Can a Christian study the paranormal? Indeed, is it biblically permissible for a Christian to study the paranormal? Search around most websites and you’ll often be told that it’s a dangerous area, that Christians should stay away from evil, and that no, it is not biblical that a Christian should have any involvement with the paranormal. Sadly, this attitude often is based in fear, which God definitely did not give us a spirit of. This fear usually comes from ignorance of paranormal occurrences within Scripture, and a lack of awareness of how to deal with issues that may have a paranormal explanation.
Studying paranormal phenomena should not be anathema to the Christian, for the Bible shows us that a quest for knowledge of our universe is given by God and to be applauded:
“It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.”“For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge”
“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skilfully teaching the word of truth.”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Proverbs 23:2 (NRSV); 2 Peter 1:5 (NRSV); 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP); 2 Timothy 1:7 (YLT)
Ghosts, Ghouls and God is one of a very few websites that seeks to equip the Christian to study the paranormal within a solid, Biblical framework. Why does this exist? Well, in the UK alone there exists around 900 ghost hunting groups [1] seeking to capture evidence of afterlife existence. With such an openness to discuss the afterlife, Christians who believe in it should be willing to engage positively with such groups rather than shying away or appearing intellectually dishonest when dismissing evidence as purely demonic deception.
In ministry, I have found people across a spectrum of beliefs who are open to discuss paranormal experiences, once rapport and trust is established so they are not fearful of being dismissed as crazy. Within these conversations can be detected the perception that Christians do not have much to offer regarding paranormal encounters with the dead. When pressed, this sometimes reveals previous encounters with Christians telling them it was evil, designed to point them away from Christ. Faced with such a response, especially if they believe they experienced a positive encounter with a departed loved one, the percipient can be left puzzled, wondering how to reconcile their experience with a demonic explanation. This can result in a turning away from further Christian engagement, leading them to seek answers from psychic mediums or spiritualists to help process their experience. As a Christian who believes in encountering the risen Jesus, I am saddened that Christians seem quick to demonise that which may not actually be demonic in origin, possibly pushing people away from a serious exploration of Christianity as a result.
Christians, especially those involved in deliverance ministry, have a duty of care not only to those under their pastoral oversight who are experiencing issues that may be related to paranormal disturbances, but also to themselves. This not only involves spiritual care and protection, but also the training and equipping to be able to engage intelligently with the situations they encounter. Not every Christian engaged in deliverance will be able to spend the hundreds of hours of research which will help them know how to handle not just the science which may be involved, but also any techniques which may be used by those who wish for whatever reason to create the illusion of paranormal disturbances. Deliverance is a team ministry, and no single person has all the skills to assess situations completely. This is where we can have recourse to those who have specialist interests and training in various areas can help. It’s not just the ones who bring about the deliverance necessary for the afflicted, but there are also those who can go into a situation prior to this to make an assessment which may lead to further more specialist involvement and pastoral care, or be able to help and reassure the afflicted that there is a perfectly rational and scientific explanation to the experiences they are having. All covered in prayer and done with kindness.
The more a Christian engages with Bible study, the more we uncover a lot of paranormal activity (which we shall explore deeply on this site as posts are written). This, together with archaeological evidence which has been unearthed (literally), means we are able to get even greater insights into how people understood the words that were written to them. Unfortunately, Christianity has suffered greatly from Modernism, which whilst having its place in helping us see things which may be psychological in nature, has tended to swing to the extreme of both demythologising the Scriptures, but also removing any supernatural / paranormal elements within it. At the other extreme, there are those who tend to see demons around every corner and will blame anything upon them. Both extremes are very unhelpful and a balanced view is necessary in order to be open to the Spirit’s leading, that we may be fully equipped for our calling.
St Paul says that we should “Study to show ourselves approved of God.” (2 Timothy 2:15). At the time that was written, the readers were using the Septuagint (LXX) version of the Old Testament, as well as material we today would call ‘pseudepigraphical’. Paul himself read more widely than the Scriptures of that time, as we can see in Acts 17 where he speaks to the Athenian Stoic and Epicurean philosophers. Never once quoting any of his Scriptures, but having an intimate knowledge of their writings, he was able to speak in their cultural tongue. If we only kept to studying Scripture to inform our knowledge, then we would have no understanding of the sciences, art, history, other belief systems or anything else, and we would be ineffectual when engaging in conversation and learning with others.
Our language has evolved over time, and words which were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek within the Scriptures often have meanings which we miss in our English translations. These translations can lead us to believing things which the writers never intended. As we unpick these words in their original usage, we may discover what we know may not necessarily be what is true.
There is a Christian charity which exists for those who have had paranormal encounters or who may want to find a home with others who are spiritually gifted and often find themselves in such encounters… The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies. Don’t let the ‘psychical’ bit put you off as it’s based from the Greek word, psyche, or ‘soul’ and is found in the Bible many times.
Hopefully this has helped you understand that a Christian can legitimately study the paranormal, if we have a good, solid framework around which we constantly ensure we’re being held accountable to.
So, yes, with a biblically based understanding of these things, the Christian can indeed study the paranormal.
References:
[1] Ruickbie, L. (2019) ‘The haunters and the hunters – Popular ghost hunting and the pursuit of paranormal experience’ in Caterine, D. and Morehead, J. (eds.) (2019), The Paranormal and Popular Culture, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 92.
