EMQ » April–June 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 2
By Hans-Christoph Baer
When I was a young missionary living in the Karen village of Sop Lahn, a young Christian lad came up to our house and told me about a dream he had. He was very concerned about it. I could not understand everything about the dream due to inadequacy of language at the time. But I answered him, quoting Jeremiah 23:28 where it says: “Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain? declares the Lord.” Was this an appropriate answer? How should Christians respond to the high significance of dreams in some cultures?
For me dreams did not have much significance so I ignored them. Traditionally, Karen would not go out to work for one day if they had dreamed a bad dream. I advised them to pray and go out anyway. With this attitude I had not too many people coming anymore to tell me about their dreams. Some years later I heard that a Christian clan was thrown out of a village we worked in because the head of the clan was accused of having cursed people to death in the village. I asked them how they knew. Their answer: Two people in the village have dreamed that he has done it. If in a dream a person gives meat to another person the giver of the meat is the sorcerer who has cursed to death the receiving person. I was shocked to hear about such influence of dreams in their lives. This gave me the impetus to do research about dreams among animists and in particular among the Karen in the Omkoi district of North Thailand.
The Significance of Dreams Among Animists
Many animists consider dreams as real as their physical life. “In animistic cultures dreams are considered literal representations of reality, although they may be encased in symbols that need to be divined.”[i] A dream is often seen as a window into the unseen but real spiritual world. “Dreams may therefore be used as evidence in the traditional court. For example, if a man dreams he has committed adultery with another man’s wife, he is liable to pay the same fine as for an offence committed while awake.” [ii] Dreams are one of the most significant resources for a human being to be able to receive messages from the unseen world.[iii]
Since I started to take an interest in the dreams of the Karen, they tell me freely about their dreams and how they interpret them. The Karen know many interpretations of dreams. You could almost call it an oral dreambook. Only in serious cases (like the one mentioned above) will they also go and ask the spirit doctor. There is still a lot of fear about bad dreams. From around seventy people I interviewed about 70 percent of dreams were bad dreams. Everybody said that they do not like dreams and if they could they would stop them.[iv]
One of the best known Karen speakers in Thailand, pastor Loue Po, started his Christmas message in front of hundreds of people with the statement that God had shown him in a dream that the Karen Christians in the area had been adulterous in their relationship with God. Adultery is one of the severest sins in Karen culture. Whenever it happened in olden days, the couple might have had to leave their village. Pastor Loue Po then preached a powerful message about Hosea and some passages from Ezekiel. That fact that he had dreamed about it gave the message a very current and serious note.
The Benefits of Doing the Research on Dreams
- Dreams and culture tend to be interconnected. Usually people dream about things which relate to their culture and fears. Some Christians have testified that their dreams have changed since they committed their lives wholeheartedly to Christ. I have gained a deeper understanding of Karen culture through people telling me their dreams and giving me the opportunity to ask questions.
- When Karen come together from different villages, they talk a lot about their relatives and friends. As a foreigner I used to tell my own story quite quickly, wondering what else I could say apart from the Bible message. But talking about dreams has given me an opening to talk to anybody, from committed Christians to the spirit doctor and it has ignited lively discussions.
- It has given me many opportunities to share the gospel with people of all walks of life. For example one man told me that he dreams about light quite often which is a nice dream. I said, it seems that you are longing for light. I know the light, Jesus Christ. He answered, “I wonder whether I should become a Christian.”
- Through this research I started to reflect more on my own dream experiences. This caused me to do a theological study on dreams,[v] which has laid the foundation for a biblical critique aiming to transform the worldview on dreams by Karen Christians.
Redeeming the Experience of Dreams
The Karen themselves have ways to redeem the experience of bad dreams. After a Karen animist has had a bad dream, the most common practice is to stay at home for a day in order not to endanger his life. It is a kind of taboo. But this is not always practical or possible. Therefore, if an animist has to go out, he will ‘yo hpe yo blo’ or ‘yo hpe hoko’ that is, he will stamp the ashes or stamp the earth so that the spirits will not see where his feet go.
