Requests for Exorcism Reportedly Booming as Culture Dabbles in Occult By Billy Hallowell for Faith Wire
Exorcism typically gets a lot of attention in pop culture, mainly due to its vivid depictions in movies, but the expulsion of evil from a person’s life doesn’t always look like what’s observed on the big screen.
Mike Signorelli, the senior pastor of V1 Church in New York City, recently appeared on “The Playing With Fire Podcast,” where he explored exorcism and his views on biblical evil.
What Is ‘Deliverance?’
The preacher explained “deliverance,” a term with which people might have less familiarity than the word “exorcism,” though many use the words interchangeably.
Support Our Site
Now is your chance to support Gospel News Network.
We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
“Deliverance is simply when Jesus expels an unclean spirit from you,” Signorelli said, noting examples in scripture of Jesus healing individuals possessed by demons. “It literally is the ministry of Jesus, and so when you see it happen today, you are seeing the ministry of Jesus extended through the lives of his followers.”
Listen to Signorelli discuss exorcism, deliverance, and his ministry:
Evil on the Increase
While some might express skepticism over possession in the modern era, faith leaders and individuals who deal with the issue in practice report stunning increases in those seeking healing and help.
Signorelli noted the well-publicized fact the Catholic Church is inundated with requests for exorcism. The problem is so sweeping that he said Catholic leaders are “reporting a system failure within Catholicism right now,” as they simply can’t keep up with the demand.
Signorelli, who disagrees with Catholic exorcism and discourages people from seeking it, said the increased need is notable; it’s something he’s seen in his own deliverance ministry, as culture increasingly dabbles in the occult.
Video
“New Age practices are becoming a normal phenomenon,” he said. “Even secular companies are provoking people to step into the spiritual realm or to believe in the supernatural in a way that, it’s like we’re moving past atheism,” he said.
