Reflections
Ministry Amidst the Demonic Personal Stories and Principles Lameck Banda
M
inistry life in Africa is expected to be enjoyable, full of blessings, and ultimately to bring glory to God, for the simple reason that it is a faithful response to a calling from the triune God. However, at times ministry life can be confronted with a number of frightening challenges. Among the many challenges of ministry life are encounters with demonic forces such as satanism, witchcraft, and demon or spirit possession. From the onset, it is worthwhile to point out that it would be unwise to deny the demonic reality and power as manifested in satanism, witchcraft, and demon possession. For most people in Africa, demonic reality and powers are perceived to be a reality. Hence, on one hand, Africans never underestimate or downplay the demonic. On the other hand, they, especially devoted African Christians, do not magnify the power of the demonic to an extent that they become the main subject of worship. The power of God surpasses that of the demonic. So we are called to continual worship of God and proclamation of the gospel amidst the reality and power of the demonic. In this article, therefore, we briefly address the scriptural view of the demonic as a stepping-stone for the entire article. Then, we share selected stories of the demonic encounter during ministry life in rural Zambian settings. We further suggest some principles for defying the demonic as a way of raising awareness for ministry life.
Scriptural View of the Demonic The discussion of angels, particularly the demonic, is in some ways the most unusual and puzzling of all theology. Karl Barth describes this doctrine as the “most re-
Lameck Banda is associate professor of systematic theology, eth-
ics, and African theology, and head of the Department for Systematic and Ecclesiological Studies at Justo Mwale University in Lusaka, Zambia. He earned his MATS degree from Austin Seminary and the PhD from University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa. 17
