(A Brief Review of Rough Road to Freedom: A Memoir by Neil T. Anderson; Monarch Book, 2012, $14.99)
Yiddish is a language developed by the Jews in Europe. Yiddish has some interesting sounding words. One of those Yiddish words is the word schmutz. The word schmutz has a range of meanings and can be described as soiled, icky, a mess as in “I have schmutz all over my face”. It is also used of something of inferior quality. If one is having lots of serious problems they might say they have fallen into the schmutz.
Author Neil Anderson is known as The Bondage Breaker from the title of one of his books (see our article “Cure All Bondages”). He recently published his biography entitled, Rough Road to Freedom. His forte is deliverance from demons but in a gentle low-keyed style euphemistically called by Anderson, “freedom encounters.” There is not a lot of freedom felt when a Christian is told they have a demon inside of them. It is a case of saddling you with a problem that you did not know you had simply because Anderson says so. He eschews being thought of as an exorcist and is against the rambunctious, hollering commanding type of exorcist. Though there is a stylistic difference it is the same game with a different name.
Drawing from his new bio and other of his writings I would like to summarize Anderson’s extreme views in capsule form hoping that it will stir reader’s to their own biblical research to “find out if these things are so”, (Acts 17:11). This compilation of some of his major presuppositions is rather startling and can be viewed as religious schmutz. If the average pastor claimed to believe these things he would be looking for a job or given medication. Anderson is applauded by many of the big names in the Christian world. Publishing some books can do amazing things in a celebrity culture.
Departing from Dave Letterman’s list of 10 and observing the number 13 (considered very important to Anderson) I will list 13 of the most extreme and egregious views of Neil Anderson without comment. The extended and detailed research on these teachings can be easily gotten from Anderson’s own biography, Rough Road To Freedom, his books, namely, The Bondage Breaker and an extensive heavily documented article and critique generated by Personal Freedom Outreach in St. Louis Missouri . The following then is the schmutz we would be in if we accepted what Anderson says. These are all his ideas and one would be hard pressed to find them anywhere in the Bible.
1. The superstition of Friday the 13th has supernatural, spiritual significance even though the importance of the date for unbelievers goes back only about 100 years.
2. Of even more spiritual significance is a full moon on Friday the 13th.
3. Even if those claiming satanic ritual abuse are not telling the truth – accepting what they say is the only way to help them.
4. The night time of 3 a.m. is the prime time for demonic activity and even more so on Friday the 13th when there is a full moon.
5. Visions of Francis of Assisi are true and should be believed.
6. Demons can occupy the bodies of believers.
7. The demons in believers are actually located in the nervous system of the human body.
8. There is no need or sense of obligation to defend any systematic theology.
9. Criticism of these ideas is characterized as slander and cruelty.
10. Watchman Nee is someone worth quoting.
11. Contemplative prayer is a very good thing as are formulaic prayers.
12. Admits that his theology has been affected by his experiences.
13. Claims that the Bible is his only rule of faith and practice even though 1-12 cannot be found there in any form or fashion. The next 13 plus can be discovered in his writings.
The opposite of the above is as follow: The Bible is clear that demons are always external to the believer and never internal. Satan and demons can tempt a Christian but not in anyway indwell them since their bodies are the very temple of the Holy Spirit. As well there is not one word in the Bible that encourages a believer to have any kind of exorcism gentle or rough. Jesus did not perform exorcisms in any form but simply spoke a word to dispel demons. Sin is to be taken seriously and dealt with by confession to God but never mistaken for a demon. Sanctification is a life long struggle but God gives grace. The only way to thoroughly clean up schmutz is to clean it up with large applications of the Word of God. Do your own research, get the above studies, and compare all of it to your Bible and what it teaches. Then help someone extract themselves from false teaching and clean up the spiritual schmutz.
