There is something very dangerous taking place in the church today: an invasion of New Age spirituality. One reason it’s so dangerous is that it’s hard for some to tell the difference between New Age practices and Christianity.
This is especially true of new converts to the faith, or those who don’t know their Bibles very well, which is sadly becoming more and more common. According to a recent study by Lifeway Research, despite the fact that nine out of 10 households in the United States has a Bible, more than half of Americans have read little or none of it.
Executive director of LifeWay Research, Scott McConnell says, “Most Americans don’t know first-hand the overall story of the Bible—because they rarely pick it up. Even among worship attendees less than half read the Bible daily. The only time most Americans hear from the Bible is when someone else is reading it.”
By not knowing the Bible, it is impossible to have discernment, which is exactly how Christians get led astray by the seemingly harmless New Age doctrines of love, peace, and good vibes.
What is New Age Spirituality?
New Age spirituality is difficult to define as it involves a compilation of Eastern-influenced belief systems that unite nature, theology, and philosophy. This type of spirituality seems good as its main purpose is to seek peace and enlightenment. However, instead of believing in God as the sole creator of heaven and earth, New Agers believe that they too, are divine, which makes them co-creators. Some of them (including famed New Ager, Shirley MacLaine) go as far as saying that they are God.
Those who are caught up in New Age doctrines think that they can create their own reality by what they believe. They also think that by changing what they believe, they can change reality. There are no moral boundaries, there is no such thing as sin, there is no evil in the world, and absolute truth does not exist. They also have a firm belief in karma, or the law of cause and effect in the universe.
Even to Christians who don’t read their Bible very much, these New Age beliefs probably seem pretty contrary to Scripture. If that’s the case, how are New Age thoughts, beliefs systems, and doctrines making their way into the church?
It’s happening very subtly, and in ways that most Christians see as completely harmless. For instance, many Christians read their daily horoscope. They might also engage in visualization techniques, meditate by completely emptying their mind, repeat words of affirmation, practice yoga, and engage in contemplative prayer. All of these practices are rooted in New Age belief systems.
New Age Spirituality in the Church
Why are these kinds of practices becoming so popular and why are Christians engaging in them? One answer is that Christians might feel bored or dead in their faith. Maybe they feel they have no purpose in life so they start looking for ways to have deep spiritual experiences and find new meaning to their lives.
Or maybe some Christians (live Eve in the Bible) become deceived by Satan and what appears to be good ends up being evil in disguise. For example, the self-help movement (which is rooted in New Age thinking) has taught people that by believing in themselves, they can find ways to fix their faults and make themselves a better person. This sounds really good, but the problem with this is that Christians become self-focused and begin to depend on themselves instead of God, which very often leads to pride (something God hates).
New Age doctrine also says that while Christianity is a valid way to achieve high states of spirituality, it must not be considered a unique way. This leads Christians to adopt the idea of universalism and that all roads lead to heaven.
One reason Christians get so confused is that some people who teach New Age ideas call themselves Christians. A perfect example of this is Oprah Winfrey, a celebrity with a huge amount of influence. Churchgoers often start listening to these celebrities and self-help gurus. They also start reading popular books like The Secret, which explores the New Age doctrine of law of attraction, and also other books with New Age undertones, such as The Road Less Traveled and The Shack.
For Christians who want to stay away from New Age spirituality, they must remember that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14). Just because it looks and feels good, doesn’t mean it is.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
