Symbolism and the Christian Mind

Symbols and images convey reality – their impact on our mind and behavior is undeniable. But what if the symbols as used in the Bible are “reversed” or their meaning completely changed by our culture? What happens when evil is portrayed as good or made “attractive”? Can evil ever be “sanitized”? Is there really such a thing as “white magic” or “nice, cuddly dragons”? The assault on our minds extends to our children where truth is twisted in our culture through, oddly enough, children’s books and movies. In this audio message, I refer to Michael D. O’Brien’s book “A Landscape with Dragons: The Battle for Your Child’s Mind”, Ignatius Press, 1998.

Minimizing sin undercuts the cross of Christ and obscures salvation and the Gospel. As the truth and reality distortion (“re-symbolizing”) seeps into our hearts and minds, it impacts our spiritual health. We are dulled to the reality of sin, our need for whole wholeness and our ability to discern good from evil diminishes.

The Bible uses many symbols that are meant to have a powerful, redemptive impact on our lives. The enemy of our souls knows this full well and hence has been “busy” changing the meaning of key symbols. We are at a place, it seems, where “dragons our cool and Fathers are not”. In the audio message, I start from Revelation 12:1-12 which centers on the dragon who is not cool, not cuddly nor nice in any way.

Author: Dieter K Mulitze, PhD

Dieter has written three books on the ministry of transforming and healing prayer. One of Dieter’s main roles in this ministry is teaching the seminar series and speaking at conferences. Dieter’s three books serve to articulate and strengthen the theology and practice of the ministry of transforming prayer for the whole person. Dieter graduated from the U. of Guelph (BSc) and holds a PhD in quantitative genetics from the U. of Saskatchewan. Dieter was an associate professor with the University of Nebraska, and has co-authored scientific papers in several professional journals. He is a graduate of Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., with the Master of Christian Studies (MCS) degree, concentrating in spiritual theology. Dieter has served as an elder in a number of churches. Dieter is bi-vocational, serving as the Chief Scientific Officer for Agronomix Software, a software development company which develops, distributes and supports a software application for plant breeders and agronomists worldwide. With his experience in the corporate world, Dieter has also taught on the theology of work. Dieter is no stranger to international travel – having lived in Syria and Morocco for a total of 6 years and travelling to over 50 countries worldwide for business or ministry. Dieter and his wife Ellen live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have one daughter, Karissa, who lives in France with her husband and children.

2 thoughts

  1. Hello Dieter, Thank you for continuing to send us information. All good wishes and blessings for 2022. Kind regards Carmen

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