Sonderbooks Book Review of Glimpses of the Devil

Reviewed February 5, 2005.
Free Press (Simon & Schuster), New York, 2005. 259 pages.
Available at Sembach Library (MCN 235 PEC).

As a psychiatrist, Scott Peck seriously doubted whether the devil or demons really existed. As an open-minded scientist, he decided to “explore any possible evidence before drawing absolute conclusions.” He contacted someone who had written about demon possession, and that man began to refer some cases to Dr. Peck. The first two patients referred to him fit the description of standard psychiatric disorders. Dr. Peck was all the more convinced that science, not any supernatural phenomenon, could explain their cases.

Then a third patient was referred to him. Dr. Peck began seeing this patient, Jersey Babcock, and became more and more convinced that this was a genuine case of demon possession. Glimpses of the Devil tells of his encounter with Jersey and one other case of demon possession. Both accounts describe the evaluation and diagnosis, leading up to an exorcism with a team of helpers. In both exorcisms, the demons inhabiting the patients manifested themselves in dramatic ways.

Now, I believe in the devil, so it wasn’t hard for Dr. Peck to convince me. However, there are times when I doubt. I figure that if the devil is real, God must also be real, so I found this a faith-bolstering book. The stories of these encounters with evil make compelling, fascinating reading.

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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

*****Glimpses of the Devil*

A Psychiatrist's Personal Account of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption

by M. Scott Peck