The earthly ministry of Jesus did not generate demonic activity but instead exposed hidden spiritual realities, said N. T. Wright, one of the world’s leading biblical scholars and a former Anglican bishop.
Speaking during a recent episode of the Ask Me Anything series, Wright urged Christians to avoid both denying the reality of spiritual evil and becoming fixated on it.
Addressing a question about why the Gospels appear to depict an increase in demonic encounters after Jesus’ arrival, the British author explained that the Gospels portray Jesus’ proclamation of God’s Kingdom as a moment when hidden spiritual forces were suddenly confronted.
“When Jesus comes into Galilee and starts saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand,’ it’s as though suddenly all the furniture starts flying around the room,” Wright said, referring to public exorcisms recorded in the Gospels. “The dark powers realize, if He does everything that He looks as if He’s going to do, then we’re in deep trouble.”
Wright cautioned against understanding evil as a rival power locked in a cosmic stalemate with God, rejecting what he described as a false dualism.
“We have to get away from any sense that there is God on one side of the page and Satan on the other, locked in endless struggle,” he said. “That’s not the biblical picture.”
Drawing from the Apostle Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians, Wright noted that Scripture acknowledges the existence of dark spiritual forces while denying them any divine status. He said these forces work to corrupt what God created as good, often through social systems and destructive patterns of behavior.
“These forces are not the ‘real gods,’” Wright said. “But they seek to spoil God’s creation and pull it down.”
Wright also argued that modern Western skepticism has not eliminated spiritual evil, pointing instead to the atrocities of the 20th century as evidence of evil operating on a scale that exceeds individual human intent.
“When whole populations are taken over by lies and commit serious wickedness as a result, you realize that the evil involved is more than the sum total of a handful of bad people at the top,” he said.
At the same time, Wright warned Christians against developing either fear or fascination with demonic forces, stressing the danger of desire for dramatic spiritual experiences. “It’s good to be alert to the spiritual texture of the world,” he said. “But there’s always the danger of wanting to find the demonic under every stone.”
He voiced particular concern about teachings that encourage believers to pursue visions or seek the role of spiritual “seers,” describing such pursuits as spiritually hazardous. “That just colludes with a sense of dark fascination which we ought to avoid like the plague,” Wright said.
Reflecting on his years of pastoral ministry as an Anglican bishop, Wright acknowledged that some ministers are called to deal directly with severe spiritual affliction.
“There were times when people had to go into a parish or a house and say special prayers to deal with what seemed to be something like an infestation,” he said. “Some Christian ministers really do have a God-given gift of discernment.”
Ultimately, Wright emphasized that Christ’s death and resurrection decisively defeated the powers of darkness, even though their final removal remains future. “In His death and resurrection, Jesus has won the victory over these powers,” he said, citing 1 Corinthians 15. “We live between the initial victory and the final victory.”
“Jesus goes into the very heart of darkness in order to defeat it,” Wright added. “And the resurrection declares: it’s done. It’s finished.”
Wright concluded by reminding Christians that although evil remains present in the world, the Church is called to faithfully bear witness to the Kingdom already inaugurated by Christ.
