A theology of the dark side

Evil liberally speaking

A THEOLOGY OF THE DARK SIDE
By Nigel G. Wright
Paternoster. 195 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 84227 189 X

A Theology of the Dark Side, subtitled 'Putting the power of evil in its place' is, generally speaking, an easy read. It is a rewrite of Nigel G. Wright's (not N. T. Wright) The Fair Face of Evil.

Wright has packed a massive amount of information into 195 pages. It deals with:

* The origin of evil (did God create the devil?)
* Why did God allow evil into the world?
* Teachings where people tend to see demons everywhere
* The influence of the powers of evil on the world at large and not just on individuals
* The whole subject of our battle with the forces of evil.

The author is fighting on two fronts. He is against the liberal influence which denies any supernatural forces of evil, and is also against anti-intellectual tendencies in some charismatic circles.

Rejecting the traditional 'creationist' interpretation, Wright struggled with Genesis 1-3. He believes the fall happened before man existed. The fall of angels (2 Peter 2.4) is an illustration from a well known tradition - not an authoritative teaching. Also, the devil is constructed parasitically out of fallen humanity. I consider these to be glaring mistakes that weaken the value of this book considerably.

However, he is at pains to emphasise the devil does exist (if only as an impersonal 'it') but must never be given the limelight - Jesus Christ has triumphed over Satan. He shows some awful excesses, which we must avoid, and gives some very helpful points on how deliverance ministry should be practised.

Chris Kelly, Senior Minister
Lansdowne Baptist Church, Bournemouth

© Evangelicals Now - October 2003
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