Page 42 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 7

Foundational Discussions in Christian Psychology

E. Janet Warren
pages 257-280 (Retrospect) in E. Janet Warren
(BSc, MD, MTS,
Cleansing the Cosmos PhD) is a Family
Physician, with an
(Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2012) interest in psycho-
therapy, and an
Janet Warren has recently published a book on independent theo-
logical scholar. She
demonology and deliverance - an important but received her PhD
often neglected topic in Christian Psychology. in theology from
In Cleansing the Cosmos (Eugene, OR: Pick- the University of
wick, 2012), she offers a different view of evil Birmingham, U.K.
which is particularly helpful to counselling as it and published her the Cosmos: A Biblical Model
thesis as Cleansing
suggests language other than “spiritual warfare.” for Conceptualizing and Counteracting Evil (Pick-
Here is the synopsis from the back cover as well wick, 2012). Janet’s research interests include the
as an excerpt (Used by permission of Wipf and integration of psychology and theology. She lives in
Stock Publishers. www.wipfandstock.com). Hamilton, Ontario.
e_janet_warren@yahoo.ca
From the back cover:
Understanding evil spiritual forces is essential chaos exist as sinister forces that envelop the
for Christian theology, yet discussion is almost earth; there are echoes of ANE demons in the
always phrased in terms of “spiritual warfare.” terms. The origins of evil are not explicit, but
Warfare language is problematic, being duali- the concept of a primordial angelic fall offers a
stic, assigning a high degree of ontology to evil, logical explanation. Forces of evil are no match
and poorly applicable to ministry. This unique for the good Creator God whose Spirit imposes
study proposes a biblically-based model as the order. God, through merely his word, separates
first alternative to a “spiritual warfare” frame- the darkness from the light, and draws a cir-
work for dealing with the demonic, thus pro- cle on the face of the deep. Evil is limited, not
viding insights for preaching, counseling and eliminated; chaos is confined, God rejects that
missiology. Warren develops this model using which rejects him. Eden, the first sacred space,
metaphor theory and examining four biblical is filled with life and is the place of divine-hu-
themes: Creation, Cult, Christ, and Church. Me- man interaction. This sacred space, however, is
taphors of cleansing, ordering, and boundary- not perfect: a malevolent snake leads the first
setting are developed in contrast to battle humans to mistrust God. Their disobedience
imagery, and relevant theological issues are en- results in expulsion from the garden into the
gaged (Boyd’s warfare imagery, Barth’s ideas of liminal space between light and dark, although
evil as “nothingness,” and Eliade’s notion of the they continue to benefit from divine blessing.
sacred and the profane). The role of the Holy Their sin is a boundary violation, which in turn
Spirit is emphasized, and the ontology of evil allows evil forces to violate their God-given
minimized. This model incorporates concentric boundaries. Microcosms of creation can be
circles, evil being considered peripheral to divi- seen in the narratives of the flood, the crossing
ne reality, and provides a refreshing alternative of the Red Sea, and the tabernacle/temple.
to current “spiritual warfare” models. The chapter on Israel’s Cult examined the func-
tions of sacred space and ritual in dealing with
Reprinted from the book, pp. 257–60 evil. New sacred space (tabernacle/temple) is
The new creation contains no evil, but, until constructed and includes symbolism of a sacred
the eschaton, evil is present and needs to be center and cosmic mountain, which mediate
understood. In this study, evil was investigated the earth-heaven connection and provide a mi-
in four biblical themes: Creation, Cult, Christ, crocosm of the universe. Sacred space is central,
and Church. In the beginning (as discussed in holy, and pure; the dwelling place of God. Bina-
Chapter 4), uncreated darkness, the deep, and ry oppositions of holy/profane, clean/unclean,

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