Monday, April 01, 2013

Teaching Spiritual Warfare in Redeemer Ministry School This Week

Warren Dunes State Park

I'm looking forward to the two classes I'll be teaching in Redeemer Ministry School this week (Spiritual Warfare and Apologetics). If you're interested in taking these courses let me know (johnpiippo@msn.com) or call our office (734-242-5277).

Spiritual Warfare
Wednesday, 9:30-1
9 weeks (ends May 29)

Reality is not only physical. The view that reality is only physical is called, appropriately, "physicalism." I am not, never have been, nor could ever be a physicalist, for logical and experiential reasons.

For example, I believe in God, and God is a non-physical being. Everyone who believes in God is, or should be, a non-physicalist. Theists like myself believe one of the attributes of God is his omnipresence. Omnipresence makes no sense on the idea that God has a physical body.

Once we accept a worldview that includes non-physical realities it is easy to believe in non-physical beings or "persons" (as J.P. Moreland describes them) like angels and demons. This is important since the reality of  a dark, demonic realm informs the worldview of Jesus, Paul, and the early church. Jesus regularly encountered demons. And Paul, in Ephesians 6, tells us that our real battle is not against flesh-and-blood people but against demonic "principalities and powers." (I'll preaching on this at Redeemer in a few weeks.)

In this class we will look at: 1) the reality of spiritual principalities and powers; 2) the nature of such dark powers; and 3) how to wage war against such powers.

Look around today. What you empirically see is not all that is there.