When Christians experience a bad dream they usually pray and commit the dream into God’s hand. They ask God to redeem them from the bad or evil the dream may predict. Leaders in the Christian community also go to pray with other Christians who have had a bad dream. One Christian mother said that she dreams less when people come to pray with her. Christians pray that God will protect them. While some pray not to dream bad dreams, one thoughtful evangelist asked God to change his bad dream, and God did. A lady leader said, “We must remember that God is bigger than anything, God can change evil into good.” The same lady sometimes refuses to accept a bad dream in the name of Jesus. She also has fasted to get rid of her evil and disturbing dreams.[vi] When she and her husband finished building a new house, she got involved in spiritual warfare. She said,
I took oil and declared God’s reign and drew crosses on the wall and I prayed, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, devil disappear!’ I drew crosses in each room. I asked that the blood of Jesus would come to reign. If there were any gods or any fornication, I asked God for forgiveness. Then when I prayed, there was a noise. I got a chicken skin and it was exactly midday. Then I knew that the devil still had had a stronghold. … Then I dreamed at night. I saw the devil leaving through the curtain. Afterwards I was freed from the bad dreams.[vii]
The interviews have shown that some Christians have dreamed very encouraging new dreams or have been released from disturbing old dreams.[viii] Some Karen feel that there is no Christian to whom they can turn if they have experienced an exceptional dream. When none of the Christian leaders is able to interpret it or take it seriously then they go and consult the spirit doctor.
In the Old Testament, God gave the gift of interpretation to Joseph and Daniel. In dependence on God—because God is the interpreter of dreams—they could give the right interpretation, and by doing it they saved many people. In New Testament times we can expect that God gives the gift of interpretation and distinguishing between spirits[ix] to some Christians in His Church. Surely, it is not in God’s will that we leave the interpretation of dreams to spirit doctors, magicians or dream readers. Instead he wants us to seek Him earnestly.
The gift of distinguishing between spirits is necessary, too, when Karen Christians dream a so-called bad dream. Some do not go out, do not plant fields on that day, because they believe it is a warning from God. In the Bible some dreams are warnings from God, but those warnings are spoken very clearly. The Karen tend to have many bad dreams, so much so that if the Christians give heed every time they have had a bad dream and take it as a warning, they will be bound back into their old faith and fear again. It is important, therefore, to know when a dream is a warning from God or whether it is just another dream from a spirit who wants to draw them back into their old beliefs.
The research has revealed some strong animistic undercurrents among Christians which have to be addressed. Could it be that dreams mirror how deeply the new Christian faith has taken root? The research has shown that this is the case to a certain degree. However, it is not only the dreams themselves, but also how Christians handle their dreams, which sheds light on their faith. Faith/worldview and dreams influence each other remarkably.
I am convinced that the more the Karen Christians are influenced by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit working in them, the more people will receive dreams which will be helpful to them. Praying for a new dream will be a better way to experience this than ignoring or denying dreams. God wants us to be open to Him, accept all the ways He may communicate to us and yet be discerning about the source of dreams.
If people’s faith is changing it can be expected that their dream world will change, too.[x] The research has shown that Christians, even children, who have been affected by a revival, started to have new dreams. The reverse is also true. We have discovered that many Christians view “old dreams” as a temptation to be drawn back into their traditional animistic faith. The following “Recommendations” section will show how this research can help to redeem the dreams of Christians coming from an animistic background.
Recommendations
To the Karen Christian community:
- Do not ignore dreams nor talk dreams down. Dreams are like a vehicle which can be used by different sources to communicate from the unseen world. God has used them for his purposes even until today. Therefore, take dreams seriously, but do not give them the place of absolute truth.
- Dreams and their interpretation need to be checked against the revealed will of God in His Word. Dreams from God do not accuse others. The devil is the accuser.
- If you experience bad dreams and nightmares that recur, they may well be demonic.[xi] Pray to God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to set you free.[xii]
- Dreams from evil spirits or the devil are not to be trusted. Dreams interpreted by spirit doctors are not to be trusted either. Do not believe in them otherwise you will become a slave to them. “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth who came in the flesh”, refuse those dreams and under His protection go out to do your work. If you are fearful, ask someone else to pray with you.
- Dreams from God may give warning, but often they are messages of encouragement.
- Pray. Not only not to have a dream or a bad dream, but pray for good dreams from God. Pray that God will speak to you clearly through dreams.[xiii]
To missionaries, Karen evangelists/pastors and theological institutions:
- As we have seen, there is a connection between faith and dreams. It is therefore important to teach God’s Word and disciple Christians to become followers of Jesus in all aspects of their lives. If God’s Word and the Holy Spirit penetrate and fill the Christians’ lives, we can expect dreams to change as well.
- In or after church, give some time for dreams to be told and discerned together, as well as giving the opportunity to pray about them.
