Torch, Summer 1990

Who's afraid of the big, bad devil? Frankly, I am! That is, I have a healthy regard for him. I suspect that anyone who under– stands who he is and what he's up to (see Tim Warren's article) does, too. Even the mighty archangel, Michael, does not trifle with the devil. 1 Sadly, for some time, wariness of the devil has not been a popular nor wide– spread attitude. Doubtless as a result of humanistic rationalism and the inroads of liberal theology, belief in the existence of a literal devil waned for many years. Often, the devil was little more than a red flannel-clad cartoon character who impishly enticed people to mischief or who stoked the fires of a smoke-filled place no one believed in anymore. In recent years, however, that disbe– lief seems to be changing. In a remark– able article entitled, "Giving the Devil His Due," the secular magazine Newsweek (8/30/82) noted that although by the middle of this century only "the most persistently literal-minded" still believed in the devil, "as the second millennium approaches, interest in the devil is rising among the credulous and curious alike." Hollywood has cashed in on society 's fears and curiosity with a barrage of satanic movies beginning with The Omen and The Exorcist. A rash of interest in satanism and the occult in its many forms has swept the United States. Even many non-Christian authorities have a growing concern about the dark influence of demon-laced games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Less obvious, but perhaps even more dangerous, is the devil's growing influence through the New Age Movement, with increasing