the misunderstandings of evil

The stage lights up red. Dancers, dressed all in black, begin twirling around the stage in rhythmic, dramatic motions. The music blasts through the speakers on the stage, playing a slow melody in a minor key. The artist rises from the stage, lifts the microphone to her mouth and begins to sing.

Evil, the Christian talking heads say, demonic. She’s a witch.

A post goes viral, warning Christians of the danger of these musical satanic rituals. Beware, they say, she’s casting a spell on you.

When Christians have a theatrical understanding of evil, it’s because they don’t understand what evil actually is. When you don’t have a frame of reference for something, you grab at what you know. Scenes from movies, tv shows, books, YouTube interviews and Netflix documentaries. You use references you’ve seen to shape your understanding of something that you don’t understand, but that doesn’t make it true.

Most of the popular understanding of what evil is is based on a super westernized and modern culture’s interpretation of it. In scripture, thought, satan is never depicted as red. Or horned. Or sexual. He isn’t omniscient or all powerful. He doesn’t know you intimately. He isn’t chasing you.

Evil is real, but it masquerades as light. Evil is subtle, invisible, sneaky, almost right, almost true, almost good. It requires spiritual discernment and discernment comes from spending time in the presence of God. It’s not something you can gain from the teachings of (hopefully well meaning) Christians who spend time and effort itemizing a person’s actions as proof they’re evil or satanic or a witch.

In the Bible, evil is described as

- Harming children
- Opposition to God
- Lying
- Arrogance
- Murdering the innocent
- Scheming hateful plots
- Sowing discord
- Pride

All things that, sure, can be found on a stage, but they can be found behind a pulpit too.

I think before believing that something is satanic, we need to check it against the written accounts we have that details what evil and “satan” are. First - “Satan” isn’t a name. It’s a descriptor. It means “opposer of God.” There are many “satans” in the Bible (Balaam, Joab, Abishai, Solomon’s political opponents, Jesus called Peter “satan” because he was opposing God’s plan.) Jews didn’t even refer to the leader of the fallen angels as “satan” until the years between Malachi and Jesus.

Here’s what’s true about him, though. He is a liar. He will never tell the truth. Not about you. Not about God. Not about the world. Not about himself. There is no such thing as “showing himself in plain sight” He didn’t do it in the garden (he took the form of a snake and then he hid from God) and he doesn’t do it now.

Personally, I think the scariest thing about this opposer of God is that he’s got kids. There are sons and daughters of satan. Look up John 8:44, Matthew 13:36, Acts 13:10, 1 John 3:10 and pay attention to the attributes of the children of this satan. Lack of love for your brothers and sisters in Christ is one of them, just sayin …

When we focus on the things that we think are obvious evils, based on what our culture or a group of people have associated with evil, we miss the evil that’s right in front of our faces. If we’re looking for what’s “in plain sight” we miss what’s hidden in it. The Bible tells us to be alert because the greatest opposition to the goodness of God isn’t that obvious. It’s lurking in churches, in schools, in homes, in positions of power, behind desks and pulpits and in the most unlikely places.

And at any rate, the way to defeat evil isn’t to avoid it. Do you know what’s actually offensive to the dark? Repentance, reconciliation, kindness, peace, goodness, righteousness, forgiveness, truth. If you want to weaken forces that aren’t flesh and blood,

Boldly be kind.
Boldly be goodness.
Boldly forgive.
Boldly give.
Boldly make peace.
Boldly reconcile.
Boldly love.

When you aggregate the goodness of God in your life, you agitate the kingdom that kills and steals and destroys.

Tomorrow night, i’m going to wear a sparkly dress with my hair done and make up done right to the tip of my lashes. I’m going to sing every single Taylor Swift song at the top of my lungs, until my voice goes hoarse. I’m gonna laugh and cry and dance and sing and Jesus will be with me in every moment.

My joy is an agitation to darkness.
So is yours.
It’s kind of the whole point.

We have to stop looking for evil in stage lights and fairy tales. Evil is real and it’s often right under our noses, sneaking around, laughing at us for looking in all the wrong places so that it can slither and destroy while we look the opposite way.

I’m gonna dance.
And it’s gonna be great.

And yes I will show you pictures of my concert outfit cause I am so excited about it!

Hope you’re digging up joy wherever you are. Lord knows how you’ve fought for it.