Facing darkness: What no one tells you about haunted houses



For most people, haunted houses sound like the stuff of folklore or movies and television. Naturalists, as well as a number of Christians, doubt that houses or people can be haunted.

But for those who have experienced it firsthand, it’s a very real and frightening phenomenon — and it’s also more widespread than most people realize.

An infestation is often the result of a door that has been opened, giving the demonic permission or authority to do their work.

A 2022 YouGov poll found that one in four Americans say they've lived in a house they believe was haunted. Thousands of YouTube videos purport to show people recording paranormal activity in their homes. At the same time, there is a deluge of bad advice online and in print of what to do when you discover negative spiritual activity in your home.

I want to offer advice from a Christian perspective on how best to respond if you ever find yourself in a haunted house while also discussing what shouldn’t be done.

The demonic truth

Two important points of clarification. First, the kind of haunting I’m referring to is one in which the phenomena being produced cause fear and distress for the people in the home. Some people report mild experiences, like the occasional feeling of a presence.

But the type of haunting I’m addressing is characterized by frightening and sometimes violent activity. These include banging or scratching sounds, disembodied voices, foul odors, sudden drops in temperature, objects disappearing or moving on their own, dark figures or other apparitions, and physical attacks, to name a few.

Second, I believe this type of haunting is always the work of demons. It does seem to be the case that God allows some human spirits to linger or make appearances on earth. In my view, these may be the souls of the unsaved whose punishment in the intermediate state includes spending additional but distressing time on earth.

But the phenomena mentioned above, which are aimed at inflicting psychological distress, are always, in my view, perpetrated by the demonic. This accords with scripture and reflects the experiences of Christians who work in this area.

What not to do

First, don’t hesitate to talk to people you trust about your experiences.

Most people understandably fear being labeled "crazy" or "attention-seeking" if they reveal what they’re dealing with. But this serves the purposes of the demonic, who want to isolate an individual or family so that they suffer alone and don’t receive help. Share your circumstances as soon as possible with trusted family and friends, and especially seek out mature Christians and clergy.

On the other hand, there are people it’s best to avoid talking to. This includes nearly all paranormal investigators and books or articles by non-Christians on the paranormal.

Some paranormal investigators or ghost hunters are charlatans, while others are well-meaning. Even with the latter, there is nothing these folks can do to help. They can try to capture paranormal activity on cameras or other devices, but that does nothing to help someone under demonic attack. These teams often include people who describe themselves as mediums or psychics who can convey false information demons want them to relay.

As I’ve written about previously, when a medium was called in to help with the real-life Annabelle doll case, the demon concocted a story about being a 7-year-old girl who had died. This was a ploy to gain the sympathy of the doll’s owner, and it led to the owner giving the demon permission to inhabit the doll.

Talk to trusted pastors or other mature Christians who can actually help fight the enemy. Non-Christians will have endless mistaken theories about what’s happening and what should be done, but only those steeped in scripture who walk closely with Christ can help.

What to do

I’ve been saying that it’s important to talk to Christian clergy, but I also have to offer the warning that some will not believe you or will you tell you they can’t help.

There are a few reasons for this. Some clergy don’t believe that Satan exists but instead believe he's a symbol or just the product of a superstitious ancient culture. Others will be too fearful to help, or think they lack the necessary training or experience. Some will think it will damage the reputation of their church if word gets out that they’re in the business of dealing with demons.

As a result, it may be necessary to talk to several different pastors or priests before you find one who is willing to help.

This is an important step, because the ideal solution to a demonic infestation is for a Bible-believing, spiritually mature pastor to come and bless the home and cast the demons out. This usually involves prayers and reading scripture passages and sometimes the use of holy water or anointing oil, along with commanding the demons to leave by Christ’s authority. It may take multiple visits and blessings to fully rid the home of the infestation.

If a pastor can’t be found to help, a strong, devoted, spiritually mature Christian can also perform the blessing. This should never be taken lightly, however, because whoever does it will enter into serious spiritual warfare and likely face attacks in their own lives.

RELATED: The Annabelle doll tour is a demonic death trap — but nobody's taking it seriously

Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Another important step is to try to determine why a particular person, family, or home is under attack.

An infestation is often the result of a door that has been opened, giving the demonic permission or authority to do their work. Probably the most common way a door is opened is through activities related to the occult.

Attempts to interact with the spiritual world in ways forbidden by scripture (see, for example, Deuteronomy 18:10-12) can easily open doors to the demonic. One pair of Christians who did work in this area said that 70% of their cases involved someone using an Ouija board.

In some cases, there doesn’t seem to be a clear reason why a particular family or home is targeted. But if the occult is involved, whoever has participated must ask God’s forgiveness and turn away from it. This includes doing away with any occult objects.

Finally, ultimate deliverance from the demonic will only come through a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ. This involves acknowledging that one has sinned against God and accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross in which he took the punishment for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). It also requires making Jesus the Lord of one’s life (Luke 9:23-24).

One of the chief reasons Christ came was to “destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8) and to rescue people from “the dominion of darkness” and bring them into his kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). The born-again follower of Christ is given authority to “overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).

Christians will sometimes face dark spiritual battles, but through Christ we can emerge victorious (Ephesians 6:11-13).

The left needs fascists like vampires need blood



The post-Enlightenment West prides itself on having left religious myths behind. Sophisticated people scoff at demons, devils, and other silly superstitions. But ideas that once wore robes and halos simply change costumes. The idea of absolute evil re-emerges in secular form, and fascism plays the part of the devil in our political imagination.

