God Forbids You to Summon 'Satan's Demons,' Play 'Charlie Charlie Challenge,' Pastor Robert Jeffress Says
By
Samuel Smith, U.S. Editor
| Saturday, May 30, 2015Charlie Charlie Challenge. | (Photo: Screengrab/YouTube/Gekke Markie)The "Charlie Charlie Challenge," the newest game sensation being played by children and adults throughout the world, should have Christian parents concerned that their children are committing an act "detestable" to God by summoning a forbidden demon, Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress said Friday.
More and more people are posting videos to social media featuring them trying out the Charlie Charlie Challenge, which requires setting up a child-like apparatus with two pencils — that many believe mysteriously move — to indicate the presence of a "Mexican demon" known as Charlie.
Participants set up two pencils in the shape of a cross on top of a piece of paper that is divided into four sections— two yes sections and two no sections. With one pencil balanced on top of the other pencil, contestants asks questions like "Charlie, can we play?" and "Charlie, are you here?"
The answer to the question lies on whether the top pencil shifts to the "Yes" or "No" sections, as it is believed that the pencil is moved by the demon spirit.
Pastor Robert Jeffress in front of the baptistry at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. | (Photo: Courtesy of First Baptist Dallas)Jeffress, who is an author and pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, explained in a Friday statement provided to The Christian Post that the Bible explicitly warns Christians not to try to summon a demon spirit.
"The Bible is clear that Christians should run — not walk — away from any attempt to contact or harness demonic powers through games like 'Charlie, Charlie,' Jeffress wrote.
"Deuteronomy 18:10 uses the term 'divinations' to refer to activities that involve contact with demons and warns 'whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord' (Deut. 18:12)."
"Any parent who takes the Word of God seriously will do whatever is necessary to keep his or her child away from games like these, which God has strictly forbidden," the 59-year-old Jeffress added.
Jeffress further advises Christian parents who witness their children playing Charlie Charlie, to use that as an opportunity to have their children connect with Jesus, rather than the devil's demons.
"If a child shows an interest in games like this, parents — instead of panicking — should use this natural interest in the spiritual world to calmly share what God has said about the reality of the spirit world [and] how to make contact with God rather than Satan and his demons," Jeffress wrote.
Carl Gallups, an outspoken pastor and Amazon.com top-60 bestselling author, recently told WPTF news radio that particpants of the Charlie Charlie game and veiwers of Charlie Charlie videos online are being fooled into thinking that the pencils are being moved by nothing but a demon spirit.
"I have done some experiments with this and I think people are being punked," Gallups said. "On my desk in front of me, I have the two pencils set up and the one on the top that is balanced is easily moved by just a puff of air."
"Let me tell you, in every one of these situations — I went and looked at these videos — there is always somebody filming it and they are always very close to the whole thing," Gallups continued. "I held my phone up to pretend like I was filming it and just started breathing a little heavy, but it's indiscernible to anybody around, and the pencil just moves so easily."
Gallups said that people's obsession with this game speaks to the "innate desires of the human being to connect with the Creator."
"I am saying to folks, 'Turn to Christ, turn to the light, turn to the Word of God. Quit playing around with the darkness,'" Gallups explained. "A pencil on top of a pencil is nothing more than a fake trick. But there is a reality and if you want if bad enough — what they are kind of doing is praying for Charlie to show up — you start getting involved in that with your heart, mind and soul; this little trick is like a gateway drug. It can lead to deeper and darker things."
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