Counterintelligence is the practice of preventing a government's secrets from being found out. In a word: spy-catching. It is so paramount to a nation's national interest that entire government agencies spend their time trying to prevent and catch spies.
Counterintelligence aims to make sure persons in positions of trust are trustworthy. Humor me while I defend this idea: counterintelligence is what the church does.
The lion's share of spiritual warfare is not offense, but defense. The Scripture gives the repetitious command to "stay awake," "watch," and "keep your clothes on" (in an allusion to the attire of Nehemiah who wore clothes to be ready for battle as they built Jerusalem's wall).
Counterintelligence has as the same end, perpetual vigilance. MI5's (Britian's homeland intelligence service) early logo was an all seeing eye (pictured above), presumably which never blinks - just as the Christian is commanded not to sleep, not to be drunk (1 Thess 5).
The adversary, the devil, "prowls," (1 Peter 5:8) like a spy. The church is commanded to watch for "wolves" which come in and do not spare the flock (Acts 20:28-29) like spies working against the country it is sworn and paid to protect.
Likewise, the church is called to test those in trusted positions (Rev 2:2) like an intelligence agency using a polygraph (and if they fail the test they are tasked with not placing them in those positions of trust). Wolves do not spare the flock (Acts 20:29), and spies do not spare those compromised by their intelligence as happened with all the CIA's Chinese sources.
The church works in so many ways, like counterintelligence professionals. Or, should I say, it is called to, but is not always faithful to that calling.
I am of the position that the church is compromised because of her failure to act like a counterintelligence entity. She is infiltrated with the wicked who are denomination heads, pastors, presbyters, deacons, church members and the like.
The church is compromised because she did not take her role in counterintelligence seriously. Her secrets are available to the dark government of the devil at the right price. Her trusted positions are available to anyone with an M.Div. No polygraph required.
If America's intelligence agencies slacked the same way the church has, America would be a shadow government of its enemies.
It really is that bad.
What is the solution? I am not sure there is an opportunity for the mainstream church to ammend its ways. The damage is too great, the infultration too full. The ammending should have happened decades ago, the pivot was required in another generation. Now we brace for impact.
But on an individual level, there is hope because you, Christian person, are a congregation before God. You must pastor your own soul by the light of Scripture and be preserved. So be careful which brother or sister you put your trust in. Jesus says brother will hand brother over to death (Luke 21:16) and many will fall away and betray one another (Matthew 24:10). Amos says such times are evil times (Amos 5:13), and Micah says not to trust the lover in your arms (Micah 7:5).
Watch as though you are defending the nation of yourself from foreign spies. Assume the devil is prowling, looking for dirt to ruin you. Don't assume Christians are Christian until the Spirit gives you peace about them. Remember the idea of “wolves in sheep's clothing” and assume there are wolves in your Christian circles (yes, YOURS).
If you begin to act like a counterintelligence professional, you will be just beginning to act like the church.