Christianity’s greatest achievement is the conception of God. Its second greatest is the conception of the devil. While other religions have deities that personify various vices, most of them are portrayed as amoral, and few have gone to the extent that Christianity has to encapsulate the heart of evil in a single, malevolent figure — Satan. Rather than a mere philosophical description of sin, this tradition had decided that giving a face to evil is more effective and profound. And they are right. The figure of Satan has inspired countless works of imaginative genius, each a thesis on the nature of evil. In Milton, Satan is a complex and charismatic character who puts forth so convincing an argument against the regime of Heaven that one might begin to wonder if he is actually a misunderstood hero. In Dante, Satan is frozen in the deepest pit of Hell and possesses three faces that represent an unholy trinity. He is incapacitated by his thorough corruption, a monstrous king of Hell. The conceptualization of the devil is an achievement because it gave us something real to fight against. Satan has captured the imaginations of countless civilizations, weaving cautionary tales, philosophical treatises, and superstitious rituals. These interpretations are vivid and enduring, contributing to the personified archetype of evil, and they ultimately serve to render the abstract concept of sin in a concrete way that we can grapple with. But we must not fall into the trap of thinking Satan is an external force from which we are separate and on whom we can lay the blame for the sins of the world. Rather, the devil is within us, for we are our worst enemy. Christians understand this to a certain degree, given their insistence on the corruption of the human heart and our need for God to free us from it. (They still debate, though, on the doctrine of original sin). There is an awareness that the root of evil is within the human heart, despite the temptation to attribute it to an outside being. The enemy without is almost always the manifestation of the enemy within. Likewise, Christ is not an external savior in whom we have no part, but he is in us, representative of the redeeming power of the soul that walks in righteousness. William Blake observed that depictions of Satan, such as in Milton, are often more creative, engrossing, and passionate than descriptions of God, which are often strangely limited, monotonous, and even stifled. He suggested it is because what we call “evil” and “hell” find their roots in the creative and chaotic aspect of the human psyche. Satan in Hebrew means “accuser” or “adversary.” He is the spirit that stands before the Ideal and points out our failings and corruptions. He is the prosecutor against our souls. And aren’t we already familiar with this spirit? It is the voice in our heads that judges, criticizes, and deprecates us. It has a finger constantly pointing out the ways we fall short. It defines us by our shortcomings, that hinders us from rising above ourselves by shackling us to our sins. Sometimes it is helpful, but often it is corrupted and full of lies. The Accuser lives in our psyche. And he has a purpose. He questions our preconceptions of what we think to be true. He urges the shadow to rear its head and demand our attention. He is the trickster who introduces chaos into the established order, keeping us on our toes. He is the serpent in the garden. He is necessary. But of course, while the agent of chaos is necessary, it would be a mistake to put him on the throne. To do so would be to invite Noah’s Flood. The voice of the Critic requires us to find a higher truth to which we must be subject. The shadow of chaos invites us to integrate it into paradise. To cast him out of the garden would be to create demons. Onto Satan we have hauled all our darkest aspects. The twisted desires we suppress, the guilt of our impulses, the temptations of our lowest selves. Just as we consolidate the highest good we can conceptualize into the figure of God, so we put together the worst imaginable things into the creature of Satan. From him all evil flows, and to him all the fruits of evil return. We painted a picture of him, pointed at him, and named him the Enemy. He is the scapegoat. And somehow, despite our conjured hatred of him, despite how foreign we may try to make him seem, a part of us can’t help but find affinity with him. As those terrible eyes and twisted horns stare back at us, we sometimes get the sense, if we take the time to notice, that we are not gazing upon a foreign creature — but into a mirror. Originally published at https://nathanaelchong.webflow.io/articles/the-devil-in-the-mirror

