Christian Witchcraft, Lesson 1...Introduction

Merry Meet! And welcome to Rainwalker's Realm; my blog about Christian Witchcraft.


Christian Witchcraft, like conventional Christianity, comes in many flavors. For some, it simply means having a liberal view of both Christianity, and Paganism. For others, it's an eclectic form of Gnosticism or Esoterica. One in which a person believes (for example) in a concept of Yehsua/Jesus, but also in the sacred feminine or a pantheon of deities. For me, being a Christian Witch means that before anything else I am first and foremost, a follower of Jesus Christ.

I believe in only one God. And I enjoy a close, personal relationship with my Savior. In addition to my Christian faith, however; I've also made a conscious choice to embrace my talent for the magical arts.

Whatever your personal interpretation of Christian Witchcraft may be, I think it only fair to mention that Christian Witchery is not a popular concept. Not among Pagans, and not among Christians. In general, anyone who call himself a 'Christian Witch' can expect to face some strong opposition.

I want to touch briefly on some of the reasons why Christians and Pagans get so uptight when they hear the words 'Christian' and 'Witch' spoken in succession.

Most Christians; regardless of which church they belong to, share the belief that the God of Abraham expressly forbids His followers from practicing witchcraft. And if you've ever studied an English version of the bible, I'm sure you understand why. No doubt you've come across at least one of the many anti-witch or anti-magic passages trickled throughout the bible scriptures.

Should you decide to brave the waters and discuss the fact that you practice witchcraft with an evangelical or fundamentalist Christian, you'll probably be confronted (often rudely), with a myriad of the aforementioned scriptures. Including the infamous ‘thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’, found in Exodus 22:18.

What people are saying when they quote this verse, is that you'd be better off dead than you are practicing magic. For a Witch, statements like this can be very hurtful; even when a well-meaning Christian is merely trying to convey genuine concern.

On the other hand, your Pagan and Neo-Pagan friends may be inclined to think that you've lost your marbles. In my experience; as wonderful as most Pagans are, they seem to think that those who practice Christian Witchcraft are either, A.) terribly confused, or B.) just plain loopy. Either way, such assessments can be equally hurtful and demeaning.

For many Pagans, Christian Witchcraft simply doesn't make sense. The very idea that a person could worship the God of the bible and a pantheon of Pagan gods and goddesses...At the same time, is nothing short of an absurdity. An oxymoron. This stems of course, from the fact that Christians are monotheists; whereas Pagans and Neo-Pagans are polytheists.

It's easy to see (at least, in part) why Christian Witchcraft is such a controversial subject. But I'm here to blow past all the rhetoric, and tell you the truth. A person can indeed be both a Christian, and a Witch at the same time. In fact, there are many sects of Christianity; including Catholicism, who's practitioners have been fusing Christianity with various forms of Witchery for thousands of years.

So let's start with the very basics. There are far too many people...Christians and Pagans alike, walking around believing that witchcraft is a ‘religion’. This is a fairly new belief, likely established in the early 1970's with the emergence of the Wicca movement. Though facts are, it simply is not true!

Here is where I believe the problem lies...

Many of today's Neo-Pagans follow the Wiccan religion. Wicca, like Christianity, however; has many flavors...Generally speaking, it is a peaceful, earth-centered, dual theistic religious system; in which followers express a great reverence for nature and worship both a God and a Goddess. The problem is; Wicca has become so commonly associated with witchcraft and magic (especially over the last three decades), people have begun to use the terms Witch and Wiccan interchangeably; as though they were the same thing.

Many Pagans; even those who practice various forms of Wicca, remain blissfully ignorant of the fact that not all Wiccans practice witchcraft. Likewise, Christians have a hard time reconciling themselves to the fact that not all Witches are Wiccans!

Truth be told, true witchcraft is nothing more than what the word implies. It's an art form. Hence the four-letter suffix on the end of the word witch ('craft').

Contrary to popular belief, the term ‘witch’ has nothing at all to do with Wicca. The word 'witch' was actually derived from the ancient Anglo-Saxon term, witan; which means, “to know”.

And ‘craft’ of course, refers to any art form which can be mastered; providing the artist possesses a certain level of talent and commitment to learning it.

Witchcraft is an art. It's the art of taking that which God (or the Goddess, or the Horned God, or whomever you happen to feel a personal connection to) has already seen fit to provide...(Talents, abilities, insight, empathy, a connection to the divine, etc.); and using these gifts to cause change. It is “the art of knowing” how to manipulate natural forces and energies through concentration or ritual; in order to manifest desired results. Many of today's scholars even debate over whether witchcraft should be considered scientific in nature.

In truth, Witches come from every conceivable walk of life; and can be found practicing just about any 'religious system' including Christianity, or no religious system at all.

For those of us who are Christian, however; it's important to remember the following verse of scripture.

Jesus once said, "for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you". Matthew 17:20. Personally, I choose to believe that with faith, all things are possible. Even magic.

I’ve created this blog for two reasons. First and foremost, I want to encourage anyone who's feeling isolated, misunderstood, battered and bruised along the path to Christian Witchcraft, to hold fast. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It is ABSOLUTELY possible for a person to love the Jesus of the Bible and harness the powers of natural magic.

My name is Rainwalker, and I'd like to invite you on a very exiting journey. Come along as I explore Christian Witchcraft in all it's many forms; so that both Christians and Pagans might come away with a clearer understanding of what Christian Witchcraft is...And (more importantly), what it is not.

Brightest Blessings!