Sometimes, what looks legitimate on the outside may be rotten on the inside. Thanks to Richard Fisher for equipping the body of Christ, and helping us to see the vast difference between God’s truth and deceptive “schmutz”.
Excellent points made about the error of this book and the whole thing about Christians having “demons.” I went through a period when I was married to a man obsessed with the idea of Christians having demons and he would cast them out of me. At one point saying he could “smell” the demons around me. Did it make me feel like somehow I was responsbible for it? Yes, indeed it did. It was awful.
If I may say so, the picture of him on the cover of his book, looks, well, he doesn’t look like somone who walks in freedom. As a matter of fact, for someone who claims to be free from demonic activity, he looks quite the opposite.
Your judging Mr Anderson by the way he looks? Surely you know Satan was the most beautiful angel and look how that turned out. God created us all. Be careful making fun of His creation.
” By their fruits you will know them” (Mt. 7:20). I am one of the multitude of people who have been set free thanks to Pastor Anderson’s books. He helped me to find and–most importantly–to feel the infinite love that Jesus has for me. All my life, I believed the lies of the devil: “you are unworthy”, “God doesn’t love you”… I don’t know who you are nor your intentions, however, your little article about Pastor Anderson’s book was written clearly not out of love but out of pride, ignorance and–let’s say it–evident envy. I don’t care much for your pseudo-theological reservations about his book/s. The truth is that Pastor Andreson has been helping people to realize who they are in Christ for decades and that it is far more important than your sad atempt to descredite him. As far as I know, he never said he was infallible, you, on the other hand, seems to be quite certain and categorical…. Why don’t you write about his other “80%” instead? You would do to yourself (and to others) a big favor…
The Good News is, Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, paid the debt we could never pay; so The Father’s children could come home. Biblical
The message Dr. Anderson is sharing; helps us to understand ourselves in light of who we claim to be in Christ, and why we struggle to live out this claim. Since we (God’s Children) are born sinners, we navigate life Spiritually dead. We navigate this life nurturing ourselves, asserting ourselves, protecting ourselves; striving for survival, yearning for significance. Biblical The moment of conversion does not erase who we’ve grown to believe we are. In that moment, the battle for our minds is waged by the demonic realm. He lost the battle for our soul, but he intends to keep us defeated and ineffective as a Christian. Biblical
The ammunition is already available in our minds (Guilt, shame, self-hatred, unworthiness), satan just has to use what’s there. The mind is an amazing place where we store every idea, conclusion, revelation, belief, etc. we ever had whether true or false. Dr. Anderson shared his story, none of which he claimed to be The Inspired Word of God. He built a ministry out of his experiences, and it is liberating numerous people. How can that be false teaching and unbiblical?
My husband and I accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior in our early 30’s….not raised in Christian home, and had lived a worldly life prior to salvation. We both can testify that from the moment of salvation, we became a “new creation”. We thought differently and our emotions were different than prior to salvation. We got into the Word of God immediately (thanks to those who discipled us). We NEVER dealt with “demons” in our lives. As we walked out God’s Truth (found in Scripture), our lives changed dramatically. No one had to explain to us “who we were in Christ.” We knew it from day 1 by experience, confirmed in the Scriptures. Our maturity came through much repentance, receiving God’s gracious forgiveness, and applying Scripture (i.e. walking by the Spirit and not the flesh). To God be the glory!
That is encouraging. Imagine that, the word of God being the final authority for faith and practice!
You are basically right. I knew Pastor Anderson when he was associate pastor at the Church I attended. I learned a lot from him and respect him much. I think he understands a lot about Satan’s use of demons. I love the man, but there are things he says that should be approached with extreme caution. Mainly #11-“Contemplative prayer is a very good thing as are formulaic prayers.” Ken Sila understands the danger of all things Contemplative. It is demonic itself, and comes out of the RCC. Contemplative Spirituality is the leaven of Balaam. Maybe Neil is using the term too loosely, I’m not sure. He needs to distinguish the difference and the danger. Contemplative Spirituality (noun) is Spiritual Formation Kabbalah Mysticism (Babylonian Talmud), from the pit of hell and I am convinced before God that it is the way reason for the End Times falling away of the Church we are seeing now. I love the man, and speaks much truth, but be very aware and keep your eyes on the Lord. I also deeply respect Ken Silva. God Bless.
Amen, brother. I’m another set free by his teachings.
Agreed.
I have been doing much study lately on Neil Anderson and as an elder deciding whether or not to present his ministry in our church I have been reading as much as I can, both positive and negative (like this article) and have, to make a long story short, after much prayer, come to believe that although I do not agree with everything Anderson teaches that it is certainly not heretical by any means.
I have read some of his books including his latest 7 steps.
I believe in the inerrancy/infallibility/authority of scripture.
I appreciate those who write and warn of false teaching.
But truly, those who castigate Anderson on some major but non-essential issues, IMO are throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Humbly submitted.
Blessings.
Dear Mike,
It is only by the grace of God that you feel you were helped by Mr. Anderson. I attended a few days long seminar that he held and it didn’t do a thing for me. Please give God the glory and not Neil Anderson.
Dear Jeanne, I was saddened to hear your assessment of a brother in Christ:
“If I may say so, the picture of him on the cover of his book, looks, well, he doesn’t look like somone who walks in freedom. As a matter of fact, for someone who claims to be free from demonic activity, he looks quite the opposite.”
Such a characterization is a clear violation of many verses, not the least of which is Eph. 4:29, Mt. 7:1.
I am in the process of reading several of Dr. Anderson’s books, to see if what he teaches lines up with scripture, and to see if those who assert him to be heretical are correct or if they are taking his statements out of context. i recall how the religious crowd was jealous, and hateful to the point of seeking to kill Jesus on many occasions, until finally they did, only the reality was Jesus was always in control, and gave himself over to them.
They (the world) is supposed to know we are Christians by our love. God have mercy on us all,
I myself have violated the scriptures i’ve mentioned, just this week, i have also repented.
I realize that i must give an account for every word spoken, i wonder if that applies to every word written? please see Mt. 12:26,37. then 2 Cor 5:10. I share this not to shame you, or to elevate myself, i hare it in love. your brother in Christ. Jim
Dear Pastor Fischer,
I was wondering if you could give me a page number for any or all of the 13 assertions listed in your article. i am currently enjoying reading for the first time all of Mr. Andersons books, and have yet to find anything out of order. In response to #6 above you have stated that Mr. Anderson is teaching:
6. Demons can occupy the bodies of believers.
Where exactly is that statement? I have just read pages 186-187 in ‘the bondage breaker’, and i have yet to find that statement.
i did find this however: (pg 186 near the bottom) “to be demonized means to be under the control of one or more demons. The term never occurs in the epistles, so we have no way of precisely knowing how it would apply in the church age. It is my belief that every believer is Holy Spirit Possessed” (quote from Neil Anderson)
Clearly that statement goes against your assertion and insinuation that Dr. Anderson is a (Schmutz)
I thought name calling was something we all left behind in grade school, but apparently not.
He (Dr. Anderson) goes on to say on page 187 “The influence that demons can have on believers is a matter of degree.”
It is not my goal to call you names sir or to try and put you down, but to humbly say what is the truth? Are you telling me that the thousands of people who are walking in greater freedom, and experiencing the fruit of the spirit, etc etc (as a result of Mr Andersons books) are the product of a heretical cult leader? What exactly are you saying and where is the page number and book? Facts are stubborn things. I have quoted several clear statements, that at least for me make a lot more sense then simply calling somebody names.