During one of Jesus’ famous prayers, He shares an interesting idea, and it is one that could confuse those reading Jesus’ words without knowing the context of the last months of Jesus’ time on earth. In His prayer, Jesus says to the Father, “I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do.” (John 17:13 CEV) Some people when reading this may get the impression that Jesus’ death was when He left to return to God. But this doesn’t add up when we look at other details of the crucifixion – including Jesus’ conversation with Mary in the garden following His resurrection. Instead, the focus at this point of the prayer is not on Jesus leaving as much as it is on Him wanting to say what needs to be said while still in this part of His ministry. The clock was ticking on being able to share a message with His disciples before the crucifixion happened, and while Jesus briefly taught the disciples following the resurrection before returning to heaven, trying to prepare the disciples for what was about to happen did have a time limit. Jesus wanted to share God’s message with them before He was arrested. Jesus wanted them to realize before the cross what the cross signified. Jesus continues His prayer-conversation with the Father by saying, “I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t.” (John 17:14 CEV) “Not belonging to this world” is a characteristic of Jesus’ followers. What this doesn’t mean is standing on a street corner preaching an “us vs. them” message. Instead, this statement means that we should not focus on what the world focuses on, and we should not be swept up with the ever changing new and greatest thing. But instead of focusing on what we shouldn’t be focusing on – which is something that never works well, we should intentionally keep our focus fixed on Jesus and on keeping our connection with Him strong. Other people might hate us because they don’t understand or agree, but don’t let their opinions shake our focus off of Jesus. When we intentionally keep our focus on Jesus, ignoring the craziness of culture becomes easier because we will have an anchor holding us steady in the storms of life. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.

During an unforgettable event known as the Transfiguration, Jesus takes the three closest disciples up onto a mountain and gives them a sneak peak at just who He really was. During this event, which terrified all three of these men, God speaks another message of approval about Jesus. After this event was over, as Jesus and the three disciples were starting back down the mountain, Jesus tells them something that confuses them. “On their way down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen. They were to wait until the Son of Man had come back to life. They kept in mind what he said but argued among themselves what he meant by ‘come back to life.’” (Mark 9:9-10 GW) When I read these two verses, I am a little surprised at both Jesus and these disciples. In Jesus’ case, He has just told these three men to keep a secret from the rest of the group – which isn’t all that great for building morale in a group. I suppose that when one of the other disciples asked what they did up on the mountain, they needed to either lie (a bad choice) or say what happened is a secret (another bad choice, but at least truthful.) They could blame Jesus and say that He told them to keep it a secret until He had “come back to life”, and perhaps this is what they chose to do, but as Mark tells us, these disciples “kept in mind what he said but argued among themselves what he meant by ‘come back to life.’” (Mark 9:10 GW) As I read this, I get the picture that Jesus kept trying to push these disciples to ask Him for more details, but they avoid asking and instead, they simply argue and speculate amongst themselves. We are tempted to do the same. When something Jesus said or promised doesn’t add up, or even when something happens in our life that we cannot explain, are we quick to talk it over with others and speculate, or do we bring our questions to God in prayer. Sometimes God will answer our questions through other people, while other times He might simply ask us to wait for an answer at a later time. On this side of heaven, there will be plenty of things that we don’t understand, but I wonder if Jesus wanted to open the disciples’ minds to what would happen on crucifixion weekend before it happened, and we see them miss actually asking the question. This makes me challenge myself with the similar idea on whether I miss learning from God because I am too quick to speculate or ask the wrong people the wrong questions. This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.

