Professional Dissertations DMin

Date of Award

1994

Document Type

Project Report

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Doctor of Ministry DMin

First Advisor

Robert M. Johnston

Second Advisor

Roy Naden

Third Advisor

C. Raymond Holmes

Abstract

Problem

This project emerged out of a sincere desire to find answers to the physical, emotional, and spiritual bondage that plagued Christians. After many years of pastoral ministry, I was convinced that something was not complete in my ministry to these troubled people. Traditional counseling methods I had been taught were ineffective in breaking these bondages. An honest soul search, and a new look at the ministry of Jesus and the apostles exposed this one area of neglect in my ministry. As an Evangelical I believed in the biblical account of evil spirits, but was not really aware of their hindrances in the lives of believers. These perplexing problems among my parishioners forced me into a counseling deliverance ministry.

Method

Needing to determine the biblical basis of a ministry of deliverance in this present age, I investigated all scriptural references to evil spirit or demons, trying to determine their affects upon God's people. The significance of the blessings and curses of the Bible was studied in an effort to understand their affects, if any, upon succeeding generations. Pertinent modern literature on demonology and the occult were reviewed, and relevant terms were clarified. The primary focus of the study centered on five selected case studies of individuals I have counseled who seemed to give evidence of these Satanic bondages. The sessions were recorded, and medical data were documented where available.

Results and Conclusions

Satan and his evil spirits do hinder Christians today with various degrees of bondage due to personal and generational sins and covenants. The data for this conclusion is found in the case studies, the biblical data and the present-day experiences of other counselors. It is sincerely hoped that this research will contribute to the body of information essential for Christian counselors who seek to "set the captives free" and proclaim the liberty promised in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Subject Area

Demonology--Biblical teaching; Demoniac possession

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dmin/616

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