Haunted houses. Strange voices. Children walking up walls. Objects flying through the air. Demonic possessions. The stuff of Hollywood horror movies? Yes. And also the focus of Billy Hallowell’s newest book Playing With Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts.
Hallowell acknowledges that talking about Satan, demons, and spiritual beings is laughable to many people, particularly skeptics, today. It’s frankly uncomfortable even for many professing Christians to address. In his book, Hallowell writes of this awkwardness and reticence:
Even as I wrote this book, some declined interviews and opted for silence rather than openly sharing what they claimed to have faced—and that speaks volumes. And who can blame them? The uncertainty and perceived strangeness of these topics often relegates demons, demonology, and discussions of satanic influence to the quiet corners of the human experience.
Hallowell, Billy. Playing With Fire, Thomas Nelson, 2020
And yet, as Hallowell observes, even as many people scoff at or retreat from discussion of spiritual reality, complete with God, Satan, angels, and demons, people are nevertheless fascinated by and drawn to the strange and the paranormal. One only needs to look at some of the most popular movies, novels, and TV shows to see this.
In fact, Hallowell explains (correctly) that even as society grows increasingly secular and is more inclined to push talk of God and organized religion away, human beings crave for more than the mere material in their lives. People want more, and deep down, sense there is more.
For the Christian, denial of the supernatural is completely incompatible with Christianity itself. We want to be more, as Hallowell writes, “cerebral” and better accepted or respected by our peers (personal and professional). And we know that talking about demons and angels – as if they are real – is a one-way ticket to the fringes of society.
And yet, as Hallowell explains:
Despite contemporary culture’s penchant for shying away from conversations about demonic influence, the Scriptures make it clear that there is a spiritual battle between good and evil that has been raging beneath our material surface since Satan’s fall.
ibid
Accordingly, he declares: “A basic reading of the Bible renders denying the existence of demons—at least from an authentic Christian lens—an impossibility.”
There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of the supernatural. We know that this natural realm – what we call “nature” or “the universe” – came into existence at a moment in time. The cause of nature coming into existence has to be considered, definitionally, supernatural.
What’s more, I can’t understand how anyone can look at the news today and reject the notion that evil is real. And if one accepts evil is real, then surely one can understand that the manifestation of evil stems from the flaws of human nature and something operating beyond our senses.
Nevertheless, even if one accepts the reality of angels and demons (as, again, Christians must — in order to be in conformity with the Bible), there are still many questions:
- Are demons active today in the same sense as during New Testament times?
- Are demons fallen angels or something else?
- Can demons inhabit human beings?
- Can demons possess Christians?
- What about “ghosts”? Are they simply demons or is it possible that they really are people in the midst of some mysterious transition?
- What can Christians do if confronted by demons or people possessed or oppressed by demons?
- Can anyone perform an exorcism?
Hallowell tackles these questions — and many more — in Playing With Fire.
The book is based on a careful study of the Bible as well as multiple interviews, including with people who claim to have experienced demonic attack or oppression in some form. He interviews evangelicals, charismatics, and Catholics. And he cites people in the mental health field as well as people in religious circles.
The book is well-written and fast-paced. I breezed through it in three sittings over two days.
I appreciated Hallowell’s courage in tackling this difficult subject and his humility in admitting when no easy or certain answers are possible.
The one thing this book does make clear is that the Bible’s teachings on spiritual warfare should not be ignored. Satan was at work in Bible times. And Satan and his forces are at work today. And we, as Christians, need to put on the “whole armor of God” (see Ephesians 6) and be equipped for spiritual warfare.
Hallowell’s book is available on most online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and ChristianBook.com.
