If you told me 20 years ago that I would write three major books on LGBT themes along with several hundred articles, I would have been quite surprised, to say the least. But if you told me just one year ago that I’d be writing an increasing number of articles on the subject of witchcraft, not to mention including it as a major theme in a book, I would have been equally surprised. Witches? Witchcraft?

This is not to say that I’ve been unaware of the rise of witchcraft in America in recent years. And this is not to say that I don’t give the devil his due. To the contrary, I understand that we are engaged in a very real, spiritual war. And that there are those who take “the dark side” quite seriously.

The Bigger Picture

It’s just that, for the first time, as I have begun to focus on the subject, I’m seeing it everywhere. And, as I’ve looked at the bigger picture — what I refer to as Jezebel’s War Against America — it all makes perfect sense.

There is a connection between our nation’s idolatry, our addiction to porn, the silencing of prophetic voices, the rise of radical feminism, the militant pro-abortion movement, the war on gender, and the spirit of witchcraft. They really are joined at the hip.

As for the continued upsurge in witchcraft, it’s not just that it is growing in numbers. It’s also getting more and more attention from the media. It’s even being celebrated. (Is anyone surprised?)

Upsurge in Witchcraft

Consider these articles, all published within the last month:

• A June 24 story in the National Catholic Register, titled, “The Witches Are Back,” begins with this: “Witchcraft, in its modern feminist occult packaging, seems to be a misguided response to the profound questions that dog our age. It’s the wrong answer to the right question.”
• A July 3 story in the Daily Beast was headlined, “Sydney Loofe Murder Suspect Acted as ‘Daddy’ Vampire to ‘Cult’ of Witches: Witness.” According to the subtitle, “Three women testified that Aubrey Trail and Bailey Boswell used dating apps to lure girls into a sex ‘cult’ — and told one she needed to ‘kill’ to become a powerful witch.”
• Less ominously, a June 6 op-ed piece in The New York Times is titled, “Here’s What Being a Witch Really Means.” Pam Grossman, a self-described witch who wrote the article, explains that, “’Witch’ is one of the words I now use to describe myself, but its meaning varies depending on context. At any given time, it can signify that I am a feminist; someone who celebrates freedom for all and who will fight against injustice; a person who values intuition and self-expression; or a kindred spirit with other people who favor the unconventional, the underground and the uncanny.” Not surprisingly, Grossman sometimes uses her “magic” to “hex the patriarchy.”
• On July 2, a story carried by the AFP reported, “French designer Julien Fournie hailed witches as proto-feminist trailblazers who sent shivers through the patriarchy as he staged his Paris haute couture show in a church on Tuesday.” In his own words, “”I have always found witches stimulating.”
• A June 18 headline in The Los Angeles Times stated, “Witches at work: These women just want you to be your best self.” As explained by Amanda Yates Garcia, known as The Oracle, “If you think being a witch is just sitting around doing spells all the time, you think wrong. Half my business is being on Instagram.” She adds, “My contribution is to … cultivate beauty and love in my clients and help them thrive.” And somehow, this involves witchcraft.

If we look back over the last two years, we find many stories like “11 Books to Hex the Patriarchy” and “Are Witches the Ultimate Feminists?”

There’s even a “Fat Feminist Witch” podcast. As explained by the host, “I examine witchcraft and paganism from a modern, fat, feminist perspective with a heaping helping of sass. Featuring topics such as author interviews, witchy pop culture, spirits and psychic phenomena, art and music, Halloween, weird and witchy history, magickal ethics, social justice, witchcraft around the world, books and buds — all expertly delivered by Paige, the Fat Feminist Witch.”

A Rising Spiritual Trend

I understand, of course, that some of this is lighthearted while some of it is deadly serious. And, whatever the case, the last thing we need is a modern-day version of the Salem Witch Trials.

But we would be foolish to overlook this rising spiritual trend, especially given its close ties to radical feminism and the militant pro-abortion movement. We ignore Jezebel to our own harm.

Let’s pray for many of these witches to have life-changing encounters with Jesus, and let’s be vigilant to walk in the light ourselves.

And by all means, let’s keep our eyes open.

Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Jezebel’s War With America: The Plot to Destroy Our Country and What We Can Do to Turn the Tide. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.