Spiritual warfare may sound like an ancient concept to a skeptical culture, but new data suggests a striking number of Americans, and an even greater percentage of practicing Christians, believe they have experienced it firsthand.
In a recent CBN interview, Billy Hallowell spoke with Dr. John Plake, editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series and chief innovation officer at the American Bible Society, about Americans’ experiences with the supernatural. The conversation accompanied CBN’s documentary “Investigating the Supernatural: Angels and Demons.”
And one number immediately stands out: 26% of American adults surveyed said they have experienced some form of spiritual attack.
Among practicing Christians, however, that figure skyrocketed to 58%. Meanwhile, 28% of casual Christians, 24% of nominal Christians and 10% of non-Christians reported such an experience.
Plake acknowledged that there are limits to what the data can tell researchers about these encounters. The survey did not collect extensive qualitative information detailing precisely what respondents experienced or why they classified it as spiritual attack.
Still, the numbers caught his attention.
“To see that incidence be that high, I was pretty fascinated by it,” Plake told Hallowell.
Hallowell pointed toward a biblical reality Christians cannot afford to ignore: Following Christ does not mean believers will somehow escape spiritual opposition.
“Not everything is going to be spiritual warfare, but a lot of things will be,” Hallowell said, pointing toward Ephesians 6 and its description of the spiritual battle surrounding believers.
But perhaps the most sobering finding isn’t how many Christians believe they’ve faced spiritual attacks. It’s how people respond when the battle comes.
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According to the data discussed by Plake, 74% of those reporting spiritual attacks said they pray, while 36% said they declare the authority of Christ. Another 24% turn to praise and worship music.
Yet just 15% said they meditate on or quote Scripture.
“I would have hoped that would be a little bit higher,” Plake said.
For Plake, that gap presents an opportunity for pastors and ministry leaders to consider whether Christians are being adequately equipped to respond biblically when they believe they are facing spiritual opposition.
The discrepancy equally struck Hallowell.
“People are more likely to turn on praise and worship music than they are to turn to Scripture in those moments,” he said. “That says a lot about all of us, I think.”
And that may be the real wake-up call buried within the numbers.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds believers that the struggle is not ultimately “against flesh and blood,” and it also identifies the Word of God as the “sword of the Spirit.”
Prayer matters. Worship matters. Declaring the authority of Jesus matters. But God’s Word is not an optional accessory in spiritual warfare.
If nearly six in 10 practicing Christians believe they have experienced spiritual attack, the question facing the church is no longer merely whether believers recognize the battle.
It’s whether they’re biblically equipped for it when it comes.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