Once a movement or person becomes the secular Satan, debate ends and violence begins to look like the only remedy. That is why leftists now call ordinary conservative positions “fascist” — they build the moral case for political violence.

Publicly branding an opponent ‘fascist’ with the expectation that it justifies violence should be as unacceptable as calling for a race-based lynching.

Consider the common thought experiment: “Would you travel back in time to kill baby Hitler?” Many answer yes. The image of a helpless infant collides with the scale of evil Adolf Hitler later embodied. For some, the calculus seems to justify murder when it prevents mass atrocity. Hitler stops being a human in that mental model; he becomes pure malignancy, and ordinary moral rules fall away.

That same process unfolded on American streets and campus quads over the past eight years. In 2017 Richard Spencer, a white nationalist, received a shove and a punch while speaking publicly. Spencer committed no violence that day. He threatened no one. He merely exercised his right to speak.

Still, many on the left cheered the assault. The assault collapsed an important boundary: If someone looks or sounds like a “Nazi,” is it now permissible to punch him? The Supreme Court long ago protected ugly speech, even the American Nazi Party’s right to march through a town with a large population of Holocaust survivors.

Anti-fascism as civic religion

But popular sentiment has shifted: Physical force against those denounced as fascists won moral approval from many progressives.

From insults to legal penalties to physical attacks, the escalation followed a familiar arc. Speech codes function as secular blasphemy laws. Labels like “bigot,” “racist,” or “transphobe” once carried distinct meanings; applied relentlessly, they blurred into a single category: heretic.

When those tags lost bite, the left raised the stakes. “White supremacist” replaced “racist” for positions like ending illegal immigration or opposing radical medical interventions for children. When that failed to stanch conservative influence, progressives reached for the final word: fascist.

That choice carries theological force. In secular modernity, defeating Hitler and the Nazis became a foundational myth. Anti-fascism assumed the status of a civic religion: a liturgical memory, a ritual cast of villains, and a duty of perpetual vigilance.

Paul Gottfried and other thinkers note how anti-fascism functions as a moral system after World War II. Comparing any enemy leader to Hitler became morally decisive. Nationalism, family veneration, and cultural continuity assumed guilt by association. The strong gods, once banished, left a moral vacuum that anti-fascism now fills.

RELATED: Calling MAGA ‘fascist’ is the smear of the century

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

We’re all ‘fascists’ now?

Yet, fascism as a coherent political doctrine remains a historical phenomenon tied to early 20th-century Italy and, in some respects, to German national socialism. Stretching the term until it fits every conservative position strips it of analytical meaning. Calling something “fascist” should require attention to ideology, not impulse. Treating the word as a universal moral obliterator turns politics into theology. You cannot bargain with demons; you must exterminate them.

The very online left sells a modern variant: “ontological evil.” Call someone ontologically evil and you deny that person’s capacity for change. Evil becomes an essential property, not a series of choices. A man deemed ontologically evil stops being a political adversary and becomes a predator to be neutralized. That rhetoric creates a moral climate in which killing a political opponent appears not merely excusable but necessary.

We hear that rhetoric applied to mainstream conservatives practically every day. News figures, pundits, and Democratic politicians label President Trump and his supporters “fascists” or, at the very least, “semi-fascist.” After Charlie Kirk’s murder, some commentators continued to call him a fascist. Those who declared him so while he lay dead turned vile accusation into a license for dehumanization. The slogans scrawled by the shooter evoked the same anti-fascist catechism.

When likely presidential candidates like California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) brand ordinary conservative beliefs — national sovereignty, for example — as “fascist,” they signal to zealots that violence is not just allowed but morally mandated.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom’s ‘fascist’ slur echoes in the streets

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

That dynamic plays out in organization and funding as well. Networks of activists and groups that tolerate or endorse violent tactics receive resources and cover. Antifa and similar formations act as paramilitary foot soldiers who can intimidate, disrupt, and, when they choose, kill. They do so with the encouragement of influencers who frame opponents as existential threats. Label someone a fascist, and the path to extra-legal action opens.

Argument, not extermination

Americans must treat such rhetoric with the same moral opprobrium once reserved for lynch mobs. Publicly branding an opponent “fascist” with the expectation that it justifies violence should be as unacceptable as calling for a race-based lynching. When progressives use “fascist” to mark a target for death, they weaponize language to strip victims of human rights.

We must also restore analytic discipline. Accurate political language matters. Fascism, nazism, and other totalizing ideologies warrant denunciation and opposition, but we dilute our ability to resist genuine threats when we scream “fascist” at any conservative who supports border security or traditional marriage. If every disagreement becomes a call to arms, the political space collapses into a permanent state of evisceration disguised as moral clarity.

Finally, recognize what this rhetoric teaches would-be killers. If violence succeeds in silencing a critic, networks that cheer the act learn an obvious lesson: violence pays. The civic cost is enormous. The social fabric frays. The state loses its monopoly on legitimate force when vigilantes and ideologues decide they hold moral authority to execute enemies.

Treat accusations of “fascism” with the contempt they deserve. And make clear that no label grants anyone the right to take a life. If we let secular Satan labels justify bloodshed, we will learn in short order how quickly a republic can abandon its own laws and become hostage to its worst angels.

Evil unmasked: How Charlie Kirk's murder exposed a diabolical spiritual war



Millions of Americans are still desperately trying to scrub their hearts and minds of the infernal videos and images that emerged after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Far from a typical social or political event, this murder has reverberated throughout America, igniting everything from fury to depression and opening a chasm filled with uncomfortable questions about the state of the nation and where we go from here.

Today, too many people are now fully embracing and emulating Satan’s nature.

There’s an alarm sounding among many faith and political leaders who believe America is at a dire crossroads — a point where we must carefully choose our destiny.

"We have crossed the Rubicon," Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, told me last week. "We're no longer what we used to be. The age of civility is officially over, and we've entered into the proverbial dark, slippery slope where rhetorical violence becomes physical violence."

He’s not wrong. The disturbing reality is that a sizable proportion of the public is now OK with political violence. In fact, a YouGov survey recently asked, “Do you think it is ever justified for citizens to resort to violence in order to achieve political goals?”

Shockingly, 11% answered, “Yes, violence can sometimes be justified,” with an additional 11% stating they were unsure and another 5% preferring not to respond. Thus, while 72% rejected political violence, 27% either weren’t sure, wouldn’t respond — or seemed to back it.

True evil

This willingness to entertain political violence is so alarming and otherworldly that it can only come from one source: true evil. And sadly, wickedness has, in some circles, become increasingly pervasive. James 4:7 in the Bible is monumentally clear that each person must “resist the devil” and, when we do, “he will flee.”

But today, too many people are now fully embracing and emulating Satan’s nature. The Bible tells us the “devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8) and is filled with ghastliness and lies.

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him,” Jesus proclaims of Satan in John 8:44. “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Scripture also makes it clear that the devil prowls around seeking to “steal, and kill, and destroy” (John 10:10), hoping to so confuse human hearts and minds that people reflect his nature and reject the biblical command to love God and love others.

We see these elements permeating society and playing out not only in the brutal killing of Kirk, but also among the slew of people who have bizarrely and fiendishly excused or even celebrated the conservative commentator’s death.

Make no mistake: The only humane and sane reaction to an assassination like this is sheer horror. There’s no need to add a “but,” no warrant for a “well, his tone wasn’t always the best” — and certainly no excuse for debasing Kirk’s humanity as to gleefully react to his death.

Luciferian delight

Such insanity, though not the majority response, exposes the extent to which some have willfully chosen to baste in the bowels of Luciferianism. Relishing in death has become a newfound passion for those who have given themselves over to such evil.

Just consider that YouGov also found that 9% of Americans believe it’s acceptable to celebrate a public figure’s death. Sure, 78% said it’s inappropriate, but the fact that one out of every 10 Americans said it’s perfectly permissible “for a person to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose” should send a literal shiver down our spines.

As it turns out, Democrats (11%) are more likely than Republicans (6%) to say it’s either “always” or “usually” acceptable to celebrate public figures’ deaths. Republicans are also far more likely (89%) to oppose this than are Democrats (71%).

RELATED: Charlie Kirk’s legacy: ‘Put on the armor of light’

George Frey/Getty Images

These statistics reveal a disturbing level of moral corruption within the American populace, with human hearts taking on the nature of the devil in such a merciless way. Rather than showing honor and decency, many in recent days have opted for full-blown hatred — a satanic level of bile that says much more about them than it does Kirk or anyone else.

One of the problems fueling the dysfunction in our politics has become an unhealthy rhetoric that dominates our discourse. Trump, Kirk, and others have been labeled as "racist," "homophobic," and other dishonest slurs.

Some, like former President Joe Biden, warned Trump would “sacrifice our democracy.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris also seized on this rhetoric as did other Democrats. For his part, Trump has often returned fiery rhetoric. Tragically, there’s a cost to such proclamations.

The choice is ours

I recently spoke with Dallas Jenkins, creator of the hit TV show “The Chosen,” about Kirk’s death and the chaos in our nation.

"We are in a time where people demonize the opposition — the political or spiritual opposition, so much that their death is a logical conclusion," Jenkins said. "If you tell enough people that someone or a group of people are Nazis, are a threat to your literal freedom and democracy, and in fact, your very life, I mean, why wouldn't you think that they should die, or at least be stopped in some dramatic way?"

His point? We’ve allowed callousness and rhetoric to become so untethered from goodness that we have unwell people getting panicked, ginned up, and, in turn, radicalized. This is a dangerous path for our nation, with Kirk’s death, in particular, forcing both sides to decide: Is this the America we want — or are we willing to strive for something better?

The Book of James warns that the tongue is a “world of evil,” can “corrupt the whole body," and is “set on fire by hell.” And Ephesians 6 delivers perhaps the most important context, explaining that the real battle is spiritual — not physical.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” Ephesians 6:12 reads.

We’d do well to pause, reflect, and ponder where we are and where we want to go. Will we choose God or Satan? Will we opt for good or devilish hatred?

The decision is ours, and the very fate of our nation and the world depends on how we collectively answer.

The Annabelle doll tour is a demonic death trap — but nobody's taking it seriously



Many people are familiar with the doll named "Annabelle" through the three movies that are part of the "Conjuring"universe.

In a disturbing recent development, the doll is now touring the country, and anyone who purchases a ticket can take pictures with it, talk to it, and touch its case. Technically, touching is against the rules, but videos show people making contact with the case while taking pictures.

A demon — a spiritual being with a will and intelligence — has attached itself to this object, and its intentions are malevolent.

To explain how dangerous this is, I must first provide important background. Like other cases Ed and Lorraine Warren were involved in that are part of the movie franchise, the "Annabelle" films have little in common with the actual events surrounding the doll.

