Jarl Waggoner's Articles

Understanding the New Age Movement

by Jarl K. Waggoner

Only two decades ago, most Christians had not even heard of the New Age Movement. Today it seems we are confronted with it at every turn as a tidal wave of New Age literature pours off the presses. What is this movement that in such a short time has become a major challenge to the Christian church?

What is the New Age Movement?

Defining the New Age movement is no easy task. There is no central headquarters, no seminaries, and no official theologians. In fact, the term itself speaks not of a specific religion but of a broad spectrum of ideas and philosophies promoted under names such as "Eastern mysticism," "higher consciousness," "new thought," and "occultism." The New Age movement encompasses many cult groups, as well as organizations that claim to be nonreligious.

Elliot Miller contends that the movement is best understood as "an extremely large, loosely structured network of organizations and individuals bound together by common values . . . and a common vision" (A Crash Course on the New Age Movement, Baker). The New Age Movement is essentially syncretistic; that is, it consists of elements from various religions and belief systems.

Perhaps the best definition that has been offered for the movement is one formulated by a study group of the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR). The ENMR defined the New Age movement as "a spiritual, social, and political movement to transform individuals and society through mystical enlightenment, hoping to bring about a utopian era, a 'New Age' of harmony and progress . . . it includes loosely affiliated individuals, activist groups, businesses, professional groups, and spiritual leaders and their followers. It produces countless books, magazines, and tapes reflecting a shared worldview and vision" (Hopkins,"Experts on Nontraditional Religions Try to Pin Down the New Age Movement," Christianity Today, 17 May 1985).

New Age Beliefs

While the movement is syncretistic, or eclectic, it can be reduced to a few basic theological and philosophical assumptions, most of which find their origin in Hinduism and Buddhism. The New Age precepts can be summarized as follows:

First, God is an impersonal, all-pervasive oneness. God is not separate from creation. God is everything, and everything is God. Such a pantheistic view of God ultimately leaves no room for such concepts as good and evil or right and wrong.

Second, humanity and all creation-animate and inanimate-are an extension of this divine oneness and thus are divine. Every person is divine regardless of any evidence to the contrary,.

Third, ignorance of this unity of reality-not sin-is man's chief problem. Man does not need to be saved from sin but freed from ignorance. Man must be transformed by becoming aware of his oneness with all reality. He must come to realize his divine nature!

This transformation, or spiritual enlightenment, is achieved through various techniques applied to mind, body, and spirit. It provides the basis for a global transformation and a glorious new age of peace and progress.

Fourth, the New Age movement is also characterized by an evolutionary view of reality (that ultimate reality is an ever-changing process), by relativism (truth is that which helps you cope with life), and usually a belief in reincarnation.

Most of the many practices associated with the New Age movement are designed to achieve enlightenment or to tap sources of secret knowledge. They include meditation, yoga, chanting, hypnosis, submission to a guru or a spirit being, channeling (receiving information from the dead or nonhuman beings), and out-of-body experiences. While many of these practices come from Hinduism and Buddhism, others owe their origins to the occult, Satanism, astrology, and theosophy.

Craig Branch wrote, "It is very important to note that these beliefs and practices are both alien and hostile to the Christian world-view and therefore . . . can only produce death both individually and collectively to a culture" ("Introducing the New Age," The Watchman Expositor, Vol. 7; No. 7, 1990).

Prevalence of the New Age Movement

New Age ideas have profoundly influenced Western society. In his massive work, Understanding the Times (Baker), David Noebel ranks the New Age movement (what he calls cosmic humanism) alongside biblical Christianity, secular humanism, and Marxism/Leninism as one of the four major worldviews of Western society. Branch asserts that it "has radically permeated every aspect of our culture."

While New Age beliefs and practices may sound bizarre to many Christians, there is no doubt that those same ideas have attracted many people. The explanation probably is to be found in sinful human nature itself. Fallen humanity seems to long for peace of mind without dogmatism and salvation without grace.

The New Age Movement represents more than just a few isolated ideas or practices. It is a total world and life view. As such, its impact has been felt in almost every area of American life. Among the areas that have keenly felt the New Age influence are the following.

