I would dare say that all mental illnesses (save perhaps mental retardation) are demonic in nature. This is the problem with a world that denies anything beyond what the senses can...er, sense: there is always some kind of physical explanation--a chemical imbalance, a nutrient deficiency, something about their father or mother, and on and on (how many of us have gagged ourselves into swear oaths after reading another article about the "Scientist Search for the Soul"?).
Dr. Justin Barnard has said that we are all "Children of Mill," i.e., children of the modern machine. We've grown up in a world where the norm is to be anti- or atranscendent. Subsequently, even good Christians (hatched and dispatched with sound doctrine from plush pews) cannot help but fall into the trap of being what John Eldridge called "practical agnostics." I believe this afflicts pastors as well. A person's depression, failing marriage, or sin that easily besets them needs therapy and cliches, not the pleading of the blood and the authority of Jesus Christ. This is perhaps one reason why exorcism is no longer predominately around.
Other reasons for the loss of exorcism (and a healthy grasping about evil):
- Hollywood has so dramatized to absurdity the practice of exorcism and the presence of the demonic that exorcism probably looks ridiculous, if not evil. Try to talk to a modern Christian about exorcism and they will probably shudder and say something about Linda Blair (p.s., pop Christian "exorcist" who hold healing meetings don't help either).
- Also, some pastors may avoid exorcism because they don't want to be around anything "weird." We could throw the blame for this back at Hollywood, but "weird" stuff does happen at exorcisms. Perhaps pastors would rather avoid what could be an unnerving experience, but this is most unChristian: as Christians, vessels of the presence of God and wielders of the Word of Truth, we have no grounds to fear the Devil or the demonic. Any noise they make is subterfuge.
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