This Week in Witchcraft (S1 E1)

Witchcraft as Enchanted Language, Satire, and Practical Magic

Welcome to this week in witchcraft. The elements have been conquered with intense heat and witchcraft has become more cosmopolitan. Can you spot it out in the wild? I'm dylan hamilton and with me are michael dirham david casson and andrew hudson.

Welcome to a special episode this week in witchcraft. Can you spot it out in the wild before we go into answering this question? We're going to explain our intro. The elements have been conquered with intense heat and witchcraft has become more cosmopolitan.

Christ and his glory and his holiness. Being that intense heat has gone out into the world and light has come to places that have been thoroughly shrouded in darkness. No longer can witchcraft be viewed as something that is animistic where we have witch doctors witches and cauldrons and black cats to call witchcraft we now have a more Crafty view a word crafty view.

Which witchcrafty view of how? Magic is presented in this world and it's usually used through words and lies and deceit and deception. And before we get started Into our witchcraft this week. We're going to have michael give his definition of witchcraft.

So.

Witchcraft is a demonic appropriation of alternate authority trying to grab hold of authority. Other than god's authority to declare what is true What is good? What is beautiful? It has to be a demonic appropriation of alternate authority because If we're not relying on god's word and god's truth to make sense of the world that he has made We're grabbing our standard from the father of lies.

This is why witchcraft is a demonic appropriation of alternate authority. Perhaps it's best just to say it this way trying to Change things in the world around you simply by using words. Where people are casting spells today in our culture?

Looking at that which is evil and calling it good. Looking at things that are good and calling it evil.

Or.

Simply stating their preferred pronouns. So we see it in the wild as dylan Cleverly puts this we see it around us. We need to identify The witchcraft going on in the world around us call it what it is so that we may repent and follow christ.

And.

I think andrew you've got a good example for us this week. I sure do. In fact, I have.

Something about practical magic and by that we're talking about putting magic into practice. Recently in washington dc I say recently in approximately mid-january an artist had put up some paper boards with soviet style propaganda images.

One of which just to illustrate it is a picture of the united states president joe biden with a hammer labeled osha. And surrounding it with comply. Well, that's that's that's a dangerous bit of propaganda to dispel.

The lies however, about 11 minutes after they were put up on a building A local resident came by and tore them down. And when she was asked why why are you taking down this art? Is it is it not approved art?

She said it was a public health concern for public health. So she has taken The viewpoint or the word of public health Turned it into well, this is concerning. So therefore i'm going to.

Protect.

And do my part through the use of this practice of tearing down something that would oppose public health. That's kind of like the basis of Occultic ideas of bringing your will Into reality through the use of whatever device possible.

And that's a good that's a good example because by calling it a health concern This affords her the moral Currency imperative imperative she must to save others. She must tear down These pieces of art.

So what is she up to? She's using a word health.

That.

Really is overused in our in our day, but it's one of those uh, one of those words that has been enchanted with so many new nuances of Of meaning that it no longer means health. Like you would find in a dictionary A generation or two ago now.

The word has been enchanted. We still have the word but there's all sorts of new meanings that have been brought into bear. She's not coming up with a a new word, you know tearing down. Tearing down other people's artistic expressions and protests.

Okay, this this isn't totalitarianism. We're going to call it You know the common good we're going to come up with a new term. It's not it's not the invention of a new term. It's using using a term that's already there that everybody can get behind.

Oh, we all want to be healthy. We all we're all for health. How can you be against health exactly but then redefining it enchanting it with something new? And that's definitely witchcraft out in the wild.

That has left the realm of the thought and entered into action. Yeah, so you said practical.

Practical magic, you know. Acting it acting it out. As she's casting her spell. Declaring this to be a health issue. Tearing down.

Endangering her worldview. She couldn't handle the disenchantment. A disenchanted artist drew these things, right? But see what just happened.

So what he just what he put up obviously using the soviet style propaganda posters is saying he's bringing that together with pictures of. The president, you know the the president of the united states.