Entertainment. Motion pictures-most prominently the Star Wars series-have increasingly and subtly been bringing an Eastern worldview to the American screen. Not so subtle was the television miniseries based on Shirley MacLaine's best-selling books. In addition, the testimonials of a host of other entertainment personalities have given New Age beliefs visibility and credibility.

Education. The absence, or rather the abandonment, of traditional values in the public education system has opened the door to the relativistic New Age teachings. These have entered the education system through literature texts, values clarification, programs promoting self-esteem and stress reduction, and even the open teaching and practice of yoga and transcendental meditation.

Psychology. While professional psychology has certainly been influenced by New Age teaching, the most evident platform has been the popular psychology of human potential presented in various business seminars. Many of these meetings promise effectiveness, confidence, and success to seekers wanting oneness with an inexpressible "being."

Religion. Having abandoned the Bible as its source of authority, liberal Christianity is open to all sorts of spirituality. The syncretistic New Age beliefs and practices have made significant inroads into many mainline churches. Liberal churches are not alone, however. That portion of the evangelical church that has adopted the "health and wealth gospel" has absorbed the New Age teaching that one can actually create his own reality through proper thoughts.

Politics. Adherents of New Age teaching are for the most part politically active. The New Age view that all reality is an extension of the divine oneness means that there is no essential difference between humans and animals or even between humans and the natural world. Not surprisingly, therefore, the New Age influence is very strong in the movements propagated by feminists, environmentalists, and animal rights advocates.

Is It a Threat?

The New Age Movement is undeniably widespread and influential. But is it a threat to the Christian church? David Smith asserts, "Not since Gnosticism at the dawn of the Christian era has there arisen a philosophy as pervasive and threatening to orthodox Christianity as the New Age movement" (A Handbook of Contemporary Theology, Victor). There are at least three reasons why it cannot be dismissed as a passing fad that attracts only the fringe elements of society.

First, all false teaching is a threat to the church. Any teaching that denies the clear testimony of Scripture with regard to God, man, and Christ strikes at the very heart of our faith. History is filled with countless examples of false religions and philosophies that were as alien to Christianity as the New Age movement that have infiltrated the Christian church and had profound ramifications. The many biblical warnings about false teaching should be reason enough to take the New Age movement as a real threat to Christ's people.

Second, the current state of the church in America makes it especially vulnerable to the inroads of New Age ideas. A 1991 poll indicated that a majority of evangelical Christians are willing to accept the belief that there is no such thing as absolute truth (Barna, What Americans Believe, Regal)! Clearly, the church today is plagued by theological ignorance that is an open invitation to false teachings of any type.

Finally, the New Age movement appeals to the pragmatism that characterizes Americans and much of the American church. It offers simple techniques to achieve personal peace, relaxation, and secret knowledge. To many churchgoers the New Age philosophy is an attractive alternative to the hard work of understanding and applying biblical principles.

A Christian Response

How should Christians respond to the New Age movement? Certainly, the church as a whole must continue to teach the truths of Scripture and refute errors. But there are at least two other things we can do as well.

We first must know what we believe and why we believe it. The impact of the New Age movement and other false systems would be negligible were it not for the biblical ignorance that grips the church. We must be more knowledgeable of the Bible than those who twist Scripture and distort Jesus' uniqueness.

We can be thankful for churches that make a concerted effort to teach the Bible. But we must personally take advantage of the opportunities available to us to learn biblical truth and develop a comprehensive worldview.

Every Christian should have his own continuing education program, starting with regular personal Bible study. Beyond that, there are books, tapes, videos, seminars, and correspondence courses in abundance to inform and equip us for the spiritual challenges we face.

We need next to diligently and lovingly seek to meet real human needs. The sad fact is that most New Agers are simply lonely, confused people in search of answers to their deepest needs.

If we are to reach people who are caught up in the New Age movement and prevent our own from being drawn into it, we must be ready to patiently and lovingly offer biblical answers and display Christlike compassion.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2001-02 issue of Gospel Herald and The Sunday School Times. It is reprinted here by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society, Union Gospel Press, P. O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.