DELIVERANCE
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Abstract
The ancient Christian practice of exorcism has undergone multiple transformations in the modern world and become especially popular in evangelical megachurches, where it is referred to as “deliverance.” Deliverance encompasses a range of theologies and supporting practices designed to eliminate demons from the world because of the suffering they cause. This chapter offers an introductory overview of deliverance in Christian megachurches around the world today. It begins by discussing the reasons why deliverance has received far less scholarly attention than befits its status as a highly popular global trend in Christian megachurches. It then offers a brief cross-cultural history of the emergence and development of the deliverance movement over the last century or so, and finally, it examines some of the main motivations and characteristics of deliverance megachurches today in the United States, Brazil, India, and West Africa.