The real-life case, as recorded in "The Demonologist," a book about the Warrens, involved a 25-year-old nurse residing in Connecticut who was given a Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday gift by her mother. The nurse shared an apartment with a female roommate who was also a nurse. Not long after the doll’s arrival, it began to mysteriously change locations around the apartment. The women then began finding short messages written on pieces of paper, including “Help us.” They also once found three drops of blood on the doll’s chest.

Perplexed by what was happening, the women sought out a psychic medium to try to find answers. The medium informed them that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased 7-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had died near the apartment building. Feeling sympathy for Annabelle’s plight, they gave her permission to stay with them and inhabit the doll.

Not surprisingly, these details turned out to be lies.

Things escalated when the boyfriend of Annabelle’s owner was attacked one night in the doll’s presence with seven claw-like slashes across his chest. Alarmed at this violence, the women contacted an Episcopal priest, and the case was referred to Ed and Lorraine, who interviewed the nurses.

All the evidence pointed to demonic activity, and the Warrens contacted a second Episcopal priest and asked him to come and bless the apartment. Following the blessing, the nurse asked the Warrens to take the doll with them to ensure there wouldn’t be any further problems.

This, however, would not be the end of the attacks associated with the doll. The Warrens maintained that three different people who belittled the doll in their home were either killed or seriously injured in vehicle accidents the same day they made their comments.

Tragically, the main organizer of the current “Devil’s on the Run” tour displaying the doll, Dan Rivera, died suddenly in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 13. He was only 54 years old and had just presented to a group of ticket-holders the day before.

Some of the reasons the tour organizers have given for exhibiting the doll include educating the public, keeping the Warrens’ legacy alive, and funding a new museum where the doll can reside.

Although well intentioned, this tour is exceptionally irresponsible.

RELATED: Inside the thriving online market for 'haunted' dolls

shaunl/Getty Images Plus

There were good reasons, as we’ve seen, that Ed Warren placed that famous sign on the doll’s storage cabinet: “Warning, positively do not open.” If the stories of those who made light of the doll are true, what might happen to scores or hundreds of other people now engaging in similar behavior?

Although the tour operators believe they’re providing an educational experience, it’s clear from photos and videos that many attenders are there to make jokes, take selfies with the doll, and generally frolic in front of it.

At the time of this writing, Dan Rivera’s autopsy results are still pending, and the coroner has said the cause of death was “nothing suspicious.”

Perhaps the autopsy will reveal that Rivera had a chronic condition of some kind that led to his untimely death. I don’t wish to demean his memory, but given that this doll, which has allegedly killed or severely injured people in the past, was being transported around the country and made into a carnival-like spectacle, one has to wonder if his death was more than a coincidence.

Notably, the Warrens’ grandson, paranormal investigator Chris McKinnell, said the following prior to Rivera’s death: “They’re claiming this [tour] is what my grandparents would have wanted. It’s not. My grandfather’s warning still stands: ‘Positively do not open.’ If they keep doing this without understanding what they’re handling, someone is going to get seriously hurt.”

Unfortunately, the situation has taken an even greater turn for the worse.

Just a few days ago, a comedian named Matt Rife announced on Instagram that he and a YouTuber named Elton Castee had purchased the Warrens’ home and are now the “legal guardians and caretakers of all 750 haunted artifacts and items in the Warren Museum, including the Annabelle doll.” They don’t legally own the artifacts, which remain the property of the Warrens’ daughter and son-in-law, but the items will be under their control for “at least the next five years,” according to Rife.

Horrifically, the two intend to turn the home into a kind of paranormal Airbnb.

“You are going to be able to soon book a night or a weekend and stay at the Warrens’ house and investigate the house … as well as the museum and all the artifacts inside of it,” Rife said.

In an interview with a Connecticut news program, Castee added that the house will be supplied with a complete collection of ghost-hunting equipment, so that guests can try to make contact with any spirits dwelling there.

Non-Christians who interact with these objects are placing themselves in harm’s way and have no defense from demonic attacks.

I hope no harm will come to anyone involved in this tour or the conversion of the Warrens’ home to an attraction for paranormal thrill-seekers. I’m sad to say, however, that it’s highly likely that misfortune will strike again.

Rife and Castee, and the organizers of the Annabelle tour, are under the impression that with the correct precautions, people can safely interact with items that have demonic attachments. They believe that if someone sprays himself with holy water, makes the sign of the cross, and employs other rituals, that these will offer protection from demons looking for opportunities to destroy human lives.

From a biblical perspective, this approach is misguided.

It’s not holy water or rituals that protect a person from the attacks of Satan, but the fact that through regeneration the person has been delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-13; Ephesians 6:11-13). Because Christians have become children of the King, they gain his divine protection and can call upon his authority to drive away the enemy (Luke 10:19; Ephesians 6:11-13; James 4:7).

Non-Christians who interact with these objects are placing themselves in harm’s way and have no defense from demonic attacks. Even Christians can invite trouble into their lives if they’re not cautious — and most Christians have no business dealing with these kinds of items. They should never be sought out for the sake of entertainment.

Many in the paranormal community describe the Annabelle doll as having “negative energy.” This suggests the doll is something like a radioactive object that can contaminate a person. But this is a mischaracterization.

In reality, a demon — a spiritual being with a will and intelligence — has attached itself to this object, and its intentions are malevolent. And, yes, the demon can afflict people who come into contact with the doll.

This makes it much more dangerous than something merely giving off negative vibes.

