Reading Time: 8 minutes Out of every strange practice in Christianity, spiritual warfare might just be my favorite of all. Just hearing a Christian use the phrase puts a great big silly happy smile on my face and laughter in my heart. Spiritual warfare is one of those super-context-dependent Christian practices. When removed from its very specific context its practitioners look like they’re playing a Happy Pretendy Fun Time Game — which they always were.
Spiritual Warfare
Posted inReligion
Spiritual Warfare: Translating the Christianese (LSP #163)
Reading Time: 9 minutes With their grandiose language, spiritual warriors certainly sound impressive. Ah, but if you lift the hood of this Jesus-built hot rod, you’ll find nothing more under it than a pokey little jalopy engine. Today, Lord Snow Presides over the utter banality that spiritual warriors mask with over-the-top Christianese.
Posted inReligion
The Redemption of Johnny Lawrence (LSP #161)
Reading Time: 9 minutes Hi and welcome back! Last week, we had a really good time mocking evangelist Greg Stier for idolizing Johnny Lawrence as the villain of the new show Cobra Kai. But the comparison has stuck with me ever since I heard it a while ago. There’s something fundamentally broken in evangelical leaders if they don’t understand the […]
Posted inReligion
The Grand Finale of ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #155, Ch. 38-42)
Reading Time: 6 minutes In this installment, we finally witness the great battle between the forces of Good and Evil. And as the book wraps up, we get a look at the battle tactics of these spiritual warriors conducting their spiritual warfare. Today, Lord Snow Presides over a grand finale that somehow falls flat.
Posted inGeneral
The Exorcism of the Man in Black (LSP #145, TPD Ch. 25)
Reading Time: 9 minutes Hi and welcome back! We return now to our longform examination of Frank Peretti’s literary hairball, his 1986 fantasy novel This Present Darkness (TPD). In this installment, Bernice’s attacker has his very own Gerasene Demoniac moment, ending with a(nother) dramatic exorcism. Today, Lord Snow Presides over a millennia-old story retold again. (Please click here to find the […]
Posted inReligion
The Destruction of Ted Harmel in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #143, Ch. 24)
Reading Time: 8 minutes In this installment, Marshall Hogan rushes off to rescue Ted Harmel, the previous owner of his newspaper, from whatever’s terrifying him so much. Today, Lord Snow Presides over evangelicals’ conceptualization of demonic attacks in This Present Darkness.
Posted inReligion
The Toronto Blessing: A Leek’s-Eye View of the UK Takeover
Reading Time: 15 minutes Hello and welcome back to our conclusion to the Toronto Blessing series! Today, we enjoy a rare guest: LeekSoup, who hails from the United Kingdom (UK) and very graciously allowed me to pick his brain over the holidays. As a young leek, he experienced the Toronto Blessing (TTB) firsthand as it took over the evangelical […]
Posted inReligion
More Dumb Demons in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #126, Ch. 15)
Reading Time: 8 minutes In this installment, we find more characters who aren’t nearly as smart as their creator believes along with way more dumb demons. Today, Lord Snow Presides over demons who can’t find their butts with both hands, and the Christians who need them to be that way.
Posted inReligion
The Angel in the Back Pew in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #121, Ch. 13)
Reading Time: 10 minutes In today’s installment, we discover a popular Christian urban legend when a literal angel shows up to church–and a second one in how demons show up too. Today, Lord Snow Presides over Christians who just can’t get over themselves.
Posted inReligion
Meet the Remnant in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #120, Ch. 12)
Reading Time: 8 minutes In this installment, we encounter the term remnant, meet a Lucky Charms angel, and explore some other Peak Christianese terms. Today, Lord Snow Presides over more evangelical narcissism in This Present Darkness.