There’s no question about it: We are living in a time of the great falling away of the church.
In a report by Protestia, Claremont United Church, part of the United Church of Christ, recently combined pop culture and a church message together by discussing Netflix’s new hit, “KPop Demon Hunters.”
That’s right. A church did a message on a film promoting the demonic. What followed wasn’t a rebuttal against its dark and dangerous themes. Instead, they not only embraced the film’s message, but also took communion in honor of it.
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As Protestia noted, Rev. Jacob Buccholz gave the film high praises and accolades after he watched it with his transgender nephew, calling it “…so good. The characters, the music, the themes, the message, all incredible.”
Buccholz then blatantly denied the existence of real-life demons.
“I’ve always been uncomfortable with the way that modern evangelicals talk about demons and the demonic as if they are some sort of literal externalized force, walking through the world, causing havoc and tempting people away from God,” Buccholz said. “Because when we imagine demons as real, it allows us to attribute the evil of our world to something outside of ourselves, as if it originates from some sort of non-human source…”
Scripture is very clear about the reality of the demonic. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Jesus also says in Luke 10:18 that He saw “Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Before He ascended to heaven, Christ made it clear that the mission He was leaving behind to His disciples was to preach the gospel to all creation, baptize them, and make disciples of all nations, which included signs such as casting out demons (Mark 16:15-16). Since when did any of these verses become mere analogies instead of actuality?
Things only got worse from here. After Buccholz’s message, the church then took communion while songs from the film played in the background.
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Unfortunately, this is not the first time such tragedies have occurred in the church. Last year, we saw The Church of the Holy Spirit in Germany host a worship service dedicated solely to singing Taylor Swift songs, calling it “Anti-Hero—Taylor Swift Church Service.” Swift’s music has also grown much darker over the years, being blatantly provocative and centered around Christian mockery.
Scripture tells us that many will say, “Lord, Lord,” but He will not know who they are on the day of judgment. The demonic is no longer hiding in subtle ways, but is being outwardly embraced by the culture at large. Unfortunately, many churches would rather embrace this darkness than stand against it. However, the truth of the gospel tells us that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. The name of Jesus will be lifted at the end of it all: It is simply our choice as to whether we will share this truth with those around us, or if we would rather partner with darkness for the applause of men.
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We are given two options at the end of the day. To either hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant” or “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Ultimately, the choice is ours.
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 upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