I was there. Twice. The first when it was still small and just beginning, the other when the campus was flooded and small-town Wilmore’s infrastructure was straining under the masses that came to watch the spectacle. I stood in the midst of worshippers in that chapel, observing every detail, wondering what they saw, what they felt. But the more I watched, the more I became convinced that whatever was in that room, it was not God. God wasn’t there. The Asbury revival of February 2023 captivated the imaginations of thousands, drawing people from across the nation and even the world to witness what many believed to be a profound spiritual awakening. However, a close analysis of the event reveals that the whole thing can be explained by natural psychological and neurological processes, causing me to doubt the supernatural claims surrounding it.The Power of Group Dynamics & Social Contagion At its core, the revival’s “success” can be understood as a massive exercise in social contagion—where behaviors, emotions, and experiences spread like wildfire through a group. When a crowd gathers for a common cause, especially in a heightened emotional atmosphere, the emotional states of individuals synchronize. This is why many revival-goers report a common experience along the lines of: “The moment I walked into the room [filled with worshippers and music], I felt the palpable presence of God.” This synchronization leads to shared experiences of euphoria, spiritual conviction, and the sense of something bigger than oneself, which people often misattribute to a supernatural presence. Consider the simple fact that the Asbury revival started after a chapel service, where students were already primed for communal worship. As some lingered after the service, praying and singing, others joined in, drawn by a social desire to conform to the energy building in the room, and by a desire to be part of something perceived to be important (a.k.a., FOMO). In environments like this, it becomes psychologically easier to suspend doubt or critical thinking. Especially when everyone else seems to believe in its authenticity. After all, if everyone else believes in something, it must be valid. Textbook psychology. Individuals tend to mirror the emotional intensity of those around them, leading to a snowball effect where people feed off each other’s excitement, amplifying their own emotional experiences. This is not new or exclusive to religious movements. Historically, mass hysteria and other group phenomena have followed similar patterns. Whether it’s a sports rally, political protest, or revival, the power of group dynamics and the emotional feedback loops they create are profound. People may believe they are encountering the divine, but what they are truly experiencing is the overwhelming force of human connection and emotional mirroring. I attended an Ohio State football game one recent fall, and it was eye-opening. I can almost describe it as a religious experience. The stadium was brimming with the stripes of red and white. The floor was pounding with the stomping of a hundred thousand pairs of feet, and the air trembling with the chants of a hundred thousand voices. One can’t help but be caught up in the fervor. For the fans of a team like the Buckeyes, attending a game is quite ritualistic. They deck out in jerseys, scarves, face paint, and flags, like a uniform—consider that your “Sunday best.” They sit and stand in a circle, focusing their attention on the object of their worship. They sing and chant the same songs in unison. It’s very much like a religious service. Just with a bit more fun and a couple pints of beer. But my focus was on the psychological experience. As one gets absorbed into the euphoric spirit of the stadium, one experiences a sort of transcendence from the individual into the collective mind. You are no longer an individual identity. You now adopt the group identity. You mirror the collective emotions, you parrot the same words, and you share the same sentiment that the whole thing was a spiritual experience. This sports example maps quite perfectly onto the revival in Wilmore, KY. As I stood in the midst of worshippers, I saw the same things. The rituals, the prayers, the songs, the reinforcing of the shared narrative of God’s spirit “filling the room.” The only difference between a religious revival and a sports event is that the religious narrative is much stronger and deeper. And more lasting.Reinforcement & Habit Formation The revival sustained itself for over two weeks, but this longevity does not imply the intervention of a higher power. Instead, it was the result of behavioral psychology at play, such as operant conditioning. When individuals engage in behavior that results in a rewarding outcome, they are more likely to repeat it. In the case of the Asbury revival, every confession of sin, every tearful testimony, every moment of worship was met with immediate social reinforcement: applause, validation, and emotional support from peers. The pattern of worship—singing, praying, and feeling spiritually uplifted—becomes a repetitive cycle of reinforcement. This reinforcement can generate a form of habit formation, where individuals feel compelled to continue participating, drawn by the immediate rewards of feeling connected, spiritually elevated, or emotionally unburdened. The reward wasn’t just social. It was also emotional. Participants likely experienced a potent combination of dopamine release (triggered by the