The Witch Is Back

As I've made pretty clear across the site, I Am The Witch of Times Square. Prior to taking on the title, I did some research to make sure I wasn't encroaching on any other witch's claim. A Google search revealed this sermon from August 2022 entitled "The Witch Is Back" from Times Square Church, which I feel my post requires me to respond to. So this is an open letter/essay to TSC about this sermon.

Pictured: Tim Dilena, the guy who gave this sermon. Nice tie!

To make sure they get this letter, I will be dropping one of my new calling cards, which you may see around the city, with a link in their offering bucket (yes, I'll be attending a service in person).

The sermon's inspiration is from 1 Samuel 28. Before getting into the letter, I want to provide a quick synopsis of this chapter:

Saul (then king of Israel) was being overwhelmed with the Philistine army and was having difficulty hanging onto his kingdom. When he tried to call upon God, he did not answer; not through dreams, Urim or prophets. (The Urim is part of the breastplate worn by the High Priest of the time and was used to commune with God).

So Saul decided that he would need to talk with the deceased prophet of Samuel via a medium. This would prove difficult because Saul had forced the witches and mediums out of the land upon pain of death. Luckily, someone knew a witch in the town of Endor.

Pictured: Endor.

Determined to get his answer, Saul disguised himself and went to the witch. Upon requesting a séance, the witch was worried that the men were attempting to entrap her and get her killed.

Pictured: The Witch of Endor.

After assuring the witch that they would not be punished for assisting, Saul requested that she call the soul of Samuel. Acquiescing, the witch called forth Samuel, who rose from the ground in a coat. Samuel asked "Why did you bother me?" Saul noted that God would not answer him and asked for help as to what to do about the whole Philistine army thing.

Pictured: The Philistine army, probably.

Samuel responded by berating Saul, saying that "The Lord has left you and has become your enemy. So why did you call on me? He has done what he said he would do - the things he said through me. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David. You did not obey the Lord; you did not show the Amalekites how angry he was with them. That's why he has done this to you today. The Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines." (1 Samuel 28:16-19 (NCV)).

Saul was so distraught with the news that he fell flat on the ground. The witch, noting that she just risked her life to do what he asked, begged Saul to eat something. After some cajoling, he eventually ate some beef dumplings that the witch made and left.

Pictured: Never underestimate the power of a good meal to calm you down.

Thus is the tale of the Witch of Endor. Saul actually dies in battle with the Philistine army three chapters later and David becomes the next king of Israel, in line with the message that Samuel delivered via the witch.

Next, before the main event, I want to summarize the parts of the sermon I feel called to respond to. You're free to watch the whole thing (link is above) if you want the full context, but I also understand that not everyone wants to do that because that's an hour of their life that they won't get back.

There are two main issues that I take with this sermon. The first is what you probably expect: Equating witchcraft (and the Witch of Endor) with evil and sin. It's peppered throughout the sermon, but the example that stuck with me (and where the title of the sermon is derived from) is where Tim uses the image of a witch knocking at your door to represent sin trying to come back into your life.

The other issue I have is that Tim waves away magic as fake. I've written on the reality of magic before, so I'm not going to do that again. But to say that the world is not full of magic is to bury your head in the sand.

Pictured: But seriously! How do you own a smartphone without believing in magic?

Or, for Tim specifically, how do you broadcast a video of yourself around the world simultaneously without believing in magic?

However, I've not talked about astrology before (which is the example Tim goes to to say that magic is BS), so I'll briefly address it here. Make no mistake: When you are born will have an effect on your life (just ask anyone who was born near a major holiday). Will (both ours and that of the divine) can override and break patterns, but there are many pieces that are present in the world by default.

Let's take an example of my birthday, which is in mid-autumn. Due to when I was born, I was the youngest of any grade cohort that I was in. Being the youngest in the room shaped both how I saw myself and how others treated me. And this is just one thing that flavored my socialization and had an influence in my life. Whether you believe the stars themselves affect you or not is kind of irrelevant.

And I think the stage is set!

***

Dear Tim,

Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you, albeit virtually. I happened across the above referenced sermon and I just had to comment.

I first want to thank you for bringing this passage to my attention; I've run across it before but haven't really delved into it in depth until you brought it up. I am a Christian Witch and, thus, and the interplay of witchcraft in the Bible is of particular interest to me (before you say "there's no such thing as a Christian Witch", you don't get to tell me what I'm allowed to believe or call myself).

I'll be honest, I started watching your sermon expecting an anti-witchcraft diatribe similar to the ones I grew up with. However, I think your sermon actually is worse. Indeed, I think you missed the point of 1 Samuel 28: Saul's lack of promised obedience to the God that gave him his throne and that he proclaimed to serve.

To begin, I am having difficulty understanding how the witch or witchcraft is the antagonist of this story. I see a persecuted woman who fears for her life and has to live in hiding because of her beliefs and abilities. And, when she is called on, she risks her life to deliver a powerful message from beyond the grave that we still study to this day. Then, we get to the message that the prophet Samuel gave: If consulting a witch was a problem, wouldn't you expect that to be a part of that message? That is suspiciously absent.

I also have difficulty understanding how you conclude that witchcraft/magic is fake. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of con-artists and unscrupulous people who operate in this space. If anyone seeks out a witch, they need to take caution to ensure that the person they see isn't just telling them what they want to hear. But the Witch of Endor literally called the soul of a prophet from beyond the grave. If you believe the Bible is true, how do you square that with the idea that magic is not real?

I will be praying for God to open your heart as your Sister in Christ.

Blessed Be,

Dewy