Occult AcademyIN THE first of our series of round table discussions recorded live at the Prophecy Summit at Branson, we discuss the world of the occult and why Christians should pay attention to it.

We’re joined by former practicing witch Doc Marquis and Mike Hoggard, pastor of Bethel Church in Festus, Missouri and host of The Watchman Video Broadcast.  We talk about the appeal of magic and the paranormal, how kids are lured into mystical belief systems, and why occult practices seeping into our churches.

Special thanks to Destiny Lab for the bumper music tonight.

Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network!

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  1. Fight on, expose the works of darkness, we have the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, over all the power of the devil, “Nothing by any means shall harm you”. Raise the banner, draw your swords, shout a shout of victory, His name is Jesus Christ!, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, son of the living God, His horse is about to ride!

  2. Awesome discussion, gentlemen. Wish I could have joined in! May the Lord continue to inspire your ministries and keep your feet firmly planted on that STRAIGHT and narrow path! Hugs to both Mike and Doc–and much love to my wonderful husband! Miss you, Sweetheart!

  3. The Gilberts are at it again, pushing yellow journalism, innuendo, rumor, and baseless theory from the conspiratorialist subculture.

    Derek, do you ever fact check or look into the background of your guests before you have them on your show? Doc Marquis claims to be an “Illuminati defector.” How is that possible when the Illuminati ceased to be a coherent group after its discovery by Bavarian authorities in 1786? Hell, the whole started to fall apart as early as 1784 with Von Knigge’s resignation.

    Furthermore, the Illuminati was strictly a European phenomenon. No authentic membership roles with American members have ever emerged. So how is it that Doc Marquis is a member?

    Marquis claims to have a half a million dollar contract on his head. Does anybody ask why he’s walking around in the open with no protection. Where’s the bodyguards? Why was the Prophecy Summit not held at a highly secure, undisclosed location so this “whistleblower’s” life was not put in jeopardy? Salmon Rushdie had a one million dollar contract on him and he still seldom shows his face.

    By promoting this fraud, you are hurting serious research into the Illuminati’s contribution to covert politics. Like most fringe fundamentalists (a whole lot different from traditionalists and orthodox Christians) you do no due diligence and push paranoia that makes the Puritans of Salem look imminently sane (by the way, Marquis pushes the idea that Christmas and Easter are “pagan” holidays, a thoroughly debunked idea put forward by the puritans of New England and pushed by fringe fundamentalists ever since).

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it agains (no matter what ridicule it might invite): the Gilberts need to graciously bow out of this field and leave the intellectual heavy lifting to people who know what they’re doing.

  4. VFTB has the coolest word cloud content ever!!

  5. Very interesting show, don’t really see the big deal about c.s. Lewis and J.R.R. tolkien’s work. I am a bible believing Christian and a god fearing man and I don’t think there is nothing wrong with enjoying a good book or movie. There are worst things out there to worry about than those things, so stand up and be strong in Christ. Remember GOD is in control.

  6. Overall… a great discussion… loved the exposure of the Word-Faith movements tactics being basically “Christian Witchcraft”…

    Have to agree with Doverman71 on the criticisms of Lewis and Tolkien, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons, … and basically everything that goes off on the fantasy subculture. It’s lame… and while there ARE concerns that I have about some of these things… to broad brush dismiss it ALL as Satanic is just hilariously unhelpful.

    So … until Aunt Clara can speak her incantation correctly… Keep bringing it Derek.

  7. The harry potter and cs Lewis stuff might not effect you , but it could have a big effect on a young person they start fantasizing and romanticizing it in their minds , it might not or might lead to bad paths they will follow in the future.

  8. Thank you for this show. When I try to have conversations with Christians about Harry Potter, and the like, I get the eye roll and a pat on the head.

    I have three children and I would not let them bring books like Harry Potter or others that glorify the occult in to my house, but that does not mean that they did not read them.

    The books were being promoted in the schools and everywhere else.

    Most recently, I brought it up to the youth pastor at my own church. His attitude was that he didn’t want to alienate the kids that he was trying to draw in to the youth group.

    One of my friends even tried to tell me that Harry Potter glorifies good morals!

    Thank you all for for what you do.

  9. I enjoyed the discussion. I do have questions about Doc Marquis’ legitimacy and I fully agree with Doverman and Buckethead about CS Lewis and JR Tolkein. I enjoyed both as a child and was instructed by my parents in their allegorical meanings. I have done the same with my daughter.

    On another note… I thought the discussion about a Christian’s responsibility in the voting booth, voting your conscious was fantastic and one of the best I have heard. If Christians would stop moralizing (looking to vote in the “right” policies) and start making disciples we would be out of this mess quickly. As it stands, the milquetoast “church” and spineless castrated preachers are doing a great deal to set the end times into motion.

