which is set forth in the
glorified Lord Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth. The apprehension of this is
redemption, and it positions us beyond the reach of the oppression and harassment of the
defeated enemy. --Selected
See also: NEIL T. ANDERSON - THE
BONDAGE BREAKER -- VICTORY OVER THE DARKNESS
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