Demon-fighting pastor plans a stop here
6/21/2008The Rev. John Crable is on a barnstorming tour of sorts, but the purpose of his month-long, 9,000 mile trip is to deliver people from spiritual bondage.
He plans to be in the Toledo area sometime next week, saying he wants to keep a flexible schedule so he can meet the needs of the people he ministers to along the way.
"A lot of churches don't practice deliverance," Mr. Crable said. "We come alongside the local church and show them how to deal with people with multiple personality disorders and demonic manifestations."
He is a pastor at the nondenominational New Beginnings Church in Phoenix, which practices a "threefold ministry" of healing, deliverance, and preaching the Gospel.
Mr. Crable said has been getting requests from people across the country who are "greatly conflicted" and don't know where to turn. Too many times, people who are oppressed or possessed by evil spirits seek help from the church but are referred to psychologists or psychiatrists.
The psychologist typically orders medication for the sufferer, which may suppress the symptoms but does not address the real spiritual problem, Mr. Crable said.
"There's nobody going out and ministering to these people who are stuck and alone. What are these people going to do? They are being attacked daily, and they are so beaten down," he said.
After compiling requests for help from people from California to North Carolina, Mr. Crable decided to do it himself. He has mapped out a cross-country route and is traveling from state to state, laying hands on people and praying for them to be delivered from their afflictions.
"The Bible tells us not to be ignorant of the devil's devices," he said. "People like to think he's this little guy with two horns and the worst thing he can do is give us a hangover after a night out. That's not it at all. The Bible says he's our adversary."
Mr. Crable, 40, said he has been casting out demons for six years and is glad to be able to help people.
"It's just a benefit all the way around. I don't charge a dime," he said.
Mr. Crable is planning to stop in the Toledo area to pray for a woman who has had problems with demonic attacks and was told by doctors that she was suffering from mental illness.
Information about Mr. Crable's deliverance ministry is available online at www.greatbiblestudy.com, or by calling 602-885-4617.
- David Yonke