In 2016, the former Ugandan Parliament House Speaker Rebecca Kadaga raised eyebrows and caused controversy for her re-election thanksgiving to the ancestors in a shrine. Before her, the then Vice President, Professor Gilbert Bukenya, had done the same. Indeed, in Africa, many politically powerful people believe in the power of witchcraft. But what is witchcraft, why does it persist in Africa, and how do we biblically respond to it?
What is Witchcraft?
Festus K. Kavale, in his A Biblical Study of Witchcraft (1993), noted a renewed boom in interest and return to witchcraft. Ugandans, and I hear even Kenyans, love Nollywood’s witchcraft films starring the talented Patience Ozokwor. Most of us have encountered witchcraft, whether in word, life, or screen. And you or someone you know may be living in fear of it even now.
David Noel Freedman defines witchcraft as “the practice of sorcery or necromancy for divination or the manipulation of (generally evil) spirits.”[1] Avraham Negev sees witchcraft as the use of occult or supernatural forces “to exert an influence over (one’s) fellow human beings or to change the course of events.”[2] That is, witchcraft is when someone seeks to manipulate or use supernatural forces to prosper themselves or harm their enemies, or both. Witchcraft is born out of our desire to control our destiny and future, to do good or bad—our attempt to replace God or manipulate the gods.
Witchcraft is Pervasive
Witchcraft is universal. It existed in the Ancient Near Eastern world of the Old Testament. Greeks and Romans practiced it, and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians assumes it (Eph. 6 cf. Acts 19:19). Salem, where our son was born, is America’s witchcraft capital. And I have vague memories of one of my distant grandmothers who practiced divination in her shrine near our home.
Witchcraft is not restricted to those who don’t know the God of Israel. Israel was so inclined to witchcraft that prohibitions against it were necessary (Ex. 22:18; Deut. 18:10). Paul found it necessary to remind Christians that sorcery stems from the flesh (Gal. 5:19-20). Gilbert Bukenya is devout Roman Catholic, and so was my grandmother, whose Bible and rosary never left her shrine. Rebecca Kadaga—a self-confessed Christian—even claimed that her shrine visit concerns her cultural identity.
Why Does Witchcraft Persist in Africa?
Julius K. Muthengi in The Art of Divination[3] notes that recurrent family sickness that claims lives, unexplained and untimely deaths, barrenness, and pandemics are some reasons why Africans visit witch doctors. A shrine hosts guests when a student seeks answers for her failed grades, a politician fears the next polls, and a businessman’s bank statement displeases him. In short, problems and pain tend to press people into shrines.
Yet, for Kavale, some Africans explore witchcraft out of curiosity through ‘simple experiments’ until they are trapped. Others heed the call by schools for “a return to traditional practices as a way of showing patriotism.” Such a call is audible in Ugandan academic and political circles. There remains a considerable reaction among African elites against Christianity for its supposed colonial roots, and a rallying call exists to return to traditionalism and witchcraft.
The Bible and Witchcraft
T. Witton Davies notes that though the word “witchcraft” does not occur in the Bible, “sorcery” or “divination” or “witch” communicate the same idea.[4] Pharaoh’s palace was a theatre where Moses and Egyptian magicians met (Ex. 7:8-13). Thus, the Lord forbade Israel from practicing divination, fortunetelling, interpretation of omens, or sorcery, as they enter the promised land (Deut. 18:9-14). Indeed, God will destroy whoever turns to omens (Lev. 20:6) and swiftly turn against sorcerers (Mal. 3:5) as he dealt with Jezebel (2 Kin. 9:22).
The New Testament, too, contains such harsh rebukes for sorcerers and magicians. Peter reprimands Simon, the Magician, for his greed and desire to manipulate the Spirit of God (Ac 8:9-24). The Lord, through Paul, blinded Elymus, a Jewish magician who sought to hinder proconsul Sergius Paulus from receiving the gospel (Ac 13:4-12). In Ephesus, “a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all” (Ac 19:19).
The Bible says a lot about sorcery and witchcraft, and there were many power encounters between God’s messengers and magicians. But whenever the God of the Bible met magic and sorcery, witchcraft lost.
“Help, I think I am Bewitched.”
Keith Ferdinando in The Great Dragon reminds us that “while in the Bible the spirit and the occult world is effectively eclipsed by God, in African traditional religion the situation tends rather be reversed.” By this, he means that Africans, even confessing Christians like Kadaga, are more aware of evil powers than they are of God, who rules over all things. Pastors and gospel ministers must beware of superficially engaging the existential questions Africans have. Many Africans will draw on their cultural traditions when the going gets tough. Pastors should note that some of the people in their pews this Sunday visited a shrine mid-week. If you are one of those who struggle to apply the Bible to their daily fears, there are four things I would like to say.
Recall Christ’s Finished Work. You must know that Christ conquered witchcraft on the cross. Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Col 2:15). Jesus is greater than Moses, who defeated the Egyptian magicians and set God’s people free from fear and bondage. The power that blinded Elymus and opened the proconsul’s eyes to believe is at work in you. If you are a Christian, then “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4. Christian, in Christ, witchcraft has no power over you. For, “there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Num 23:23).
Choose faith over fear. Faith believes God’s promises and receives God’s work. Witchcraft works through fear: the anxiety for what tomorrow will be, a fear of what your neighbor may have done, or even the dread of death. Fear makes us think we are the master of our life and have lost control of the ship. But faith calls us to rest in Christ’s finished work as one who firmly holds our lives in his hands. Remember that Christ’s death released life that the devil cannot destroy or take away (Heb 2:14-15). Jesus is ruler over all things—in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18). Thus, Christian, nothing can harm you.
Put on the full armor (Eph. 6:10-20). The Bible invites us to know God and what he has done for us in Christ as the belt that holds our life together. Embrace his righteousness for you. Be ready to believe and share the gospel of peace. Remember, those who do not believe the gospel are bewitched (Gal 3:1). Have confidence in Christ as your shield against fear and doubt. Treasure the salvation you received is the helmet that protects you against Satan’s sword. The daily study of Scripture arms you against Satan’s deceptive schemes. So, embrace the armor Christ purchased for you.
Live obediently. Prophet Samuel once told king Saul that “to obey is better than sacrifice” and “rebellion is as the sin of divination” (1 Sam 15:22-23). That is, to consciously live disobediently is like bewitchment. Persistent personal sin invites Satan as sure as garbage summons flies. I am not saying that our obedience saves us. Christ is enough. But how we live reveals whether we believe that Christ is enough or we are lip-Christians. And lip-Christians lodge in Satan’s pocket.
Read More
[1] David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, “Witchcraft,” ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 1384.
[2] Avraham Negev, The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990).
[3] Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, Vol 12.2, 1993
[4] T. Witton Davies, “Witch, Witchcraft,” ed. James Orr et al., The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company, 1915), 3097.