The Exorcist's Bestiary

Reflecting on Hitler and Nazi Germany, Carl Jung once wrote that, “One man, who is obviously ‘possessed,’ has infected a whole nation. . . . A god has taken possession of the Germans. . . . A hurricane has broken loose in Germany while we still believe it is fine weather.” The 2017 movie Wonder Woman tried to capture this spiritual dynamic. After Wonder Woman slays a demonic god controlling the Nazis, we watch as soldiers break free from his spell, appalled at what they’ve done.

A Scriptural motif is captured well in this superhero movie. The Bible presents a world where the nations have been divided amongst the lesser gods Yahweh created. While we assume these gods were supposed to point their nations back toward Yahweh, they instead rebelled against God. By the time we get to the end of the Bible, the gods are raging in politics, politicians, and the nations. Sometimes nations get so caught up in the ways of the gods that they become synonymous with their beastly mascots—like how Isaiah refers to Egypt as the ancient beast, Rahab. John the Revelator invites Christians to break free from such spells and mascots, lest they fall prey to the beastly ways of the demonic gods.

From a biblical perspective, the whirlpool of the gods is the natural vortex that all humans are pulled into, even if they don’t believe in the gods. Because of sin, we are bound to get caught up in their haze, pulled in by their irresistible promises. Jesus invites us to have clear minds that are grounded in love—something that we can only fully achieve when we decide that Jesus is God and yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s direction. Christians are not called to refrain from politics, but they are required to break free of the beast behind the politics. If they do not, they will fall under the sway, the spell, the vortex, and the curse.

I have seen Christians caught up in the sway of the gods on both sides of the political aisle, and it is for that reason that I preach so much about politics. History shows us the lengths Christians are willing to go when we do not humble ourselves for political introspection. The beasts long for our minds.