Harold Ristau is a pastor in the Lutheran Church of Canada (with which the LCMS is in fellowship). And he is an exorcist, with extensive experience in casting out demons.
He has written a book on the subject, with an introduction by John Kleinig, the great Australian writer on Lutheran spirituality. I’ve sampled Rev. Ristau’s book and found it scary, fascinating, and strangely encouraging.
Editorial description for My First Exorcism: What the Devil Taught a Lutheran Pastor about Counter-cultural Spirituality: Harold Ristau, John W. Kleinig: 9781498225717: Amazon.com: Books
What the scientific community dismisses as a mental disorder, Christians have often labeled “demon possession”. While classifications may offer limited help in explanation, the Reverend Dr. Harold Ristau explores the nature and meaning of demonic activity by drawing from his own experiences with exorcism. Ristau shares life lessons, spiritual applications, and religious wisdom from his personal encounters with the dark realm. Primarily intended for clergy, his reflections offer a springboard intended to stimulate critical thinking, challenge metaphysical presuppositions, and inspire a belated conversation on a topic that has traditionally been avoided, not because of a lack of empirical evidence, but due to the fear that it incites inside of us. Yet if the claims of the historic Church are true–that demons do in fact exist and seek our destruction–then an honest examination of the phenomenon, and its impact on the ways in which we live and reason, is an essential endeavor for any practitioner of the ministry of deliverance.
HT: John Frahm
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