Amazon review of Liberating the Bruised

Please study this book carefully before following any of its teachings; seek the counsel of mature believers if you are new to Christianity. I believe that Joe Allbright does not correctly handle Scripture and is inviting believers into dangerous, unbiblical waters through his deliverance ministry.

It is not possible to discuss every aspect of this book; for the sake of brevity, I will point to one passage. In chapter 9 (p.164), Allbright argues for the existence of a “flip-side personality,” a demonic creation within a child, formed, “activated,” and controlled by an ancestral demon. The flip-side personality, according to Allbright, is not saved when a person cries out to Jesus for salvation, and this personality wars with the believer.

Biblically, the side of us that wars with our life in Christ is called the flesh—not a flip-side personality. Jesus told us, ““Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Romans 7 & 8 contain foundational teaching about the flesh: ”Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:12-13). In Galatians, believers are told, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” (5:14), and verse 24 tells us to crucify the flesh, not save it.

Allbright sites two passages in James that use the word “double-minded.” He says:

If one makes a paradigm shift from just viewing this the way it has always been viewed (that a double-minded person is one who simply can’t make up his mind or keeps changing his mind) to viewing this as a two-souled or split-souled person that James is referring to, it can take on the deeper concept of a flip-sided person. (p.164)

Allbright encourages us to discount traditional interpretations in favor of one that gives “deeper meaning,” which recalls gnosticism’s reading of Scripture for “hidden” truth. Of course “double-minded” could be a code word for something else, if that is how Christians interpret Scripture. Allbright has special permission to read Scripture how he wants: “God revealed to me that the ancestral demon views the flip-side as his creation…” (p.165). Almost all of the believer’s problems can be traced to this tricky demonic creation that Allbright claims has formal & legal rights to the believer. Allbright teaches that believers are largely unaware of this evil presence within them, and it must be saved.

In conclusion, Allbright’s biblical foundation is weak; his interpretation of Scripture is faulty; and his application is actually contrary to the totality of New Testament teachings. I would discourage anyone from pursuing the teachings in this book. If you are struggling with a persistent sin problem, seek out the counsel of a mature believer and the true freedom that Christ has purchased for us.

Our Story

In the letter called 2 Timothy, Paul tells us that among other things, Scripture is useful for correction (3:16).  I have been a believer for decades, and as familiar as I am with Scripture, it still corrects my thinking.  Sometimes I will find myself recalling a passage and using it to justify some thinking, but on examining the Word itself, my thinking is corrected, pulled into line with the Word.  Hebrews tells us that the Word is living and active, able to judge our hearts (4:12).  We are called not just to think it’s a great book, but to continually study it and learn.

I was saved as a teenager in a small Southern Baptist Church, and because I have always lived around Tulsa, I have been intrigued by the charismatic movement, which seems a very exciting form of Christianity.  I have wrestled with doctrines about the Holy Spirit, and welcomed Him into my life, to fill me and work through me.  I have also been cautious about some of the teachings that come from the charismatic branch of Christianity.  Indeed, all flavors of Christianity have some teachings that need to be examined against the Scriptures and laid aside.  

In January, 2012, our pastor at The Church at BattleCreek (Alex Himaya of thechurch.at) began a sermon series called Giants, where he took the story of David and Goliath as an allegory for the “giants” we fight in our life.  During this series, he led the congregation in a series of prayers that were uncharacteristic for our church—a church that had Baptist roots, with a lead pastor with Baptist roots.  The prayers were legalistic, both in the delivery (congregants repeated each line that he spoke) and content (“I cancel, renounce, sever & nullify any powers, gifts or workings”—the language of a legal contract).  At one point, our pastor specifically addressed Satan:  “Satan, I command that you give me back…”

It was at this point that my husband stopped agreeing with the prayer and became a bit alarmed.  Years and years before, he had studied Jude at work with a Christian co-worker, who taught verse 8-9:  “In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.  But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’!”  My husband had learned to be cautious in addressing celestial beings, and he was concerned that our leader was calling on everyone in the room—lost, saved, mature, or young in the faith—to speak directly to Satan.

This sermon was not isolated.  Over the next several weeks, we continued to be led in prayers with this element of legalism and addressing Satan.  My husband drafted an email to our pastor, who responded in kind.  In his brief email, Alex recommended we read Ephesians 6, 2 Corinthians 10, and a book on demonology by Dr. Joseph Allbright called Liberating the Bruised.  The two passages he referenced speak about spiritual warfare:  it exists, and Christians should be prepared for it.  These passages were not unfamiliar to us, but they also did not shed light on our concerns.  Allbright’s book, however, only increased our alarm.

The book by Dr. Joseph Allbright Liberating the Bruised claims to provide details about what spiritual warfare looks like.  In reading it, it became obvious that the prayers that Alex was using in the Giants series were purporting to deliver us from ancestral demons and to break ancestral curses.  Allbright contributes to the teaching in the church known as deliverance ministry.  The concept of breaking curses, as a Christian concept, was new to my husband. 

Here are just a few of Joseph Allbright's teachings that caused us concern:

• Born again, Spirit-filled believers can and do have demons, just like the people in the bible that have traditionally been referred to as demon-possessed.
• In such cases, the Holy Spirit dwells together with demons in the body of a believer.
• Christians often have “ancestral demons” from birth because God’s law requires it.  This punishment by demon is because of sin committed by one’s ancestors.  (Joseph Allbright and his deliverance counselors claim to have figured out how to cast out this punishment.)
• Christians may be "partially saved."  They can have other personalities within them that are not saved.  During a session with a deliverance counselor, these other personalities can be led to salvation so that the person is completely saved.
• These unsaved personalities are created when someone receives a traumatic emotional injury, creating a fragmented personality.  This alternate/fragmented personality becomes frozen at the age of the injury and can be addressed in deliverance counseling.  This personality usually "needs to be saved" and united to the person's "core personality." 
• Not only does God create us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), but demons are also busy at this time creating an alternate personality in the unborn child. (Note that this is a different personality from the other multiple personalities discussed above.  Allbright calls it a "flip-side" personality.)
• When a demon is cast out of a born again, Spirit-filled believer, the demon can come back if the person does not “take back the lost ground.”  The presence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian is insufficient to keep the demon from coming back.
• Speaking in tongues by Christians is of demonic origin.  

In the spring of 2012, a deliverance ministry called Peace in the House has been present and working on the TCABC campus, operated by people trained in the teachings of Joseph Allbright. This ministry is currently listed on the TCABC (theChurch.at) website as a prayer ministry.

The Church at BattleCreek (theChurch.at) is large, and there are many people serving and learning in its various ministries.  We had been involved in The Church at BattleCreek since its beginning, and we had no idea that Alex held to these teachings.  Joseph Allbright's book is available in the church's bookstore; the ministry is promoted on the website.  Yet we believe it rests on false teaching, and we could not continue serving there.  It seemed to us that this teaching was being done quietly in a corner.  We were told this was not the case.  Since it is a public ministry, we feel it is appropriate to call attention to it publicly.  We would have appreciated knowing about it earlier on in our ten-year involvement in The Church at BattleCreek. 

Johnny & Angie Ellis

Testing what you hear

Let's say that you're a Christian. If someone told you that you should check your horoscope on this great new app, would you? What if you did, and it was accurate? Kinda uncanny, so maybe you check it again.

Most Christians reading this will take objection with the course of this story. Christians know that horoscopes are not godly; they are derived from the realm of astrology, which is pagan. But let me pose this question: what if checking my horoscope helps me? It gives me direction for the day, and I thank God for it? Why is my experience with the horoscope invalid? (If you are unsure about Christianity and horoscopes, you can read more about it here.)

God's truth should trump our experiences. Just because we find something to be helpful or interesting, does not mean it is good for us or right.

How do we know God's truth? We have to study and read the Bible. I admit there are topics in God's word that I have not explored deeply, and when I come across something that I have questions on, I research it. I consult people I know--people who have studied a lot--and seek their advice. I pray, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me into truth (John 16:13-14). Studying is hard work, but don't be discouraged: we have a very real helper who walks with us. The flip side of that statement is: even though we have the Holy Spirit in us, we also must study, read, question.

When we heard something puzzling from the pulpit, we went back to our Bibles. We scratched our heads. We studied, talked, and prayed. Then we asked our pastor about it. He referred us to a book. We read the book. We became very alarmed.

It is at this point in our story that we have to draw a curtain. We sought counsel; we had private meetings. We are not recounting things said in private conversations.

Why are we publicly criticizing Joe Allbright's teachings (such as Liberating the Bruised) and Peace in the House ministry? We were very active in our church, inviting people, building relationships, promoting everything about it. I even referred some friends to Peace in the House before I realized what it was. We promoted publicly. And while we began to protest privately, we found that people were using these resources without knowing that anyone objected. There is nothing on the internet that raises a word of caution about Allbright. There is no public voice protesting that this is happening at the Church.at (specifically BattleCreek).

We loved our church. We occasionally disagreed with our pastor, but these always seemed like minor issues. In spring of 2012, this particular issue became too big for us to ignore.

I don't think we are questioning spiritual authority; we are examining a particular teaching. And we are certainly not reposting someone else's thoughts or a critique of a large ministry in which we had no part. We are telling our story, which we were always encouraged to do at BattleCreek: "They triumphed over him [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11). We are not calling people to step away from theChurch.at--just examine this ministry.

If you or a loved one are considering subjecting yourself to deliverance ministry at BattleCreek, please know that we do not think this ministry has a biblical foundation (even though Joe Allbright quotes the Bible extensively). If you have been hurt or confused by this ministry, perhaps hearing our objections will be helpful to you.

We are not calling into question anyone's motives (1 Corinthians 4:5), but we are examining published teaching and asking others to do the same. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 says, "Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all."

And for the big picture, we want to encourage the church to be alert. We have been warned in Scripture. Don't think it can't happen in your corner. I believe the enemy would love to sow a thousand small false ministries among God's people than ten really big ones.

There are many good things happening at theChurch.at. It is one of the best organized churches we have ever been a part of, intent on sharing the gospel with the lost. May the Lord continue to bless and grow His church for the glory of His name.