Spiritual mapping refers to the belief among some Christians that specific demons, known as territorial spirits, are associated with specific locations and can be conquered through strategic spiritual warfare by plotting out geographical areas and their perceived problems in order to pray on-site. Spiritual mapping is part of the first of three steps in spiritual warfare, defined by sociologists Brad Christerson and Richard Flory as research, prophecy, and intercession. Religious studies scholar Sean McCloud has referred to spiritual mapping as a "Third Wave [Charismatic] version of geomancy that discerns where and why demons control spaces and places, ranging from houses and neighborhoods to entire countries."
Concept and history Spiritual mapping is linked to the biblical story in the book of Daniel, chapter 10; an angel tells the prophet Daniel that he battled the "prince of the kingdom of Persia". The spiritual mapping movement began in 1989, while the term spiritual mapping was coined by missiologist George Otis in his 1991 book Last of the Giants. Community or city transformation and transformational Christianity are also used in relation to spiritual mapping goals as adherents believe they can effect large-scale social change through spiritual warfare. Otis and influential New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and spiritual warfare leader C. Peter Wagner helped define and spread the concept. Other early figures who were influential in the movement taking form include anthropologist Charles H. Kraft, whose work focused on missions, church growth, and spiritual warfare; NAR prophet and founder of the Generals of Intercession Cindy Jacobs; and NAR evangelist Ed Silvoso. Wagner's parachurch mission organization Global Harvest Ministries was one of the major promoters of the movement; other organizations were involved, such as Sentinel Group, who produced the video series Transformations, and many networks of individuals. Wagner claimed that this type of spiritual warfare was "virtually unknown to the majority of Christians before the 1990s". Spiritual mapping is part of the broader spiritual warfare concept, particularly common in neo-Charismatic Christian circles such as Independent Network Charismatic Christianity. Spiritual mapping occurs on both the local and regional level with super-demons known as territorial spirits seen as laying claim to whole swathes of the globe. Wagner claimed that a particularly powerful entity known as the Queen of Heaven, for example, controlled the equatorial regions. Spiritual mapping involves research and prayer, either to locate specific individuals who are then accused of witchcraft, or to locate individuals, groups, or locations that are thought to be victims of witchcraft or possessed by demons, against which spiritual warfare is then waged through prayer. Practitioners note areas on maps with relevant history, spiritual and otherwise, and connect them with lines. "These lines are seen as demonic corridors of power—demons travel back and forth along the transit routes. The connecting lines are seen as a 'demonic stronghold.'" Ley lines, straight lines between buildings or landscape features, are seen as being useful in detecting such demonic strongholds. Prophets then use this information to determine the territorial spirits' names and more specific information about the type of spiritual attacks they believe are occurring in an area. Named demons include Jezebel, Baal, and Leviathan.
This process involves researching a city's history and, through prayer, waiting for spiritually intuitive impressions or visions that 'reveal' a city's spiritual condition. So in Call, Colombia, for example, one of the discerned spirits might be drug addiction; in Portland, Oregon, individualism; and in Jeremie, Haiti, it might be voodoo. These broad characterizations are seen as parallels to biblical characterizations of cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah that had reputations for immorality. It aims at answering the following three questions, according to Otis:
What is wrong with my community? Where did the problem come from? What can be done to change things? Spiritual mapping traces its roots to the Church Growth movement and Christian missions work. Adherents of spiritual mapping believe that these demons are the reason for lack of success in Christian missions work and that they can use prayer and other religious practices to counteract and drive out these demons. This, in turn, will accelerate the Second Coming of Christ. The Christian missiological concept of the 10/40 window, a region between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator, found to have high rates of poverty and little access to and conversion to Christianity, is thus part of spiritual mapping. It is seen as one of the last areas to receive the Christian message, therefore requiring much effort to defeat the "last and 'very powerful' undefeated demons" controlling it. The 40/70 window likewise has been seen as an important missions target, with multiple coordinated efforts to spiritually affect the area in the early 2000s. Also underlying the belief in spiritual mapping is the idea that "demonic powers have deceived millions of people by supernaturally animating human systems", as Otis claimed in his 1991 book Last of the Giants. Cities are seen as having their own collective identity which must be addressed through collective Christian prayer and rituals.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
