Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

"If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house." So said Jesus of Nazareth when the religious authorities of the day accused him of having been given power by Satan to drive out demons. (New Testament --Matthew 3:24-28) Christianity postulates that when one becomes a Christian, a whole new being is created....one indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, why would a believing Christian accept a theory that that new being could then actually be posessed by demons while believing God lives in his heart? Tempted by evil, yes; prone to sin, of course (and still eligible for God's forgiveness when he repents); but indwelt by Satan or his minions? This is the picture that Anderson paints in "The Bondage Breaker", saying his "Freedom sessions" can free Christians from such posession. I'm not a theologian, but as an adult Christian I see no biblical support for this theory. There are other problematic ideas in Anderson's book, primarily concerning his examples of counseling. Early on he talks about a woman he describes as suffering from schizophrenia. Perhaps this is an accurate diagnosis for this woman, but as a mental health professional with 18 years' experience with the chronically mentally ill, I can tell you that visual hallucinations are quite the exception in someone suffering only from schizophrenia (this particular woman was seeing snakes in her bed); usually that signifies some organic problem, such as substance abuse, a head injury, etc. Furthermore, Anderson talks about one "Freedom" session with her after which she no longer had the hallucinations as if she was "cured" from her schizophrenia. Really? What kind of follow-up did Anderson do? Psychotic disorders go in cycles; people have "breaks" which last a certain amount of time after which remission, which can last for years, occurs. Does he know she didn't have another break later? Did he talk to family members about other symptoms she might be having at home? Did he even see her the following week to be sure the "snakes" had not returned? Anderson does not say. I would be the last to say that prayer is not important in helping us cope with the tribulations that face us, including emotional illness and the fallout from earlier trauma. I believe spiritual healing can and does occur. I also believe the biblical teachings about spiritual warfare....that there is a source of evil from outside the world that trips us up when it can. Neil Anderson and I are in agreement spiritually about whom to turn to to fight that evil: Jesus Christ. But when Anderson implies that salvation in Christ is not enough to prevent demon posession, and when he boasts that his formulae can "cure" illnesses he shows little understanding of, I shudder as a fellow believer.