{"id":8171,"date":"2023-11-01T13:36:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T17:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=8171"},"modified":"2023-11-01T13:36:44","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T17:36:44","slug":"john-piper-affirms-that-the-bible-explicitly-forbids-communicating-with-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2023\/11\/john-piper-affirms-that-the-bible-explicitly-forbids-communicating-with-the-dead.html","title":{"rendered":"John Piper Affirms that the Bible \u201cexplicitly forbids\u201d Communicating With the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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lausannemovement \/ Flickr | Inset: Adobe stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the Halloween season in full swing and many people participating in spooky traditions, Pastor John Piper spoke against a common practice that some Halloween participators consider \u201cfun\u201d- communicating with dead spirits. The discussion came up as part of Piper\u2019s \u201c<\/span>Ask Pastor John<\/span><\/a>\u201d series. While many Halloween participants may be familiar with the ideas of seances or Ouija boards being a common form of speaking with the dead, Piper fielded a question from a member of his international audience from South Africa. The caller identified himself as Thokozani, \u201cfrom the Gauteng region of South Africa.\u201d Thokozani referred to the common African practice of \u201cancestral consultation.\u201d He noted that it is a common belief, even among Christians, that spirits of deceased relatives do not go straight to God but must be fetched by family members with a tree. Only then can the person\u2019s body be buried; however, it is common to build a shrine to that individual and consult the spirit in order to receive dreams or visions. Since even many African Christians continue this practice, Thokozani asked Piper what the Bible has to say about communication with ancestors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Piper responded unequivocally that \u201cGod is dishonored by the practice of seeking messages from the dead\u201d and that \u201cTherefore, Christians should not do it.\u201d He stated there were four principles Christians needed to know in reference to why such communication is prohibited: souls are removed immediately after death, the Bible forbids consulting the dead, God\u2019s revelation is already sufficient for all, and God\u2019s providence is for our good. In addressing the belief that human souls do not linger after death, Piper pointed to Jesus\u2019s words to the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43- \u201cToday you will be with me in paradise.\u201d Piper said there was \u201cno intermediate state, no roaming around Jerusalem.\u201d He referred to Isaiah 8:19 to show that \u201cGod explicitly forbids consulting with the dead.\u201d Isaiah 8:19 says, \u201cAnd when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?\u201d He connected this verse with his third point that God\u2019s revelation is sufficient. He pointed to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which says, \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.\u201d \u201cSo, seeking messages from ancestors, the Bible teaches, is a dishonor to God, who has communicated so lavishly with us about all the things we need to live the way he wants us to live,\u201d Piper concluded. In his last point, Piper noted that God gave us all things (Romans 8:32) because \u201cGod\u2019s providence, his purposeful sovereignty, is absolutely, pervasively in control of all things. So, there\u2019s nothing that messages from the ancestors can do that would make it safer or better than what our heavenly Father is pledged to do for us because Jesus died for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Piper\u2019s words are timely as millennials and Gen Z<\/span>\u00a0turn more and more to occult practices\u00a0<\/span><\/a>such as consulting mediums, tarot cards, and astrology. Tarot and medium readings grew particularly at the advent of the pandemic. Mediums state they tap into ancestral spirits to offer people \u201cclarity\u201d in their lives. \u201cEverybody has the capacity to connect with spirits. It\u2019s just dependent on what your upbringing was and whether or not you\u2019re open to your intuitive or psychic gifts,\u201d said diviner and medium Tatianna Morales. She has gained quite a following on Instagram for her Tarot readings. There has even been some encouragement of \u201c<\/span>tarot evangelism<\/span><\/a>,\u201d with Christians offering \u201cChristian\u201d tarot readings for New Agers. But Piper offered no room for compromise, concluding his segment, \u201cSo, the biblical position is this: Don\u2019t pursue communication with the dead, because pursuing messages from the dead is evidence that biblical truth about God is either not understood or not believed. And in either case, God is dishonored.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the Halloween season in full swing and many people participating in spooky traditions, Pastor John Piper spoke against a common practice that some Halloween participators consider \u201cfun\u201d- communicating with dead spirits. The discussion came up as part of Piper\u2019s \u201cAsk Pastor John\u201d series. While many Halloween participants may be familiar with the ideas of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":8177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Piper Affirms that the Bible \u201cexplicitly forbids\u201d Communicating With the Dead<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pastor John Piper addresses the topic of communicating with dead spirits amid Halloween season.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2023\/11\/john-piper-affirms-that-the-bible-explicitly-forbids-communicating-with-the-dead.html\" 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