Dining with the Devil

Last updated on: November 28, 2017 at 6:44 pm by Darrell Lackey

Dining with the Devil 2017-11-28T18:44:49-08:00 Darrell Lackey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In 1993, Os Guinness wrote a wonderful little book (See here) entitled, “Dining with the Devil.” The sub-title, was: “The Megachurch Movement Flirts with Modernity.” Guinness pointed out how the megachurch movement was borrowing tools, insights, and strategies from the modern management/business and marketing world to “reach” people. It was a sort of Babylonian captivity. What these churches often thought were the result of prayer, evangelism, or Biblical preaching, were, perhaps, simply the result of good marketing, management, and business principles applied to growing one’s membership (clientele). Further, he likened this borrowing, this captivity, to dining with the prince of darkness himself. Yikes. The book, of course, was written with fundamentalist/evangelical churches in mind.

At the very beginning of the book, Guinness quotes sociologist Peter L. Berger, who in his book “A Rumor of Angels” writes:

“He who sups with the devil had better have a long spoon. The devilry of modernity has its own magic: The [believer] who sups with it will find his spoon getting shorter and shorter—until that last supper in which he is left alone at the table, with no spoon at all and with an empty plate. The devil, one may guess, will by then have gone away to more interesting company.”

This bit of wisdom and insight would also apply to our present moment in the political/cultural realm. Someone needs to write a new book, entitled “Dining with the Devil: Part Two.” And the sub-title might be: “Fundamentalists/Evangelicals Flirt with Political Power.”

Modernity’s teleology is simple: power. Knowledge, material resources, collection, categorization, mapping, colonization, planning, are, at the end of the day, about power. The power to control; the power to impose one’s vision upon the world. The means to this end, for the modern, is the state, the political. We might say the politician is high priest, while the scientist is their wizard, working their dark magic, literally splitting atoms and moving the earth.

The counter story to the one modernity tells is the Judeo-Christian story, which is one not of power or imposition, but of vulnerability and the surrender of any supposed power. We live out the paradox that only crucifixions ever portend the possibility of power. Even then, “power” is nothing like what modernity believes it to be. Resurrection power is never about control or mastery. In Revelation 5, the Lion who has “conquered” is the Lamb who is as if, “slain.” His “standing” isn’t about the power of a lion, but the surrender of a lamb.

Fundamentalists/Evangelicals have decided however they can keep the spoon long enough—that they would like to dabble in this other type of “power.” They have decided that power, political power, is more important than principle; and, that power is not about surrender but the imposition of the will upon the earth and others. Rather than the Judeo-Christian story, they secretly believe the counter myth of modernity.

We can see this most currently with what is going on with Roy Moore in Alabama. Because he is a Republican, because he is supposedly “pro-life,” many evangelicals will give him a pass (As this Christian satire site sums up the mentality, here), just as they did Trump. The mindset in play here is power over principle. It’s about winning folks; it’s about “power” (Just as who we believe- is about power as well; why don’t we believe the women? — which, with more satire is spoken to, here). Thus, the ends justify the means. My goodness, but how quaint, how modern. Also, how short-sighted. Christians aren’t supposed to act or think short-term. Empires, of which America is only the most recent, will come and go. Christians have eternity in mind; we take the long view. Except when we don’t, like now.

Of course, the only one who can give the sort of power modernity believes in is a rather imposing figure, but always on the look-out for those seeking his dinner company. He knows who to invite. And, when the dinner invitation came (Only the party of the elephant sent one), many fundamentalist/evangelicals decided to accept. They packed their longest spoons, and headed off. The dinner was held on a mountain, and the story goes like this:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ -Matthew 4

Oh, wait. No, I’m sorry, that was the same scenario, but my tale has a different ending. When these Christians were offered the kingdoms of the world, they readily accepted. Strangely though, as they celebrated, one by one, they ceased jumping and laughing, until the last one stopped as the others had. There was an eerie silence as they noticed their spoons had disappeared and the devil was gone. Then they looked at each other and their blood turned to ice as they realized what they had done.

Actually, scratch that last part—the part after “readily accepted.” This story isn’t finished yet (We are living it right now) and we have yet to see how it will turn out. Some, even conservative evangelicals get it (See here), but too many do not. And I am not that optimistic enough will.

Previous Post

November 17, 2017

Funda-gelicalism is Too Modern-Part Two

Next Post

December 3, 2017 “The Evangelical Love Affair with Enlightenment Science”

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2025 February 2025 December 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 May 2024 January 2024 November 2023 September 2023 July 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Isaiah tell Hezekiah to use as a remedy for his illness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A poultice of figs Olive oil Wine River water