- Together with the dreamer discern the source of the dream on the basis of God’s Word. Show to the dreamer the limits of dreams. God’s promises are more important and trustworthy than dreams.
- In cases of sorcery leading to accusations, go and talk with the parties involved. If they are Christians, biblical teaching and a close spiritual walk with them is of utmost importance. You may have to get involved in spiritual warfare.
- Ask yourself whether there is a spiritual person in the church who has the gift of interpreting dreams. If there is, work together with that person in order to build up the church of God.
- Theological education institutions should think about how they can equip their trainees regarding dreams so that they will not be helpless when they are confronted with dreams in their community. Could a special seminar on dreams be planned?
- Another approach could be to integrate interpretation of dreams into a class about pastoral care or else as a regular weekly session. For instance, a dream could be told and discerned together—giving a practical lesson in contextualized theology—and providing an example of how dreams can be dealt with.
Summary
In summary, it is crucial that the animistic mindset, which is infested with lies by evil spirits who also use dreams to hold people captive or to draw them back, be continually replaced with truth from God. The negative thoughts coming from their old beliefs and dreams have to be challenged continuously with the fact that God is their loving Father and His intention is to bless and redeem them and not harm them. As their relationship with God deepens, the power of evil dreams on their lives will loosen. The more the Christians understand the love, holiness and power of God and the more they learn to trust Him fully, the more freedom they will experience, and the better they will know the voice of God, even through dreams.
Hans Christoph Baer, DMin, is an ordained pastor from Switzerland. He and his
wife Beatrice serve as missionaries with OMF International in Thailand. They
work among the Sgaw Karen people as church planters, and Hans as a Bible
teacher and leadership trainer.
[i] Gailyn Van Rheenen, Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1991), 186.
[ii] David Burnett, World of the Spirits. A Christian Perspective on Traditional and Folk Religions (London, United Kingdom: Monarch Books, 2000), 49.
[iii] Cf. Philip M. Steyne, Machtvolle Götter (Bad Liebenzell, Germany: Verlag Liebenzeller Mission, 1993), 125. A translation of: Gods of Power. Houston, TX: Touch Publications, 1990.
[iv] There was one exception who said, if he has good dreams he does not mind dreaming.[v]
The following book has been published about this research:
Hans Christoph Baer, Dreams in the Omkoi Karen Christian Context. An anthropological
research combined with a theological study on dreams (Nürnberg, DE: edition
afem, mission academics 42, VTR Publications, 2018).
[vi] The Jewish Rabbi Rab (died 247) recommended fasting as the best remedy against bad dreams. Strack, Billerbeck, 55.
[vii] Mrs Noahmo, pastor Loue Po’s wife.
[viii] “Formerly I dreamed about the ‘plü’ (land of the deceased) and it rained. I prayed to God about the bad dream, ‘Please do not let me dream or give me better dreams.’ So later I dreamed about the ‘plü’, but there was no rain, but all dry. The sun was shining. It really changed!” (Karen evangelist, Chilapa).
[ix] 1Corinthians 12:10.
[x]
In his paper “The Role of Dreams in Religious Enculturation”, Lohmann comes to
the conclusion that “Dreams facilitated the reception of religious beliefs
among the Asabano before, during and after their conversion to Christianity.”
(p.75). And he concludes: “It is possible that without the influence of dreams,
it would not have been possible for the Asabano to absorb and internalize exotic
Christian beliefs.” (p. 97). In:
Roger Ivar Lohmann, “The Role of Dreams in Religious Enculturation among the
Asabano of Papua New Guinea” in Ethos, 28 (1) (2000).
[xi] Compare Job who had nightmares (Job 7:13–15) during the time when God had given him into the devil’s hand (Job 2:6).
[xii] Mark Bubeck advises the following prayer before sleep each night in order to eliminate this problem: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I submit my mind and my dream activities only to the work of the Holy Spirit. I bind up all powers of darkness and forbid them to work in my dream abilities or any part of my subconscious while I sleep.” Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary. The Christian Versus Demon Activity (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1975), 145.
[xiii] Richard Foster writes into a western evangelical context which is more skeptical towards dreams: „If we are convinced that dreams can be a key to unlocking the door to the inner world, … we can specifically pray, inviting God to inform us through our dreams. We should tell Him of our willingness to allow Him to speak to us in this way. At the same time it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as profitable. We simply ask God to surround us with the light of His protection as He ministers to our spirit.” Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline. The path to spiritual growth (London, UK: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980), 23.
