Spiritual Warfare (by Michael Harper)

Michael Harper was quite an outspoken minister in the Anglican church. He became a charismatic in the 1960s and was then at odds with the church where he was a curate; later, disagreeing with some of the Anglican church’s policies, he turned to the Orthodox church. I’ve found some of his writing quite interesting, so when I was idly glancing at our bookcase of Christian books and spotted this little volume, I decided to read it.

The title ‘Spiritual Warfare’ is straight and to the point. And, indeed, Harper addresses the issue right from the start. He reminds Christians that their battles are with the world, flesh and devil, and that it’s important to be aware of the spiritual realm in day-to-day life. He explains his own beliefs related to supernatural beings, including the demonic ‘fallen angels’, but manages to do so in a fairly balance way.

He reminds readers, as CS Lewis did, that it’s easy to ignore this altogether, and that’s one danger. But it’s also imperative not to see demons under every bush. There are plenty of ordinary temptations that we’re subject to, many of which are because of our humanity, and the world around us.

The writing style is somewhat terse but fairly easy to read, with plenty of reference to Scripture. If I hadn’t heard this kind of teaching before, I would probably have found it rather disturbing, perhaps scary; however we were part of a Vineyard church in the US about twenty-five years ago, and I’ve read other books on the topic, both fiction and non-fiction. So there was nothing new to me. I felt that it was a useful summary of the topic, with sound teaching (and some warnings) that could be of benefit to people starting to explore this area.

Recommended to Christian believers wanting to know more about the subject.

Now out of print, but often found on second-hand church bookstalls.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's Book Reviews