I fear that what lies ahead for many non-believers who interact with the doll and other items collected by the Warrens is the fate of the sons of Sceva, recorded in the book of Acts. Although they weren’t Christians, they attempted to use the name of Jesus, “whom Paul preaches,” to cast a demon out of a possessed person. But the demon replied to them: “‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (Acts 19:13-16).

Meet the man building the Christian answer to Fortnite



The word “programming” gets tossed around often when talking about TV — and it carries two meanings. One is obvious. The other is more insidious.

What you and your kids watch is programming. Not just what’s on the screen, but what’s being impressed upon them.

To some people, especially tech giants like Google, the message of the Bible runs counter to much of what they are pushing onto kids today.

The same can be said about the video games children play. And in many cases, it’s worse. Far too many video games marketed to children numb them to violence or undermine traditional values. This isn't just a game. Kids inured to violence grow into adults inured to violence. Children taught to regard other people as objects — whether as targets in a first-person shooter game or as targets of lascivious attention — tend to grow into morally calloused adults.

These kinds of games, like the smartphones and tablets they’re played on, are everywhere. It seems every kid has either one or both devices, making it difficult for parents to protect them or prevent access to violent, unwholesome material, including interactive online games.

Some of these platforms offer more than just harmful ideas. Predators have been known to use online games to reach unsuspecting children by disguising themselves as other players.

A new solution

But what can parents do?

Parental controls only go so far, and today’s tech-savvy kids often know more about computers and the internet by the time they’re 13 than their parents ever will. Taking away devices is a clumsy — and worse, ineffective — tool. Your kids’ friends almost certainly have devices, and access to them can circumvent any boundaries you try to set at home.

One thing parents can do is provide their kids with an alternative.

Enter TruPlay, a new gaming platform created by Brent Dusing to bring “high-quality, fun, and biblically sound” entertainment to kids.

Dusing, a Harvard graduate and pioneer in Christian gaming through his previous venture, Lightside Games (which reached over 7 million players worldwide), also serves on the board of Promise Keepers — the organization dedicated to “Making Dads Great Again.”

The TruPlay suite of apps includes Bible-based games, such as “King David’s Battles,” which allows kids to role-play biblical characters. The Comics and Videos app illustrates scriptural themes in a graphic novel, similar in theme to “The Dark Knight Rises” but without the darkness. Other games resemble classic hits like the iconic block-building game Tetris — but using stained glass pieces instead.

Counterprogramming vs. censorship

This, too, isn't a game. It's counterprogramming.

Dusing says "there’s a lot of awful content" out there and “almost nothing … delivers God’s truth or hope or joy or Jesus Christ to children at all in the gaming space.” In fact, anything that dares to mention Jesus or the Bible, whether in gaming or any other space, without mocking it, is itself mocked. Compare that to the media frenzy around the release of a new first-person shooter. Coverage is wall-to-wall, as if it were the second coming.

But wholesome, family-friendly platforms like TruPlay get crickets — and sometimes worse than crickets.

According to Dusing, Big Tech platforms like Google have blocked or limited the visibility of TruPlay ads, claiming "sensitive interest" as the justification — as if promoting Jesus and biblical values were somehow dangerous.

To some, it is.

To some people, especially tech giants like Google, the message of the Bible runs counter to much of what they are pushing onto kids today — including, in some cases, the explicitly demonic, as opposed to an action game about King David or an adventure game about a little girl who believes in Jesus.

Dusing says TruPlay is being suppressed by Google because "the algorithms themselves view the content we make, encouraging biblically inspired games for children, as a threat."

RELATED: Can ditching DEI save the failing video game industry?

gremlin via iStock/Getty Images

Of course it is — and that's precisely the point.

"There has been this sea change generationally in America — and really throughout the world — of people playing games as a common part of entertainment and cultural understanding,” Dusing says.

Indeed.

We went from innocent, fun games like “Space Invaders” and “Pac-Man” to hyper-realistic first-person shooter games like “Call of Duty,”designed to realistically convey what it's like to shoot another human being. Games like “Grand Theft Auto” make sport out of stealing, and games like “Doom” and “Quake” present satanic material as “fun.”

It’s a cultural rip current — pulling kids along while they don't even realize they’re in the water. And here we are.

“What world do we live in where fun, inspirational games with Christian principles are offensive but sexual content for small children, including sex trafficking, is permitted with no problems on Google?” Dusing asks.

It's a question that demands answers.

TruPlay’s response is "to transform generations of children in such a profound way that it will shape culture” in a different direction.

‘The darkness hates the light’: Why Christians must persevere in the public sphere



While a majority of Americans identify as Christians, many of them have been misled to believe in a version of Christianity that is not biblical — for fear of how they’d be treated in the public square.

“We are told over and over again that if you, as not just a Christian, but a conservative Christian, bring your worldview into the public square, into politics, if you allow what you believe about the Bible to influence your politics, you are a fascist, you are a dictator, you’re trying to bring in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ you are a Christian nationalist,” Allie Beth Stuckey tells author and apologist Natasha Crain on “Relatable.”

However, the opposite is true for progressives.


“If you’re a progressive that uses some decontextualized Bible verse to support your immigration policy or your abortion policy or your socialistic policy, that’s not Christian nationalism, that’s fine, that’s true, good Christianity,” Stuckey continues.

“It’s only when a Christian might say, ‘Well, you know, Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear that babies inside the womb are valuable or made by God, so I don’t think that it should be legal to murder them,’ all of a sudden that is prohibited in a form of tyranny,” she adds.

“I think Christians get very confused on this because we see that there’s so many different ideas out there of what is good. People start saying that what we believe is harmful and toxic and that we’re misogynous and we’re oppressors,” Crain says. “We have all these insults that are hurled at us because of our ideas about the common good.”

