Book Reviews / Pneuma 34 (2012) 431-478 439

John M. Dufffey,Lessons Learned: The Anneliese Michel — The Implementation of a Safe and Thorough Examination, Determination, and Exorcism of (Euguen, OR: Wipf& Stock, 2011). vii + 219 pp. $27.00 paperback.

William K. Kay and Robin Parry, eds., Exorcism and Deliverance: Multi-Disciplinary Studies (London: Paternoster, 2011). v + 269 pp. $33.00 paperback.

Miguel A. De La Torre and Albert Hernández, The Quest for the Historical Satan (Minneapo- lis: Fortress Press, 2011). vii + 248 pp. $15.00 paperback.

John M. Dufffey’s book,Lessons Learned: The Anneliese Michel Exorcism, conducts a historical investigation into a failed exorcism and offfers a practical guide to future in an attempt to thwart any possible neglect and incompetence. Dufffey’s book was inspired by a 2005 drama horror movie entitled The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was based upon real life events surrounding the attempted exorcism and eventual death of a young German woman named Anneliese Michel. According to Dufffey, the two priests presiding over the Michel exorcism, Father Ernst Alt and Father Arnold Renz, failed to recognize that Michel was sufffering from epilepsy and mental illness. They misdiagnosed her as being demon- possessed, abandoned the Roman Ritual, and ultimately caused her death by disregarding her physical needs. The author does not demythologize the demonic. He believes in the existence of demons and their ability to possess individuals, but he adamantly rationalizes that Michel did not display the symptoms of possession. Dufffey maintains that Alt and Renz would have wholeheartedly agreed with his conclu- sion, if they had “followed a more objective, thorough, and ethical investigation” (xvi). This seems rather presumptuous. It is unreasonable to assume that one can predict the priests’ conclusion with such a level of certainty, as does Dufffey. Although it is doubtful that he would claim the inerrancy of his system, this is the dangerous implication of his thesis. His research methodology is also tenuous. He seems to rely solely upon Felicitas D. Goodman’s book Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (2005) without referring to additional interpretations of the events and without conducting his own independent research from the original sources. Ironically, Goodman recognizes the Michel possession as legitimate. One should question if Dufffey’s research could have been more refijined. Despite these weaknesses, Dufffey does provide a valuable resource manual for conduct- ing an exorcism. His contribution to practical theology is unquestionably his most signifiji- cant. He recommends a four step process: investigate, review, exorcise, and follow up. He suggests extensive investigation before conducting an exorcism, in order to validate a legiti- mate possession. This includes an exhaustive inquiry into the life-history of the suspected victim, interviewing witnesses, psychiatric and medical evaluations, polygraph tests, and a detailed written report of the fijindings. Secondly, one must secure a comprehensive review by church leaders, colleagues, and medical specialist. The author insists that an exorcism should not be conducted without ecclesiastical support. The third step is the exorcism, and Dufffey provides detailed guidelines for assembling and preparing a team, and its execution. Mindful of the Michel case, he emphasizes the well-being of the possessed individual at all costs, bearing in mind ethical and legal issues. Meticulous details, including items that

© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012 DOI: 10.1163/15700747-12341244 440 Book Reviews / Pneuma 34 (2012) 431-478 should be present at an exorcism, demonstrate his careful thought in this area. Unfortu- nately, he says little about the fourth step — follow up — leaving a void in his procedure. Serving as priest within the Reformed of North America, Dufffey relies heav- ily upon Roman Catholic traditions, like the Roman Ritual. Some may fijind this troubling, but he appropriately points out the absence of standardized procedures within Protestant Churches. Pentecostals may want to consider the pros and cons of such an approach and even consider adapting elements of his procedure. Exorcism and Deliverance, edited by William K. Kay and Robin Parry, uses the expertise of prominent Pentecostal scholars to analyze the phenomenon of demonic possession throughout a broad array of disciplines. In chapter one Wonsuk Ma examines evil spirits, demons, and Satan in the Old Testament. He concludes that, notions of a distinct evil force are absent from the ancient Jewish worldview until after the post-exilic period. It was in the same post-exilic period that the notion of exorcism as understood in the context of expel- ling a demon from an individual developed. In the second chapter Graham Twelftree dis- cusses New Testament views of exorcism, suggesting that its prominence fluctuated within the nascent Church. While “exorcism was central to the ministry of Jesus . . . it was of varying interest to early Christians” (45-6). The Gospels and Pauline writings deemphasized the fun- damental nature of exorcism, whereas it is completely absent in the Johannine writings. Interestingly, the longer ending of Mark announces increased importance for exorcism within, at least, one segment of the early Church. In the following chapter, Andrew Daunton-Fear explores exorcism from the early Church until the fall of Rome. He suggests that it provided suffferers with relief from their afffliction and served a larger purpose by act- ing as an apologetic device for demonstrating the truthfulness of Christianity. James Collins investigates exorcism in the twentieth century, particularly amongst Charismatic and Evangelical Fundamentalist circles. He proposes that an “enthusiastic” form of exorcism reached its height in the 1970s and 1980s but declined in the 1990s to fijind a more acceptable home in the broader Evangelical movement. Allan Anderson writes the fijifth chapter where he surveys exorcism within global Pentecostalism. Indigenous world- views that maintain beliefs in a spirit-fijilled cosmos are easily synthesized with Pentecostal- ism, explaining how its growth has superceded that of mainline denominations. Chapter six, written by Peter Versteeg, addresses exorcism in anthropological studies and suggests that it must be understood within the broader context of spirit-possession. This leads him to summarize various anthropological theories regarding the function of spirit-possession. William K. Kay probes psychological theories regarding demon-possession (William James, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Dissociative Identity Disorder) in chapter seven. He points out that psychological explanations of demonic phenomena remain unsettled, leaving room for theological reflection. Next, Phillip H. Wiebe notes that philosophy generally rejects demonic possession, but using case studies he argues that some events can only be explained by attributing them to unseen spiritual forces. In the following chapter, Lucy Huskinson considers exorcism in pop culture and postulates that its “popular portrayals of the demonic or monstrous embody the underlying fears and anxieties of the cultural imagination, and, correspondingly, depictions of exorcism represent their purgation” (182). She uses specifijic examples in various forms of media in order to explain how this occurs.