And lord fauci. Yeah. And. And lord fauci. Mr. Science. And this is now consider this. What he's doing is satire. But with a point I mean, it's demonstrating. Now he's not actually doing.

Sorcery.

He's not saying.

That.

Joe biden and fauci.

Are.

Soviet agents. Right, he's not saying that. He's not saying that these are card carrying soviet agents and and. You know, he's not so. He's not doing some sort of sorcery bringing two things together and mixing them together.

That that don't actually belong together. But what he's doing is it's satire. It's it's it's pointing to the fact that they're acting in ways that kind of hard to. To not it's kind of hard to see the difference between what they're doing and what was done in communist.

Russia and the american people have I suppose rightly been indoctrinated or Shown the errors or how this artistic form was used to influence others for evil.

Right, but when she sees it, she doesn't see satire. She sees a competing spell.

Exactly to her. It's a desecration right? So here is here is here is a.

Here is an anti-power move coming from a warlock. I must respond and cast my spell and undo what was done. She she can't she can't see satire.

Right.

You know, she's in a battle. You know, that's part of the reason, you know, why? Humor is lost. Like why can't certain people of a certain persuasion? Why can't they they laugh where the where the humor go.

What. Because everything is reduced to these unimaginative Categories, right. God still has a sense of humor, you know, paul had a sense of humor talking to the pagans in act 17. About you know how religious they were.

This is a this is a riot the way that he started talking about, you know. Sometimes act 17 is used as a model of like this is the way This is the way to really engage in a way that doesn't rock in many boats.

You know, this is this is high brow engagement for the christians in our and our sophisticated.

Paul is.

Having fun I see the chur a religious people. And then the whole thing about the unknown god and then he turns it on his head. This is humorous. And it's even humorous when they can't figure out that when he talks about resurrection.

He's not talking about another god. They think resurrection is the name of another god. This is how dense these people are. It's a funny story. Um, and of course it has a point. But they don't have any humor in it.

They're like what's a seed picker doing? You know talking about this that and the other they they don't they don't get what's going on.

This also brings up another interesting bit of witchcraft that goes on within.

In.

Many of these enchantresses circles, what is art? To her that is not art. Right. It's it's desecration. But most of what's been produced since about 1900 to now We could chalk up as desecration and not art.

And not of any sort of artistic use or any sort of sort of artistic expression using gifts and even even if most of the people that we We've seen from 1900 to now used their gifts or they had gifts. What what was their thing their thing was to?

Exalt themselves by not actually using those gifts properly.

This is sophisticated humor. What this guy did a sophisticated humor and all she can think of is These posters are going to kill people because they won't Follow the rules and and do their rituals and keep themselves Holy.

They'll become unclean if they believe these posters, right? So it's it's it's attacking the holiness code that she can't Live without and believes that others cannot live without and so the only thing she can do is just tear it down.

This is a this is a lowbrow response to highbrow humor. And I can't think help but think about what happened and also in the book of acts when the status quo was challenged and. The best response to the people who come up with in ephesus is to scream for two hours.

Great is diana the goddess of ephesus, you know. That's all they can do is just scream the same thing over and over and over and over again. It's like How many times do you have to yell it? You know, but that's that's their own that's their response to the invasion of the truth.

Is to to yell the mantra over and over again.

But business is booming.

Yeah.

Business is booming. I say business is booming in the sense that you know in the same way that their idle Manufacturing process was going to be torn down. Business right here with health. Being now the the chief end.

If we if we reject such things as being materialistic, you know, well, I I can't get people to buy into it now.

Well, and remember that this this whole thing is being driven by the fear of death and the bible says the fear of death is slavery and some people Find a lot of security In slavery and they do not want to be set.

Free that requires responsibility.

Taking ownership.

And I think the communist party was against individuals taking responsibility too. So all right, we'll do the thinking for you. You just.

Yeah.

Shut up and get back in the red line.

That's a good thing.

Sorry.