“What the world calls good may be evil, and what the world calls evil may be good,” she adds, noting that many Christians get dissuaded from preaching what they believe is good because others don’t like them for it.

“Jesus said, ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own,’” Crain says. “So he was warning his disciples before they went out on mission. He didn’t give them warm and fuzzies and say, ‘Hey, this is going to be great.’”

“He actually gave an explanation for why they would be hated by saying, ‘If you were of the world,’ and to be ‘of the world’ literally means to be under the governing rule of Satan. Scripture is very clear that you are either of Satan or of God. You’re a child of Satan or a child of God,” she continues.

“Those who are children of Satan, they want to go their own way. It’s their own wills, their own desires. They are slaves to sin. And people who are slaves to sin are always going to hate those who are slaves to righteousness, who are children of God, because the darkness hates the light,” she adds.

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Most Kansas lawmakers side against the devil, pass resolution denouncing satanists' 'Black Mass'



The Kansas state House voted 101-15 on Thursday in support of a resolution denouncing the satanic worship ritual scheduled to take place outside the state Capitol on March 28.

This denunciation, although an important signal to Kansans and the nation, is not law and does not amount to a cancellation of the event. In fact, the satanists still intend to flock to the state grounds and to flout Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly's directive to remain outside the Capitol building.

However, the Satanic Grotto's planned desecration of the Eucharist is now in doubt, given recent indications that the satanists may not actually be in possession of a consecrated host as well as new guidelines adopted for use of the Capitol grounds by the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council, which would make the unlawful possession of a consecrated host grounds for removal.

It appears, therefore, that the satanists' planned "Black Mass" might end up being nothing more than insubstantial anti-Catholic theater exemplifying their bigotry and uniting lawmakers from both parties, Christians from various denominations, and even some nonbelievers in affirming the state's "identity as one nation under God."

Former Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), who has been involved in the efforts to prevent a real Black Mass from taking place at the state Capitol, told Blaze News that the satanists' efforts to provoke Catholics and draw attention to themselves may serve as "spiritual kick in the pants to Christians across Kansas," prompting them to "say, 'Hey, wait a minute — this our state too.'"

Lawsuit

The Satanic Grotto, a leftist anti-Christian hate group that appears to be little more than an unpolished knockoff of the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple, received a permit to hold a "Black Mass" at the Kansas Capitol building in Topeka on March 28.

The group's event listing states that the group will "dedicate the grounds and our legislature to the glory of Satan" and notes further that members "will be performing rites to the black mass and indulging in sacrilegious blaspheme [sic]."

Michael Stewart, the leader of the anti-Christian hate group, told KSNT-TV that he would lead the "Black Mass," noting that he would "heavily lean into the four blasphemies, kind of representing an alternate to the stations of the cross."

The satanists are expected to break crucifixes, tear up at least one Bible, and mock Catholics' central sacrament — intended actions Stewart confirmed in a Wednesday op-ed. A flyer for the event further indicates that as part of their "theuraputic [sic] blesphemy [sic]," the satanists will denounce Christ, desecrate the Eucharist, and corrupt "the Blood."

'God takes Satan to court. Satan wins.'

There has been intense backlash, particularly from Catholic groups in the state who were led to believe by self-identified members of the Grotto that the group had stolen a consecrated host and sought to "use its desecration to manifest the link between Satan and the capital [sic] building."

In addition to social media posts, Chuck Weber, the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference — a group that leads public policy advocacy efforts on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Kansas — stated in a sworn statement that Stewart told him in a March 8 phone call that he was in possession of one or more consecrated hosts.

In addition to encouraging prayer, inviting the faithful to attended a Eucharistic Holy Hour at a church near the statehouse on March 28, and calling for state officials to cancel the event, the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City filed a lawsuit demanding the return of consecrated hosts the satanists suggested they had stolen.

It is the conviction of the Catholic Church that "at the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood." The archdiocese noted that given the highest importance of the consecrated host and wine to Catholics, any attempt to "desecrate or attempt to destroy or otherwise harm these items is a grave concern to Archbishop [Joseph] Naumann, the Catholic Church, and countless of the Catholic faithful."

Archbishop Naumann demanded resolution through a civil jury trial.

The Leavenworth County District Court dismissed the lawsuit Thursday, prompting the Grotto to state on Facebook, "God takes Satan to court. Satan wins."

Stewart told WIBW-TV that the supposed hosts he has in his possession were not obtained by criminal means.

"We didn't do it," Stewart said, referring to the allegation that he or his compatriots stole consecrated hosts.

Stewart suggested to the Oklahoma Voice that his anti-Christian hate group has its own consecration rituals and will mockingly "consecrate" some unleavened wafers purchased online.

"I find it very entertaining that [Archbishop Naumann] is convinced that I have Jesus trapped in a cracker and he would take it to court," said Stewart.

The Satanic Grotto similarly did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. The anti-Christian hate group did, however previously provide this response: "The Satanic Grotto says get f**ked blaze news."

Voting against the devil

Gov. Kelly appeared reluctant early on to condemn the planned event or acknowledge the Grotto as bigots; however, she indicated on March 12 that in order to "keep the statehouse open and accessible to the public while ensuring all necessary health and safety regulations are enforced," the group's anti-Christian demonstration would have to take place outside.

The satanists maintain that they will enter the state Capitol building to perform their dark ritual, even if that means they'll end up in handcuffs.

