Recently, I contributed an article to Faith Today on the surprising origin of the phrase “the devil’s advocate” and what it (as a concept) can teach other Christians today. The article is available online for free here.

Basically, the devil’s advocate was an official in the Roman Catholic Church who helped determine whether or not someone was worthy of being named a “saint.” In the Catholic tradition, there are thousands of saints; some are characters from the Bible, others are notable figures from the history of the church. Without going into all of the details, the church teaches that in order for someone to be named a saint, they must send at least two verifiable miracles from heaven (one for beatification and another for canonization). 

Enter the devil’s advocate. 

Using science, logic, and reason, the devil’s advocate (or Promotor of the Faith) is responsible for analyzing these miracles to see if there is any other possible explanation. If there is, the church throws the miracle out and starts over. As I explain in my article: “the devil’s advocate defended the Church’s best interests by protecting it from embarrassing mistakes and preserving the integrity of the faith.” 

Here’s a little more: 

“I think this principle has a much wider application—our churches need thinking people who can lovingly engage with it from within and protect it from embarrassing criticisms. We need insiders who can evaluate like outsiders. We need people who will play devil’s advocate.”

My article has a little more to say, so please take a look if you’re interested. It’s available for free on the Faith Today website.

Also, in case you’re interested in the historical side of things, a few weeks ago, I put together a video explaining the concept a little further: