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.