Shot at bernie. Well Since I think we've exhausted the witchcraft here we can go on to some good media and We're going to go to some recommendations of things We've been consuming or we have consumed before and we found very helpful or very edifying in our lives.

And we'll start with michael if he's got something he's either recently Enjoyed or in the past and uh, see if it can it can help you and edify you as well.

Biblical Theology and Reading Scripture According to Plan

Uh, so right now i'm rereading a book. I I read a long time ago and it's part of a discipleship group.

And.

The book is called according to plan by graham goldsworthy and It is a I think probably college level or senior in high school level. Read through of a biblical theology. How does the how does the whole story of the bible fit together.

And how are we to read the bible in a way? Um that we're supposed to. In the way in the way that it's intended to be read instead of reading it like critics or reading it like archaeologists or reading it like scientists reading it as believers in christ.

And uh, graham goldsworthy is uh. Uh, he's he's very elderly now, I don't know if he's passed away yet or not. He's he used to teach at more theological college in sydney australia as the anglican and has written several books on uh biblical theology and seeing christ As the lens through which you are to read all of scripture and to see all of life.

And.

So he's been very helpful, uh to me in that regard. This is just one of his books, but I would say It's a great introduction to everything else. He's he's written so according to plan. Graham goldsworthy.

Super dave.

So I finished a book recently and I think I mentioned it on a previous episode. Some progressive covenantalism um, and it had taken some of the classic dispensationalism to task so. Over the last couple of weeks. I have been rereading Rightly dividing the word of god by c .i. scofield.

If you do not have a copy you can get a free one. There are not too many people that defend classic dispensationalism anymore. It tends to be more of the more progressive or reformed or Uh in lowercase r dispensationalism.

So that's the kind that you're going to encounter now, but I have been. I hate to use this this this word, but you know know your enemy. But I have really enjoyed Getting into his mind and and to why did he you know?

Where did he start off from and it's actually given me an understanding. Of some of my family members and some of the people that I have. When I hear some of the things that they say I'm, like wait a second.

That's not biblical. That's scofield. I'm, I have been able to uh, like my.

My.

Private devotions in the morning. I've been reading first thessalonians. That is the quintessential Dispensational here's the rapture. It's right there. It is right there. And and that's when there's a first lesson is for it's like, you know it first lesson even the The then the main point of all of thessalonians.

It's about encouragement and and paul Wanting to give them he was he was afraid that their faith was going to be in jeopardy because He was suffering the very things. He told them he was going to be suffering and says But you guys love me so much and I love you and I just want to make sure you're encouraged and you know.

Don't worry those who have died. They're going to rise first and then we who are alive it is coming. We will be with the lord, you know, he's encouraging them. But this is the this is the quintessential verse that says this is why there's a difference between the the church in israel.

What.

And and so i've been able to. Where are they getting these terms and just chapter one? Uh where he talks about jew gentile and the church of god and he he wonderfully Goes through the church and says how there's no distinction Between the jew and the gentile in the church and in christ.

He has this nice command of that i'm like good. And he says but this is not what we see in the old testament where the jews Are prompted to obedience because of earthly blessing. And that's what you get from obedience.

You get earthly blessing and that's why we shouldn't be judaizing the church and building giant. You know giant buildings. Because are they when he starts talking about the kingdom of god and mark and the kingdom of god and matthew.

That's for the church and then he goes through and talks about the kingdom of god and is applied to Israel and he's in he's and he's in luke and he's going back and forth and back and forth between a complete Misunderstanding of what the kingdom of god is.

And he uses it interchangeably. He takes these same parallel passages and applies one this one. One this way and one the other way and i'm trying to make heads or tails of this chapter one. And this is the start.

This is the starting point for his entire theological system and I have enjoyed Going through it not to take it apart because again, most people don't don't defend the classic dispensationalism. So you're not going to win arguments.

You're not going to go through this. Okay, now i'm armed and now I can go fight says no no, no, no, no, it allows you to see. This is human tradition here. And when you import that into a book like first thessalonians.