I have yet to run across some of your other points, but will keep my eye out. I trust you are not taking things out of context? I can only guess you might, because clearly # 6 (above) missed the point….(or perhaps it missed the mark) If i am wrong, please help me see what the truth is. Your brother in Christ. Jim
Dear Pastor Fischer,
Please allow me to quote from page 51 of ‘The Bondage Breaker’ by your brother in Christ, Mr Neil Anderson, (the Schmutz)
This is in response to your assertion #12 above:
“12. Admits that his theology has been affected by his experiences.” (Fischer)
Page 51: “We don’t make anything true by our experience.” (Anderson)
I have no idea how you concluded your point based upon the fact of what is written on page 51.
Would you kindly show me the danger of his actual statement, or show me where he stated what you assert?
Your Brother in Christ, Jim
PS – my theology became real (i experienced love) when i received Christ, i also experienced freedom from drugs, and a while lot more. What is wrong with that? Trust me i understand that doctrine trumps experience….but again where exactly does Mr Anderson say what you say he says?
Well said Jim. I noticed you got no response. 🙁
Dear Mtn. Girl, I was saddened to hear your assessment of a brother in Christ:
“If I may say so, the picture of him on the cover of his book, looks, well, he doesn’t look like somone who walks in freedom. As a matter of fact, for someone who claims to be free from demonic activity, he looks quite the opposite.”
Such a characterization is a clear violation of many verses, not the least of which is Eph. 4:29, Mt. 7:1.
I am in the process of reading several of Dr. Anderson’s books, to see if what he teaches lines up with scripture, and to see if those who assert him to be heretical are correct or if they are taking his statements out of context. i recall how the religious crowd was jealous, and hateful to the point of seeking to kill Jesus on many occasions, until finally they did, only the reality was Jesus was always in control, and gave himself over to them.
They (the world) is supposed to know we are Christians by our love. God have mercy on us all,
I myself have violated the scriptures i’ve mentioned, just this week, i have also repented.
I realize that i must give an account for every word spoken, i wonder if that applies to every word written? please see Mt. 12:26,37. then 2 Cor 5:10. I share this not to shame you, or to elevate myself, i hare it in love. your brother in Christ. Jim
I too would like to have the book and page references for the 13 statements above. It is interesting that one can write an article and not be able to respond to a simple request for citations to back up written statements. It’s been almost a year since the request was made, so it looks like perhaps there is no actual citation. I have never read anything close to these allegations by Dr. Anderson.
Greetings, as we have pointed out numerous times in the past, Pastor Fisher states the following in his review:
If you are truly interested, the information is available by contacting Personal Freedom Outreach in St. Louis Missouri :
Personal Freedom Outreach
P.O. Box 26062
Saint Louis, MO 63136-0062
314) 921-9800
Mr Fisher, Do you know Ecc Ch 7 where Solomon wrote “Do not be overly righteous nor be overly wise or why should you destroy yourself” and do you know that Jesus said that his disciples would do greater things than Him? My wife who has suffered bondage for many years due to childhood experiences has derived much relief from Dr Anderson’s writings and I know others have too. By what authority and for what reason do you attempt to criticise Anderson? As Jesus also said on one occasion when his disciples set about criticising some others for doing works in His Name “For he who is not against us is on our side” (Mark 9 -40) Methinks you may be guilty of working against a Christian brother for no good reason.
Many years ago, I read Anderson’s ” Victory Over the Darkness.” After obtain several ministry degrees and reading many other books, I have to say it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a great book because Anderson is a discipler and reminds us who we are in Christ. Do I necessarily agree with him on all points of his theology…..no, not at all. Maybe he goes too far with his demonology….. But the rest of us tend to underestimate our enemy. I’m not so sure that one is any worse than the other. Neil Anderson taught me who I am in Christ, but he is by no means perfect. Like all of us…. He teaches a mixture of truth and error. That’s what fallen creatures do……
I have been reading Neil’s teachings on our walk with Christ and it has really inspired me. It’s true we all face a spiritual battle, and he teaches a very balanced approach to this. Not every problem can be contributed to a demon, they only have as much power as we allow them to have over us. Ultimately the devil is defeated by Christ and we should focus on Christ, and not the devil. He does however acknowledge the spiritual realities of the world, and takes a very biblical approach to this. I am glad the Holy Spirit has led to me to someone who’s ministry is so close to what the bible actually teaches us. We are not to take part in gossip or slander in the body of Christ but to edify each other in the truth.
