The Dark Side of Discipleship
Why and How the New Testament Encourages Christians to Deal with the Devil
by Gary Tyra
Imprint: Cascade Books
There's a dark side to Christian discipleship church members ignore to their peril. The New Testament has much to say about why and how Christ's followers must deal with the devil. Learning to take the evil one seriously without obsessing over him is crucial to the spiritual endurance training we all need if we are to someday hear Jesus say to us: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
Specifically, pastor/theologian Gary Tyra argues in this work that key to overcoming Satan is a balanced, Spirit-empowered engagement in what he refers to as the four cardinal components of Christian discipleship. Understanding the various ways the devil attempts to derail our experiences of worship, nurture, community, and mission can serve to motivate us with respect to them!
With the help of the Holy Spirit, church members can cultivate a "lifestyle spirituality" that enables them to don the "full armor of God" and engage in several critical "close-quarters combat tactics" the New Testament encourages. In the end, The Dark Side of Discipleship is a no-nonsense yet inspirational New Testament theology of spiritual warfare that can serve Christ's church as a powerful aid to the spiritual, moral, and ministry formation of contemporary Christians.
Gary Tyra is Professor of Biblical and Practical Theology at Vanguard University of Southern California. His previously published works include Getting Real (2018), Pursuing Moral Faithfulness (2015), A Missional Orthodoxy (2013), The Holy Spirit in Mission (2011), Christ’s Empowering Presence (2011), Beyond the Bliss (2010), and Defeating Pharisaism (2009). In addition to his work in the academy, Tyra has pastored three churches over a thirty-year period, one of which was a church plant.
“The Christian tradition has long recognized the ‘three enemies of the soul’ as hindrances to spiritual growth: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Tragically, many modern Christians have either demythologized or sensationalized the third enemy. Gary Tyra does neither but proposes that having a sound, biblical understanding of the demonic is indispensable to true discipleship. This book will challenge those who are either dismissive of or fixated on the devil.”
—Simon Chan, editor of Asia Journal of Theology
“Tyra addresses a frequently bypassed theme when talking about Christian discipleship: we have a formidable adversary whose cunning is distracting, derailing, or destroying the faith journeys of countless Christians. He acknowledges the tendency of some to give the devil too much visibility, while others naively act as if the Bible is silent on this ‘roaring lion’ whose destructive intent is clear. Tyra’s alternative replaces an avoidance of the topic, with an empowerment that is a primer on spiritual endurance training.”
—Byron D. Klaus, President of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (1999–2015)
“To my own peril I ignored thinking about spiritual warfare for much of my Christian life. Readers of this insightful book can learn, as I have, that following Jesus involves awareness of the enemy of our soul. Gary Tyra provides a welcome orientation to this dark side with sound biblical teaching and encouraging pastoral guidance for endurance training in developing a lifestyle empowered by the Spirit.”
—Klaus Issler, Professor of Educational Studies and Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
“Written from a pastor’s heart, informed by a scholar’s mind, Gary Tyra’s The Dark Side of Discipleship speaks with characteristic precision and breadth to a subject rarely addressed, but arguably more needed now than ever before—spiritual warfare. Beginning with a solid biblical foundation, he is able to avoid the extremes of sensationalism and dismissal and provides theologically sound and pastorally informed study of how the devil seeks to derail and distract the disciples of Jesus. He then turns to a compelling discussion of what might—and must—be done in response. An exceptional work of pastoral theology—recommended without reservation.”
—W. H. Dogterom, Professor of Pastoral Ministries and Spiritual Formation, Vanguard University
“As a child of the 1980s, the phrase dark side easily conjures up images of Darth Vader, the most notorious villain in film history. As Obi Wan Kenobi warned Luke Skywalker in Episode IV, there is always a temptation of being seduced by the dark side. Just ask Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter fame, or Thanos in the Marvel universe. But this temptation of the dark side is not reserved for fiction alone. It describes my own experience. It describes my friends’ stories. It describes real life. But what do we do with the workings of the evil one from the dark side? How do we defend against the attack of the devil? Taking us beyond elementary versions of faith and Christianity, Gary Tyra’s The Dark Side of Discipleship is a much-needed primer on the enemy’s modus operandi. Faithfully using Scripture as his foundation, Gary is a veritable code breaker on Satan’s schemes. I needed this book, and it will continue to impact and inform my life and pastoral ministry in the local church. Read it and join me in standing firm and holding our ground.”
—Brenton Fessler, founding pastor of Refuge, Orange, California
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