validation and excitement of the event) and oxytocin (the bonding hormone released during group experiences). The unpredictable nature of these emotional rewards—never knowing exactly when or how one might experience a breakthrough—creates a variable reinforcement schedule, known to be especially powerful in maintaining behaviors: they got addicted to the novelty. People kept returning to the chapel, hoping to experience another revelation or to witness the next incredible spiritual moment. One can’t underestimate the allure of the novel. It was the novelty—paired with the deep-set religious story—that drew people and even news networks from all around the country to see it for themselves. There is nothing supernatural about this process. It is the same psychological mechanism that explains why people become addicted to gambling or seek out thrill-inducing activities. The anticipation of reward, coupled with intermittent reinforcement, keeps people coming back, drawn to the unpredictable emotional rewards they might receive.The Brain’s Response to Group Worship & Emotional Intensity Mirror neurons are the brain cells responsible for empathizing with others. When participants saw others crying, kneeling, confessing, and recounting emotional stories of breakthrough, these neurons would have activated, helping the brain mimic and empathize with others' emotions. This mirroring created an environment where it was easy to become overwhelmed by the collective emotion, amplifying the experience for the entire group and continuing the positive feedback loop. Additionally, the brain, under certain conditions, can induce altered states of consciousness that feel profound, transcendent, or even supernatural. Neuroscientific research has shown that experiences commonly attributed to divine encounter are, in fact, neural events triggered by specific psychological and environmental conditions. The long hours of singing, prayer, and emotional confession can induce a meditative trance or flow, where individuals experience time distortion, heightened emotional engagement, and diminished critical thinking. Particularly susceptible were those who experienced loss of sleep during the revival, which many participants had reported doing so. This is due to transient hypofrontality, where the activity in the prefrontal cortex (responsible for rational thought and self-regulation) diminishes, allowing for heightened emotional experiences. This altered state of consciousness could explain why participants reported profound spiritual encounters, as their brains were more suggestible, more likely to believe they are encountering a higher power. During my summer camp volunteering days, I often heard this advice: don’t start a romantic relationship at camp, because you are more emotionally susceptible in the novel and rigorous camp environment. It was good advice.Unconscious Drives & Group Catharsis From a psychoanalytic perspective, revivals like Asbury’s serve as large-scale exercises in catharsis, the release of repressed emotions, desires, and anxieties. Psychoanalysis posits that individuals carry a significant amount of unconscious guilt, repression, and conflict. A religious revival provides the perfect opportunity for these emotions to surface and be released in a safe, socially acceptable way. Just listen to the facilitators of any worship and prayer session: pour your heart out to God, tell him your troubles because he cares, etc. The act of confessing sins and seeking love from the surrounding community can be understood as a form of psychological cleansing, where individuals symbolically release guilt and reconcile with unconscious feelings of inadequacy or shame. Freud’s idea of transference is also relevant here, where individuals project their feelings, fears, and desires onto an external object—in this case, onto the figure of God or the communal experience of revival. The spiritual fervor is a product of unconscious needs, desires for validation, belonging, and absolution. The group itself can become an object of transference, with individuals expressing their hopes, fears, and unresolved conflicts to the community. The revival became a collective projection of these needs, manifesting in shared religious ecstasy, but driven purely by human psychology. This projection of unconscious needs and desires are clearly seen in the Christian rhetoric. A typical example is the presentation of God as the true, loving father to individuals who lacked a benevolent father figure in their lives. Or the emphasis of unconditional divine love for those who struggle with self acceptance and validation. Whatever a person needs, God can be in its perfect form, and that reinforces the religious narrative. Additionally, Jung would suggest that revivals tap into the collective unconscious, where shared archetypes—such as the desire for redemption, the journey toward spiritual awakening, and the archetype of the savior—are activated on a mass scale. These archetypal narratives are deeply embedded in the human psyche, and a revival acts as a communal expression of these universal themes, providing psychological resolution and emotional fulfillment. When people say that God’s presence was “palpable in the room,” what they were experiencing was a heightened awareness of the collective consciousness. This presence of the collective is, by definition, bigger than any individual, and so it is perceived to be a transcendent spirit. This is why God is often experienced most