Pastors and exorcisms
I know the Catholic church trains some of its priests to be exorcists. I am wondering if the WELS has pastors trained to perform exorcisms. If so, where did the knowledge of how to do it come from, considering it isn't in the Bible (as far as I know)? Also, if we do have pastors who have performed exorcisms or have witnessed someone who is possessed by a demon, what documentation (if any) exists other than what's in the Bible? A different question, but along the same lines - in the WELS we believe that the Bible is the only true source of information about God. However, satanic cults or witchcraft seem to have other sources of information for their purposes. Is any of this legitimate? If so, do we know where it came from? Were these potentially texts that were thrown out at the Council of Trent?
Our pastors are not trained to perform exorcisms. Our pastors are trained so that they can personally—and help others—do what Scripture says: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12). Our pastors, like all Christians, wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” (Ephesians 6:17) in daily skirmishes with Satan and his evil forces.
If Scripture is the only true source of information about God (and it is), then sources of information that serve satanic cults or witchcraft do not originate from God. That information may have been written by people, but ultimately it came from the devil, “the father of lies” (John 8:44). That information was not a body of literature rejected by the Council of Trent.
Your questions are a good reminder that the devil is real. In a day and age when many people deny the existence of Satan and, thus, are unprepared for his assaults, we want to take to heart what God says: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). As we implement those words, let’s thank God for what the great Reformation hymn reminds us about in our battles with Satan: “One little word can fell him.”