The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Huelskamp told Blaze News that like Gov. Kelly's "really weak" response to the "Black Mass," the response from the Kansas legislature was also "pretty timid."

"The general philosophy was, 'Well, if we ignore evil, it will go away,'" said Huelskamp. "But what I've seen in the last couple days — I've been in touch with a lot of legislators who are really stepping up, saying, 'You know what? We need to take a stand on this.' And they have."

Kansas House Resolution 6016 states that the "planned satanic worship ritual is an explicit act of anti-Catholic bigotry and an affront to all Christians. It blasphemes our shared values of faith, decency, and respect that strengthen our communities."

Those who voted for the resolution affirmed that they denounced "the planned satanic worship ritual scheduled to take place on the grounds of the people's house, the Kansas state Capitol grounds, on March 28, 2025, as a despicable, blasphemous, and offensive sacrilege to not only Catholics but all people of goodwill, and it runs contrary to the spiritual heritage of this state and nation."

"We call upon all Kansans to promote unity, mutual respect, and the values that uphold our identity as one nation under God," added the resolution.

The resolution passed in a bipartisan 101-15 vote.

While some Democrats voted for the resolution, all 15 state legislators who voted against denouncing the satanic ritual were Democrats, namely Reps. Wanda Paige, John Carmichael, Ford Carr, Jo Ella Hoye, Heather Meyer, Silas Miller, Brooklynne Mosley, Melissa Oropeza, Dan Osman, Jarrod Ousley, Susan Ruiz, Alexis Simmons, Lindsay Vaughn, Valdenia Winn, and Rui Xu.

The Kansas Catholic Conference stated, "We are shocked and appalled that 15 Democrats voted NO," adding, "Anti-Catholic bigotry is alive and well in Kansas."

'It's the same arguments that the pro-KKK people had in the 1920s.'

Kansas state Rep. Sean Tarwater, a practicing Catholic, said, "What eats at me the most is that I fear for the souls of those that are going to be involved with this Black Mass, and especially for those that are supporting the Black Mass in this room and on that committee," reported the Kansas Reflector.

Huelskamp told Blaze News that "we're still looking for a little more from the legislature," underscoring that the matter at hand is plainly a battle between good and evil.

Huelskamp, a Catholic with four adopted black children, noted that Kansas has a really proud history of repelling bigots, highlighting the battle that made it the first state in the union to ban the Ku Klux Klan.

"In the 1920s — 100 years ago — the KKK tried to make a big entrance into Kansas. There was a significant political battle," said the former congressman. "They refused to recognize the KKK and they kicked them out of the state."

"All of the arguments of the left on this, on the satanists, it's the same arguments that the pro-KKK people had in the 1920s. 'Hey, it's free speech.' 'Let them come in, free to organize.' Eventually, the State of Kansas — I think the '24 election — said, 'No. We will not let the KKK in the state,'" continued Huelskamp. "I mean, at that time, there were rallies of 50,000 Kansans that were KKK supporters demanding recognition by the state."

"I'm still upset the [Kansas] secretary of state, Scott Schwab, recognized the satanists when he gave them nonprofit status," said Huelskamp. "We might like to go back and re-examine whether any group, you know, any hate group just receives automatic recognition by the State of Kansas. So 100 years ago, we said the KKK didn't qualify. So how did the satanists qualify? It's obviously a hate group in my books."

Catholics and Christians from other denominations plan to protest the "Black Mass."

TFP Student Action has, for instance, invited counterprotesters to attend a rosary rally of reparation at the south side of the Kansas state Capitol building at 10:15 a.m. on March 28.

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'Face of evil': Church ransacked, vandalized with satanic message days ahead of dark ritual at Kansas capitol



Police responding to a reported burglary Saturday morning found "extensive vandalism" at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Wichita, Kansas. In addition to broken windows, toppled statutes, and a torched American flag, police found "hate speech" of an apparently diabolical nature.

When asked about the incident, President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order last month directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to "eradicate anti-Christian bias" in the federal government, told reporters, "I think it's a terrible thing."

"We're going to take a look. I love Wichita," said Trump. "I'm going to take a look at it."

The Wichita Police Department announced Sunday that they arrested a 23-year-old Saline County man in connection with the anti-Christian attack.

"Recognizing the severity of this crime, WPD officers and investigators — alongside the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives] — immediately launched a full-scale investigation," the police department noted in a statement. "Our dedicated Crime Scene Investigation team worked diligently to analyze evidence, leading to the swift identification of a suspect."

'Attacks against churches are disgraceful.'

Sedgwick County booking records indicate that the suspect, Michael Gonzalez, has been slapped with multiple charges in connection with the church attack, including criminal desecration, burglary, and criminal damage to property.

According to the Kansas Catholic Conference, the vandal scrawled a satanic website link on the wall — timely because the Satanic Grotto, an unpolished knockoff of the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple, plans to hold a "Black Mass" at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka on March 28, mocking Catholics, their faith, their central sacrament, and the Stations of the Cross.

The Grotto, which asserts that "only might is right and violence is the ultimate source of all authority," indicated in a listing for its anti-Catholic event that it plans to "dedicate the grounds and our legislature to the glory of Satan" and will "be performing rites to the Black Mass and indulging in sacrilegious blaspheme."

The Grotto joked about the church attack, writing, "I really thought he'd be wearing a cape."

"This is the face of evil," said the KCC in reference to the vandalism at St. Patrick's.