profoundly in settings of corporate prayer and worship. Ask any Christian and they will confirm this sentiment, predictably citing the words of Christ: “where two or more are gathered in my name, I will be there in their midst.”Miracles? One may point to the miracles that occurred during the revival as evidence of the supernatural. There were reports of emotional healing, deliverance from demonic possession, and physical healing from cancer. In one interview, an Asbury student reported seeing a cancerous tumor disappear after the person was prayed for. While that definitely seems miraculous, it could also be an example of the amazing healing power of the brain. A study conducted in 2009 looked at a patient with giant cancer tumors in his armpits, groin, and abdomen. His doctors believed he had only days to live. After receiving an experimental drug, his tumors disappeared. When he learned later that the drug failed in clinical trials, his tumors returned. After that, doctors told him they were giving him a “double strength” medication (a placebo), and the tumors vanished again. Eventually, he read that the drug he took was worthless. He died days later. (See Vernillo, A, 2009. “Placebos in Clinical Practice and the Power of Suggestion,” The American Journal of Bioethics 9 (12): 32-33.) The focus on the transcendent in an altered state of consciousness can free a person of emotional and mental burdens, a concept taught in Eastern philosophies for millennia. It is no surprise that individuals caught up in a state of euphoria would report feeling a “breaking of chains” or “divine love.”The Myth of the Supernatural When you strip away the religious narrative, the Asbury revival is not proof of a supernatural event, but rather a convergence of multiple psychological and neurological mechanisms. Social identity, emotional contagion, reinforcement, and altered brain states intertwine to create a powerful collective experience. Group dynamics, brain chemistry, unconscious drives, and psychological catharsis are natural processes that explain why people felt what they felt, and why the revival lasted for as long as it did. The powerful emotional experiences participants described are no more supernatural than the emotions felt at a Trump rally, a Buckeyes game, or an Eras Tour concert where group identity and emotional energy combine to create intense feelings of unity and transcendence. What religious participants interpreted as God’s presence was, in reality, their perception of the collective unconscious, fueled by emotional stimuli, social reinforcement, and the all-power religious story. Their feelings of spiritual renewal were simply psychological catharsis. The Asbury revival, while undoubtedly a profound emotional and social event, was not divine intervention. God was not present. Only the impression of him was. I am just highlighting how deeply human behavior is shaped by collective experiences and neurology. These mechanisms produce experiences that feel transcendent and life-altering for those involved, fueling the sense of revival and spiritual renewal.

Following Jesus’ discussion about the end times, the gospel of Luke nicely summarizes a key idea Jesus shares about where we should place our focus. While Matthew and Mark include interesting details that help bring out similar themes and ideas, Luke’s recollection sounds the most practical of the gospel writers in this instance. Luke concludes by sharing Jesus’ key point with the disciples saying, “Don’t spend all of your time thinking about eating or drinking or worrying about life. If you do, the final day will suddenly catch you like a trap. That day will surprise everyone on earth. Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.” (Luke 21:34-36 CEV) This main idea Jesus shares is powerful. Basically Jesus is saying that when we allow life’s busyness to crowd into our life through worry, we will miss out on the most important things we should be doing. These important things center on keeping our connection with God strong. Jesus tells everyone present that the day He returns “will surprise everyone on earth.” (Luke 21:35 CEV) But Jesus also tells us how we can keep our connection with God strong. In addition to pushing back worry and busyness, Jesus tells us to “Watch out and keep praying that you can escape all that is going to happen and that the Son of Man will be pleased with you.” (Luke 21:36 CEV) In Matthew and Mark, the key theme in place of watching out is being alert and paying attention. Jesus is giving us a warning we can count on, and the way we move forward with God is through prayer. Jesus instructs us here to “keep praying” because it is through prayer that we stay connected with God. Life seems to always give us something we can worry about. Whether life’s worry comes through an uncertain or unstable job, whether it comes from needing a job, or whether it comes from friends and/or family drama, government instability, overseas tension, or increased violence in the world, the way we push back is through prayer – specifically bringing our worries and concerns to God. When we do, He can remind us of eternity, and how the challenges we face today are insignificant when compared with eternal life with Him. God cares about the challenges we face and He wants to help us. But His number one goal is preparing us for heaven. Everything He does and has done for us fits within the context of this goal! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.