  10. You should have kept it rolling and recording for a part 2 to be aired at a later date. God has really blessed our family through the wisdom and knowledge that He’s given both of these men of God. So sad to hear it come to a close…we could have listened for hours- THanks!

    1. Author

      Nelson: Thank you! It was already Midnight local time when we finished, so I’m not sure we’d have been coherent for much longer.

  11. Sleep deprivation has similar effects on the brain as alcohol, so I’ve read…

    1. Author

      That sounds about right. Carrying the conversation deeper into the early morning would probably not have been edifying. Entertaining, maybe, but not edifying.

  12. I hope people will do their own research into CS Lewis. He was converted into a belief in full-fledged biblical Christian faith and through his writings (MANY more non-fiction than fiction) he has served as an instrument to bring many more souls into the Kingdom.

  13. For Paul Collins – type the word illuminati backwards and add .com
    Type it in your address bar and See where it takes you.
    I’ve been studying the occult, the bible and conspiracy theories for many years.
    Derek and Sharon are excellent at what they do. Your comments reveal your lack of knowledge. You, are out of your league son.

  14. Big mar – you gotta be kidding me!?!?
    how did you (or whoever) figure that out? I’m trying to imagine some explantion that doesn’t involve the obvious . . .

  15. Big Mar (or whatever your real name is),

    Oh, so you’ve read, I’m assuming, James Billington’s Fire in the Minds of Men, Abbe Barruel’s Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism, Nesta Webster’s Secret Societies and Subversive Movements and Terry Melanson’s The Pertibilists. These are, after all, the most important books over the topic and they draw from primary source documentation. None of them give credence to Doc Marquis’ assertions.

    And if I am out of my league, why did the Gilberts used to have My brother and myself on their show? And why did they introduce us as their “go-to guys for deep politics”? Not to blow my own horn, but I couldn’t be out of my league, even by the standards you’re judging my research, if your heroes Derek and Sharon were giving props.

    You say you study the occult and conspiracy theory. But what do you read? Any primary sources? Carroll Quigley? Domhoff? C. Wright Mills? The truth is you probably have only read conspiracy literature that buttresses your own presuppositions.

    I will agree with you on this: the Gilberts are excellent at what they do. They misinform people.

    And I ain’t your son, son.

  16. Paul – One thing I admire about Derek is that he is always respectful of others, whether or not he agrees with them.
    I think it weakens our witness as Christians when we quarrel, especially in public. It’s obvious there’s been some kind of falling out between you all. I pray the Lord Jesus Christ will bring forgiveness and healing wherever it is needed.
    God bless you.

  17. KC,

    I take issue with the assertion that he is always respectful; the things he says and the things he does can be quite contradictory. And instead of addressing the issues, he avoids them. But your prayers over the situation are appreciated.

  18. Paul Collins if you think anyone other than yourself is impressed with your reading credentials you are sadly mistaken. Why don’t you do what trolls do best & stay underground, so your pride doesn’t stink up the joint. Jealousy doesn’t become you.

  19. Tex,

    I ‘ll ignore your comparison to mythical creatures and say this in response to your post: I don’t want people to be impressed with the fact that I have a library card. I do, however, wish for them to turn to primary sources and reliable secondaries when studying the topic of the Illuminati and deep politics.

    Again, I will ask, how can Doc Marquis claim to be some kind of “Illuminati defector” when the group ceased to be cohesive when they were discovered by Bavarian authorities in 1786? Anyone who has read “Fire in the Minds of Men” by Billington or Melanson’s “The Perfectibilists” knows this. Both of those sources, by the way, are not theory; they are based almost solely on primary documents, including those surviving Bavarian Illuminati documents.

    What, Tex? You don’t believe in fact-checking? If that is the case, you are right at home with the Gilberts. I will ask again: did they look into Doc Marquis’ background before even having him on their program? What’s Doc Marquis’ real name? How can he be so public if he does, in fact, have, as he claims, a half a million dollar contract on his head?

    Have these questions even crossed your mind?

    By the way, jealousy doesn’t become me, but what exactly do I have to be jealous about? Doc Marquis is not even asked to prove or legitimate a word or claim he puts forth. Why should my intellect (or any other serious researcher’s, for that matter) be threatened by someone that produces no evidence to back his assertions? I am just concerned (and rightly so) that well-meaning people (and you might even fit into that category) will be taken for a ride by one of the many frauds out there. Do you really think Doc Marquis is the only clown out there who has claimed to be some kind of “fomrer witch” or “Illuminati defector”? Does anyone remember Alberto Rivera? Or Mike Warnke? Or John Todd? Why should Doc Marquis be seen as anything different.

    Oh, and hurling insults comparing me to some troll doesn’t become you. So don’t try to act like you are taking the moral high ground. If I am being harsh in my presentational style, you are doing no different in your response to my posts.

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