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Satan and His Friends: A Minimalist Approach for Believers
Neither God nor his Word give place to the Devil.
Western tradition has enshrined what Gallagher calls a “Satan maximalist” approach to the evil spiritual beings mentioned in the Bible, finding the devil and his army of fallen angels everywhere. But what does Scripture actually say about Satan and his wicked companions?
Not much, it turns out.
Gallagher calls readers to critically examine the traditional view of Satan and the demonic taking into account the full testimony of Scripture. What emerges is a vision of evil that includes a being known as Satan, but whose power and scope of influence are smaller than tradition usually suggests. The chief enemy of God is not nearly as powerful nor mentioned as frequently in the Bible as is often thought.
The Bible does not center on a conflict between good and evil spiritual beings. Early Christians were not obsessed with Satan, and the New Testament writers chose not to speculate about his origins or motivations. Instead, they focused on godly living that would allow believers to stay in step with the Spirit and avoid every appearance of evil.
Western tradition has enshrined what Gallagher calls a “Satan maximalist” approach to the evil spiritual beings mentioned in the Bible, finding the devil and his army of fallen angels everywhere. But what does Scripture actually say about Satan and his wicked companions?
Not much, it turns out.
Gallagher calls readers to critically examine the traditional view of Satan and the demonic taking into account the full testimony of Scripture. What emerges is a vision of evil that includes a being known as Satan, but whose power and scope of influence are smaller than tradition usually suggests. The chief enemy of God is not nearly as powerful nor mentioned as frequently in the Bible as is often thought.
The Bible does not center on a conflict between good and evil spiritual beings. Early Christians were not obsessed with Satan, and the New Testament writers chose not to speculate about his origins or motivations. Instead, they focused on godly living that would allow believers to stay in step with the Spirit and avoid every appearance of evil.
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 18, 2025
While reading this unusual book, I felt that I was receiving a world-class education on subjects I had not studied in quite this way before. Gallagher presents his approach as "minimalist," and it is in the sense that he suggests the Bible does not say as much about Satan and Demons as we think it might. In chapters about Satan, angels, demons, and surrounding subjects, he explores what the Bible says (and doesn't say). He explores further, taking in the teachings of the early church Fathers and other ancient documents. This book is well-researched and presented in a style that is approachable for the modern reader. The last chapter presents Jesus as Victor, which sets him above whatever challenges the forces of evil may offer. You may not agree with every conclusion (or his sometimes refusal to come to a conclusion when there is no evidence), but you will be enriched if this is a subject of interest to you. And how can it not be a subject of interest to a Christian living in a world of evil? I have a feeling I will be returning to this book in the future for further study.
January 13, 2026
It’s one of those topics all kinds of people want to talk about but much of the discussion comes without a lot of Biblical warrant: Satan and the forces of evil.
In Satan and His Friends: A Minimalist Approach for Believers (galley received as part of early review program), Edmon L. Gallagher takes what he calls a “minimalist” approach to matters of the forces of spiritual darkness.
The author takes a very systematic approach, considering all the various possible characters in both Old and New Testaments, with also some consideration for various apocryphal works. The author explores various possible spiritual beings in both Old and New Testaments, including the elohim, who the nephilim might be, demons, Satan himself, somewhat about the powers and principalities, etc.
I, personally, would not characterize the author’s position as “minimalist.” If one comes from a Pentecostal perspective, one might polemically lump the author in with a bunch of “minimalists.” Sure, the author doubts Satan was understood as a personal malevolent being in the Old Testament, and will often take a much more reserved stance regarding what kinds of things evil forces might be doing in the creation. But since the author seems to confess the existence of Satan as at least possibly a personal being as described in the New Testament, as well as the existence of evil forces, there are plenty out there more “minimalist” than he, who would deny the personal existence of any malevolent being.
The author’s take regarding various spiritual forces are reasonable. One may not always agree, but the conclusions the author sets forth are defensible. Since so much of the discourse regarding Satan and the forces of evil involve a lot of speculation beyond what is written in Scripture, this is a great work setting forth a much more grounded view of such things.
In Satan and His Friends: A Minimalist Approach for Believers (galley received as part of early review program), Edmon L. Gallagher takes what he calls a “minimalist” approach to matters of the forces of spiritual darkness.
The author takes a very systematic approach, considering all the various possible characters in both Old and New Testaments, with also some consideration for various apocryphal works. The author explores various possible spiritual beings in both Old and New Testaments, including the elohim, who the nephilim might be, demons, Satan himself, somewhat about the powers and principalities, etc.
I, personally, would not characterize the author’s position as “minimalist.” If one comes from a Pentecostal perspective, one might polemically lump the author in with a bunch of “minimalists.” Sure, the author doubts Satan was understood as a personal malevolent being in the Old Testament, and will often take a much more reserved stance regarding what kinds of things evil forces might be doing in the creation. But since the author seems to confess the existence of Satan as at least possibly a personal being as described in the New Testament, as well as the existence of evil forces, there are plenty out there more “minimalist” than he, who would deny the personal existence of any malevolent being.
The author’s take regarding various spiritual forces are reasonable. One may not always agree, but the conclusions the author sets forth are defensible. Since so much of the discourse regarding Satan and the forces of evil involve a lot of speculation beyond what is written in Scripture, this is a great work setting forth a much more grounded view of such things.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews