CCP186: On Exorcism and Deliverance from Evil

10 snips

Mar 6, 2026

Dr. James Emery White, founding pastor and theologian who writes on faith and culture. He unpacks rising cultural interest in exorcism, the biblical view of Satan, and distinctions between possession and oppression. He outlines signs to watch for, typical practices for deliverance, and why occult exposure is growing. Practical next steps and pastoral care are also discussed.

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INSIGHT

Deliverance Targets The Evil One

The Greek of the Lord's Prayer more accurately reads "deliver us from the evil one," meaning Satan specifically, not an abstract 'evil.'
White lists Satan's names and roles to show intentional personal deception rather than impersonal evil.

INSIGHT

Defeat Is Final But Danger Is Present

Satan is defeated ultimately by Christ, yet Christians still live in a 'now and not yet' where demonic activity remains dangerous.
White warns against minimizing Satan's present strength despite final defeat at Christ's return.

INSIGHT

Possession Versus Oppression

Distinguish possession (internal control) from oppression (external attack); Christians can be oppressed but not possessed.
White reasons Holy Spirit indwelling prevents demonic possession in believers though attacks on mind and circumstances occur.

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In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a topic that is drifting away from its biblical moorings and increasingly misunderstood in culture: exorcism. Even individuals who would not consider themselves Christians are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, which includes the line, “deliver us from evil.” But what does that mean, and why the sudden cultural interest in exorcism?

Episode Links

Dr. White mentioned a book that he wrote called The Prayer God Longs For. It walks through the Lord's Prayer, including a chapter that focuses on the deliverance from evil or the "evil one" (Satan). You can find it as an ebook on Church & Culture HERE. He also mentioned the work of C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters - a fascinating book about the nature of temptation and demonic work in our lives. You can find that book at The Grounds Bookstore and Café HERE. Another resource that Dr. White mentioned, which you can also find in The Grounds, is Lee Strobel's Seeing the Supernatural. You can find that book HERE.

The discussion continued with a look at who Satan is, and an overview of the world of the occult. There are so many ways that the occult invades culture today, and most people are not even aware of it. There was a series that Dr. White delivered at Mecklenburg Community Church a number of years ago on the subject called “Paranormal.” The installments of this series include the map of the spiritual world, the marks of the occult, and the armor of God. There are also some past podcast episodes that you may want to go back and listen to related to today's conversation including: CCP151: On Spirits and Ghosts, CCP77: On Angels, CCP66: On Satanism, and CCP58: On Your Horoscope and Starbucks.

Finally, there are two articles that were mentioned in today's episode that you may be interested in reading. The first is written by Kaya Burgess in The Telegraph titled “Demand for exorcisms rises as faithful want ‘deliverance from evil.'” The second article was just released this week in the London Times, written by Tom Kington, and titled “Devil worshippers are using AI, exorcists are warned” discussing fears that pedophiles are using AI to create images of children participating in satanic rites.

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