Many Christians today believe that Jesus taught peace and tolerance towards all people. In this belief, we find a movement of people who focus on ignoring and minimizing the differences between the different worldviews and many of these people do so without realizing that Jesus never really taught His followers to be this way. Jesus did teach that His followers should love others, but love is different from tolerance. In His first big message focused towards the newly-formed core group of twelve followers, Jesus tells them, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; your worst enemies will be the members of your own family.” (Matthew 10:34-36 GNT) This sounds like the opposite of tolerance. Jesus came and He is the cause of division between families. He even warns that His followers’ worst enemies may be members of their own respective families. It is in this context that Jesus shares a challenging statement that has bothered many people out of context. Jesus continues by saying, “Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.” (Matthew 10:37-39 GNT) Many people have wondered why Jesus would require His followers to love Him more than their parents or children. On the surface, this sounds selfish and opposite from a “loving”, “selfless” God. But in context, Jesus’ words make more sense. If a parent, sibling, or child does not agree with our decision to follow Jesus, then they place themselves in the group Jesus describes as our enemies. These family members may be passive in their dislike about our decision, or they may be openly hostile towards us because of our decision. When this happens, Jesus says that we are called to love them, but to love Him more. We are called and encouraged to stay loyal to Jesus regardless of who stands against us. This is what Jesus means when we are to love Him more than our closest family members. Jesus finishes off by encouraging us to not hold onto our lives too tightly. If we fear death, and we let this fear drive our decisions, then it too can pull us away from God. If we try to keep our life through rejecting Jesus because of the pressure of culture or oppression, then we may lengthen it briefly, but we will have lost it eternally. However, if we lose our lives because of our faith in Jesus, we really have only lost the sin-filled, temporary life in this age of God’s kingdom. By losing our lives because we have chosen to follow Jesus, we solidify our eternal lives in the next age of God’s kingdom – and the next age lasts forever! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.

Most times I read about Jesus blessing the children, a question enters my mind. Perhaps, when we reach heaven, I’ll ask Jesus the question personally, but until that point in time, I will be left to looking for clues from the gospels that include this event. The question is not why Jesus would have prompted this event or why He allowed children to come close. Jesus loves everyone, and He chose to value the children/infants as much as women and adults. However, in the few verses that make up this event, Jesus makes an interesting comparison. At the end of verse 16, Jesus says, “Children like these are part of God’s kingdom.” (Luke 18:16b GW) This prompts my question: What is it about “these” children that give them the status of being a part of God’s kingdom? Is it some characteristic that is present in each child, such as trust, hope, faith, love, curiosity, or something else? Is it that these children had self-control and were intently listening to and engaging Jesus in conversation? Or is it simply because these children were with Jesus? If Luke’s gospel description is correct in its additional detail that the children were “infant” age, then they likely didn’t have much if any conversation. Perhaps there was crying involved, but likely not any self-control. An infant loves and trusts their parents, and they do grow into being curious. However, as I read this event, I think that Jesus is not talking about the children themselves, as much as He is talking about “where” the children are – next to Him and being held by Him. Perhaps Jesus was telling stories to the children who were old enough to understand stories, or perhaps He was simply holding ones who were too young to realize what was going on. Either way, the children who were there were with Jesus. The children who were there may have been there without emotional or spiritual baggage. We don’t read anything in any of the gospels about the children being skeptical or questioning Jesus on His mission of being a Messiah. If the children are united in their proximity to Jesus, they also seem to be united in their acceptance of Jesus as well. As I dig into the details, what I learn most from this event is that each of us should focus on being close to Jesus personally and that we enjoy our time with Him. Accepting Jesus is one big key to being a part of the kingdom of God! This post first appeared on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Leave your thoughts below.