Conclusion and Reading List

The old catechism avers that our chief end is 'to glorify God and enjoy him forever'. I would hazard to say that a great many Christians have excelled on the glorification, but have lost all sense of how to enjoy God. This is in stark contrast to the enthusiasm, joy and sheer friendliness one finds among many Wiccans. It is high time Christians bore witness to Christ by their love, which is one of the distinguishing marks Jesus spoke of about his true followers. If Christians continue to subsist within the ghetto of the Church, then we need not be amazed that spiritual seekers find spiritual fraternity elsewhere. The time has arrived for Christians to truly become the community that is built on faith, hope and love.

Finally, are Christians convinced that Jesus Christ can transform lives and that his teachings work? Wiccans find fulfilment through earth magic and devotion to the Goddess. Are Christians positive that the risen Christ empowers lives and gives the spiritual fulfilment that we long for? If we are sure that Christ's message is 'good news', then we need to find that good news working in our lives before we invite others to share in its blessings. If we are sure that through the resurrection of Christ we are made whole again, then we have a very powerful message to offer.

The Apostle Paul was passionate in his efforts to share the power of the risen Christ. He shared with both Jew and Gentile the same message, but used a different method to reach the same goal. When he dialogued with his own Jewish people, he began with their sacred writings to disclose Christ was the fulfilment of their faith. When he approached Gentiles who had never read those books, he entered inside their culture and offered Christ as the fulfilment of their search for meaning.

Some Wiccans have had a background in the Church and sadly found it deficient. Other Wiccans have grown up outside the Church altogether. Wicca challenges Christianity to recover the heart and passion of its message. Fiona Horne, a prominent Australian Wiccan, has said that she is frustrated by her childhood experiences with the Church, yet she 'digs Jesus'. It seems to me that we have put obstacles in the way of people seeking faith. If Wiccans cannot see the living Christ in us, then it is no wonder they dismiss the Church as utterly irrelevant.

When Jesus came to earth his purpose was to make people right again with God. Perhaps we have spent too much time telling people they are wrong, we have lost sight of Jesus' primary mission of enabling people to become right. Let us not bear false witness against our Wiccan neighbours by demonizing them or ridiculing them as being irrational. The basic game plan of Jesus has always been about healing people and reconciling them with God. Instead of debunking or deconstructing Wicca, why not share the riches of Christ as the fulfilment of the quest? Wicca challenges us to have the love and integrity Jesus had. Are we listening to the voice of the Spirit who guides and comforts the Church?

• Margot Adler,  Drawing Down The Moon,  Beacon Press, Boston, 1986.
• Zsuzsanna E. Budapest,  Grandmother Moon,  Harper, San Francisco, 1991.
• Marija Gimbutas,  The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe,  University of California Press, Berkeley, 1982.
• Fiona Horne,  Witch: A Personal Journey,  Random House, Sydney, 1998.
• Lynne Hume,  Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia,  Melbourne University Press, Carlton South, 1997.
• T. M. Luhrmann,  Persuasions of the Witch's Craft,  Picador, London, 1994.
• J. Gordon Melton,  Magic, Witchcraft and Paganism in America,  Garland Publishing, New York, 1982.
• Silver Ravenwolf,  To Ride A Silver Broomstick,  Llewellyn, St. Paul, 1994.
• Starhawk,  The Spiral Dance,  Harper, San Francisco, 1989.
• Kisma K. Stepanich,  Sister Moon Lodge: The Power & Mystery of Menstruation,  Llewellyn, St. Paul, 1992.

• David Burnett,  Dawning of the Pagan Moon,  MARC, Eastbourne, 1991.
• Ross Clifford & Philip Johnson,  Sacred Quest,  Albatross, Sutherland, 1995.
• Graham Harvey,  Contemporary Paganism,  New York University Press, New York, 1997.
• Craig Hawkins,  Witchcraft: Exploring the World of Wicca,  Baker, Grand Rapids, 1996.
• Mike Hertenstein & Jon Trott,  Selling Satan: The Evangelical Media and the Mike Warnke Scandal,  Cornerstone, Chicago, 1993.
• Alison Lentini, 'Circle of Sisters: A Journey Through Elemental Feminism'  SCP Journal  Fall 1985, pp. 12-17.
• Andrew Linzey,  Animal Theology,  SCM, London, 1994.
• J. Gordon Melton, 'Witchcraft: An Inside View'  Christianity Today,  October 21, 1983, pp. 22-25.
• H. C. Erik Midelfort, 'Witchcraft and Religion in Sixteenth-Century Germany: The Formation and Consequences of an Orthodoxy',  Archiv fur Reformationsgeschichte,  62 1971, pp. 266-278.
• John Warwick Montgomery, 'Witch Trial Theory and Practice' in  The Law Above the Law,  Bethany, Minneapolis, 1975, pp. 58-83 & 147-149.
• John Warwick Montgomery,  Human Rights & Human Dignity,  Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1986.
• Donald Nugent, 'The Renaissance and/of Witchcraft',  Church History,  40 1971, pp. 69-78.
• Gretchen Passantino, Bob Passantino & Jon Trott, 'Satan's Sideshow: The True Lauren Stratford Story',  Cornerstone,  18, pp. 23-28.
• Jeffrey B. Russell,  A History of Witchcraft,  Thames & Hudson, London, 1980.
• Larry D. Shinn, 'The Goddess: Theological or Religious Symbol?'  Numen,  31 1984, pp. 175-198.
• Aida Besancon Spencer, Donna F. G. Hailson, Catherine Clark Kroeger & William David Spencer,  The Goddess Revival,  Baker, Grand Rapids, 1995.