Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons (Foundations of Evangelical Theology)

“In Against the Darkness, Graham Cole demonstrates once again why he is considered a trusted theological voice for our time. Bringing his careful research and wide-ranging interaction with major theological voices throughout the centuries alongside his own fresh theological engagement, Cole applies his superb theological skills to the oft-neglected themes of angels, Satan, and demons. Moreover, this thoughtfully designed and accessible volume offers several fuller treatments of controversial subjects and challenging biblical texts, providing readers an opportunity to learn from Cole’s insightful wisdom. It is a genuine joy to recommend this thoroughly biblical, theologically faithful, and purposefully pastoral contribution to the highly regarded Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.”

“While the doctrine of angels and demons may be less central than doctrines such as the Trinity, the hypostatic union, and substitutionary atonement, nevertheless angels and demons play a role in nearly every other doctrine of the Christian faith. In fact, what Graham Cole successfully does in this volume is demonstrate just how important their role is to the outworking of God’s plans and purposes in creation, in providence, and in all of redemptive history. I am deeply grateful for the careful attention he has shown to biblical teaching, along with his fair and winsome interaction with scholarship throughout this volume. The Christian faith as well as the Christian life is affected by the role and activity of angels and demons in significant ways, and this volume goes a long way in informing us of just how much we may have been missing.”

“The structure of this book contributes to its appeal. The nine chapters cover the theological meat of the theme, the five excursuses address such sidebars as the meaning of Genesis 6:1–4 and how to test the spirits, and the three appendices survey adjacent but highly relevant themes (how these themes are treated in Islam on the one hand, and in various Christian creeds on the other). The book is comprehensive and edifying—and more important than one might initially think, in a culture that wants to be touched by an angel.”

“In a modern secular age, it is all too easy for Christians to overlook the major source of conflict in the drama of redemption: the devilish powers of darkness that seek to seduce hearts away from the truth of the gospel with glittering images and empty promises. Graham Cole rightly reminds us that, while angels and demons are not at the heart of biblical revelation, to ignore them is to risk being blindsided. Against the Darkness is a model of how to judiciously read Scripture and formulate Christian doctrine on matters that are both peripheral and essential to the Bible’s main storyline. This is theology for the twenty-first-century church, and Cole helpfully draws out the pastoral implications of angelology and demonology—all the while never losing sight of the centrality of Jesus Christ and his lordship over the angelic and earthly realms.”

“We live in a culture that pretends the spiritual realm does not exist. Reducing that which is real to that which can be seen and touched, our culture catechizes its pupils in a worldview that dismisses angels and demons. It laughs at those who believe in the devil and his hell. So when we act disinterested in angels, Satan, and demons, we invite this secular outlook to control the biblical narrative. Although we profess faith in a God who has overcome the evil one, in reality our indifference reveals us to be practical atheists. Graham Cole exposes this blind spot, demonstrating that our theology of angels, Satan, and demons is not irrelevant but takes us to the center of the gospel itself. For if Christ has suffered for our sins and risen for our justification, then Satan no longer has power and victory over us. Read Against the Darkness and discover how God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

“This is theology at its best. Written by one of evangelicalism’s finest theologians, Against the Darkness is biblical, systematic, pastoral, fresh, and faithful. It is exegetically driven, historically rooted, philosophically astute, globally aware, systematically related, and crisply written. And it is downright interesting, addressing pressing questions with carefulness and candor.”

“We commit heresy by contradicting or distorting Biblical revelation. We also commit heresy by politely ignoring the bits we find difficult or unacceptable! So even in orthodox circles, we commit heresy by ignoring what the Bible reveals about angels, Satan, and demons. We are syncretists, captive to the rationalistic Enlightenment. What we ignore in the Biblical revelation distorts our gospel preaching and teaching. Graham Cole’s excellent book is a timely and judicious study of what the Bible teaches on these topics, in the context of historical theology, contemporary thinking, and the practice of Christian life and ministry. He shows us that we must not misunderstand these topics, but that we also cannot ignore them. We need this book!”