My experience with reading “The Bondage Breaker” many years ago is quite different from the above comments. It did the opposite of leading me into freedom. It took me further into bondage. Through Neil’s books, “The Bondage Breaker” and “Victory Over the Darkness” and especially Frank Paretti’s book, “This Present Darkness,” I became interested in the darkness. I went down a very dark road for many years before getting free. I don’t even remember making a distinction between whether I was possessed, or demonized, but I remember giving myself to Satan in a fit of anger at God. Not a good idea! I would have told anyone that I thought I was a Christian. One day after reading from “The Bondage Breaker,” I was convinced Neil could set me free. I showed up at my husband’s job site and informed him I was leaving for California right then (from Illinois) to find Neil Anderson. My husband convinced me not to go and said we would find someone closer. I didn’t go and we did find someone closer. After meeting with a seminary professor that also did deliverance ministry, I left feeling so free…for about a day. I would spend the next several years going from pastor to pastor in the area who had a deliverance ministry. I found no freedom until I finally starting questioning it and really looking at what the Bible teaches. It was a long and painful road, but freedom slowly came through the truth of God’s Word. I will say…experiences, good or bad, are subjective. The truth of God’s Word is not. No one should base their beliefs on experience, but rather, on the Word of God. I was just writing about breaking off generational curses and how it’s unbiblical. I used quotes from “The Bondage Breaker” (p. 201) and compared it to Exodus 20:5. The very verse Neil claims teaches that breaking off generational curses is biblical, I set out to show in context how this verse isn’t teaching anything about demons, curses being passed down through bloodlines, or renouncing the sins of your ancestors, and yet that is what he teaches using this verse. It’s clear, Neil is adding to Scripture to come up with his teaching on this subject.
Unfortunately his material has caused a considerable about of damage within the Body of Christ and has been a bondage maker rather than a bondage breaker. As I read your comments I thought an article we printed a few years ago by a Pentecostal preacher may be helpful, “Hey… Where Did The Devil Go?”
I had been a christian for twenty five years and about 6 months ago had demons evicted from me. I believe I inherted one of them from my maternal grand mother when she died. Demons can be in Christians, I know this from personal experience. Neil Andersons stuff can be a bit far out but it is reliable.
I am interested in the 13 reasons Neil Anderson’s book Bondage Breaker is misleading. Thank you.
That would be “Neil Anderson’s Rough Road for Believers“
An unfair answer Don. John requested answers from the Bondage breaker.
The house my family lives for over 20 years has some dark or not good entities in it. We have felt, seen and experienced their presence. But, since we’re believers in Christ, we didn’t give much thought or attention to these “spirits” in spite of some obvious signs they were inflicting upon us (sickness, arguments in just about everything, children getting depressed and thoughts of suicide. I was raised to pray a lot even before becoming a new born Christian. So, that’s what I did and still doing. I opened my home/s for Bible studies, and had asked to pray for this house. Nothing happened. Reading Dr. Anderson’s The Bondage Breaker gave me another way to deal with these unwelcome presence. So, I applied the prayers from the book and recited or invoked to rid these unseen subjects. The night before I fell asleep, I was attacked not with so called “voices” in one’s head, but literally scary images flashing before my eyes. The great thing about Bondage Breaker is making you realize who you are in Christ and the corresponding truth behind the assertion. Because once I declare those truths to the evil spirits, they scurried away and I never felt so good. Thank you Lord for using Dr Anderson and giving him the wisdom to inform and educate others about the damaging reality of the spirit world.