You're starting to see tradition and scripture tradition and scripture and if you can at least identify the lens. I mean we all have lenses and we all have some biases that we will we will bring. Okay, at least identify them.

But the lens that we should be using is christ. So as i've gone through this if you have not read it and you think you understand classic dispensationalism, but you've never read scofield. Give it a try.

I would say Chapter one if you can make heads or tails of it. Show that he's being very consistent. Come show me how because he's not I can't see how he's being consistent now. That's a really good starting point and then from there now that we've established that the church is is one one body.

And israel is another body. Now we can go and explain the rest of scripture. When hey, you lost me it, you know about halfway through chapter one, dude. So I that that's what i've been enjoying as i've been going through that as a as a just because so many other books that i've read have referenced it one of my My family members has said you really need to read this book.

So help you understand the bible like Okay, I read it.

Now what. Back to the sources?

You said you can pick it up for free.

Yeah, you you can find it online. Um. For for free pdf. Yeah. Yeah, I actually have a I think I got a 99 cent copy. That's actually downloaded onto my my kindle right now, but okay, there you go. Anyway, that's that that's what i've been reading.

Hopefully nobody, um throws me out of our church.

I don't think you have to worry about that. I am also very curious how he can go from One point to the other and wait, wait a second. You lost me. Anyway, so.

Orwell, Animal Farm, and the Logic of Collectivism

I have.

Recently begun reading animal farm by Uh, george orwell, sorry I I did. I was not exposed to george orwell's work. And when most people are in the united states and and that by that I mean public education system, whether it be, you know, high school or uh, it's it's really below a collegiate level, but.

But apparently it didn't show up in the curriculum that I I I had whenever I was going through school in tennessee. My wife said she's all she's already read it. But apparently it was for an ap course.

Uh for.

For high school, um anyway i've been very appreciative of Drawing upon something that's so well known culturally with animal farm but at the same time coming to know a little bit more about the The author george orwell and his apparently associations with a trotskyist organization in spain in the 1930s.

And that was something I did not know and and after after learning that I began to see it in his writing already.

So.

It's it's an interesting read. It's a timeless read. It's very easy for me to import myself into seeing.

Oh.

This is happening now as well because authoritarianism whether it be cloaked under the name socialist or or crony capitalism or authoritarian communism It it's it's all the same whenever it rears its head.

It's collectivism. It's very collective and it's very.

Hypocritical.

The revolution Is not a reformation because it doesn't solve anything. It's just the oroboros eating its tail over and over again.

Yeah, it doesn't solve anything metaphysical. It it only solves certain physical things for certain. More equal than other pigs. Yeah.

Manifestations of greed look different in different systems.

We've we've already had the great reset. It was called the flood. And god said man's heart was the same before and after. We've already been there and done that.

P. G. Wodehouse and the Art of Satire

Well, uh my plug for media or my recommendation for media this week is My man jeeves by pg woodhouse. I recently went through and I know i've talked about woodhouse before but we were talking about Satire and this man does it well and he does it thoroughly over hundreds of pages and all of his work.

Um, but my man jeeves is an entry point to the birdie wooster novels. About him a young aristocrat in england who's worth millions and gets himself into all kinds of trouble playing jokes on earls and lords and their their sons their daughters and he has a particular aversion to One of his aunts and a great love for his other but his true Companion through life is jeeves his butler who always ends up having some sort of Solution to every problem that birdie gets himself into.

I mean he's he's kind of Lifted up as the savior in all cases in all these books and it is Wonderful to listen to and for right now from what I can tell The entire jeeves collection on audible is still free if anybody has audible so just Go out there and download it if you because you can download it and you can just throw it away.

You don't have to you don't have to worry about it, but it's included with a prime membership or a audible membership so my man jeeves is the first one and go look up the the chronology of the entire series and you can just Whip through them one by one and you won't be disappointed or at least I hope you won't.

And that wraps it up for today. We are always very thankful for our listeners tuning in every week and for supporting us by rating Reviewing and sharing the show and we hope you can join us again for another week of uncovering and reviewing witchcraft in the modern world.