Chuck Weber, executive director of the KCC, told the Catholic News agency that there is presently no evidence linking the vandalism at St. Patrick's in Wichita to the Satanic Grotto but indicated that Michael Stewart, the leftist leader of the Grotto, has been calling the KCC with the aim of "taunting me and the bishops" and boasting of his intent to "kill Jesus."

The KCC noted that parishioners at the predominantly Hispanic parish in the working-class neighborhood of North-Central Wichita were unable to attend Mass at the church on Saturday evening as a result of the vandalism. However, WPD Chief Joe Sullivan said after attending the St. Patrick Catholic Church St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday that the "congregation and the community came together in celebration."

"Their resilience was evident, especially after the heartbreaking burglary and vandalism that occurred yesterday," added Sullivan.

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran (R) noted, "The parish of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wichita has demonstrated faith & fortitude these last few days. Attacks against churches are disgraceful. I appreciate @WichitaPolice acting quickly to investigate & arrest a suspect connected to this crime."

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Is Andrew Tate a role model — or doing Satan's work disguised as one?



The controversial influencer Andrew Tate has taken the helm of a ship that’s steering young conservative men in a direction sold as greatness — but it’s a ship young men should be jumping instead.

“I think he is the overreaction, the pendulum is swinging so far the other way that young people are looking at him and going, ‘You know, it’s time for men to be men,’” Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” tells BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Allie Beth Stuckey.

“But that’s not what men are. That’s not what a good man is,” he adds.

Stuckey is in full agreement.


“Of course, he says things that we would agree with about feminism, about the emasculation of men, and how men need to be providers, they need to be tough, they need to take care of women, but at the same time, he is a self-proclaimed pimp who has prostituted young girls on video,” Stuckey says.

“And yeah, he is on tape beating women with a belt and threatening them,” she continues. “He might say he’s different now, but I don’t know how anyone could say he’s redeemed, because he became a Muslim, which is basically just a religious justification for oppressing women.”

“I would say that no, no young man should follow him. Do we need strong male leadership examples for men? Yes. Andrew Tate is not that,” she adds.

“This is what Satan does. He’ll take a little bit of truth and then mix it in with a whole bunch of lies and pervert everything,” Glenn agrees. “And that’s what’s happening with these things. You’ll see the truth of, yeah, you know what, men should be strong.”

Rather than a leader, Glenn calls Tate a “bully” who is the “exact opposite of what a man is.”

Stu notes that it’s not just women Tate has targeted, but underage girls.

“That is the allegation we’re talking about, 14- and 15-year-old girls in some cases,” he tells Stuckey and Glenn.

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Satan's target: Confronting the spiritual battle threatening your pastor



Is your pastor biblically unqualified? Then that situation pleases the devil while at the same time displeasing God.

But if your pastor is biblically qualified, then you should know that Satan hates him. Godly, qualified pastors are a particular source of demonic rage.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches.

Let’s think about a few lines from 1 Timothy 3 that point to the devil’s plans. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul tells Timothy about the qualifications for church leaders (called “overseers” in 3:1, a term synonymous with “pastors” or “elders”). In 3:6, the leader “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” In 3:7, “he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

In back-to-back verses, Paul mentions the devil, and this observation reminds us that pastoral ministry is spiritual warfare.

According to 1 Timothy 3:6, a pastor must not be a recent convert. A recent convert lacks the maturity and wisdom necessary for pastoral ministry. Moral steadfastness is vital for being qualified for ministry, and such steadfastness becomes evident over time. While a convert may become qualified for ministry at a later time, the timing has not arrived as long as the adjective “recent” still applies.

Self-conceit can grip the heart of a recent convert who is thrust into the responsibilities of pastoral ministry. And then the pastor may “fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6). What is the role of the of here? Is this the condemnation which the devil will experience? Or is this some kind of condemnation that the devil gives? We know that the devil will be condemned (Revelation 20:10), but we also know that this pastor is called a “recent convert” — and converts are not condemned to hell.

Probably, then, this “condemnation of the devil” is “condemnation from the devil,” some kind of accusatory and defamatory activity from the devil against the pastor. Why would the devil act against the pastor in accusatory ways? In order to disgrace the pastor. And a recent convert may be especially vulnerable to the snares of pride and conceit.

In 1 Timothy 3:7, the potential pastor must be well thought of by outsiders. This requirement is “so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” Looking at this purpose statement, we can see that “disgrace” is the devil’s snare that’s in view. If people outside the church could make legitimate accusations about a pastor’s character to show that he isn’t above reproach, then this compromised character will lead to the pastor’s disgrace.

The devil wants pastors to be disqualified and disgraced. The pastor lives a public life, so a pastor’s disgrace has public ramifications. We’ve all seen the headlines of ministers who have a moral failing, and the aftermath is brutal. It’s sorrowful for the pastor’s family, for the pastor’s church, and for those beyond the church who become aware of the moral failing.

The devil knows that a disgraced pastor will dishearten people, and discouragement is a vital tool in the enemy’s arsenal. He wants people to think of the gospel as untrue or, at least, as powerless. He wants people to wonder why they should bother with church when church leaders can be untrustworthy or hypocritical.

The devil also knows that a disgraced pastor emboldens the enemies of Christ. Rather than being discouraged, some people seize upon every story of moral failing and leverage it for their own ends. They may want to spread it like wildfire because they love juicy bits of gossip. They may want to stoke suspicion of organized religion. A pastor’s disgrace becomes fuel for devilish ambitions.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches. The snare of their disgrace has the potential for widespread damage to the churches and lives of Christ’s people. Pray for your pastor, because Satan hates your pastor.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.