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WHAT’S THEAPPEAL OF THE NEW AGEMOVEMENT?

WWhy is New Agethinking showing up in art, music,

business, education,environmental concerns, health programs, and socialissues? Why do people find areason for living and personalfulfillment through New Agemethods and teachings?

Dan Vander Lugt and Kurt De Haan have written thisbooklet to answer some of thequestions you may have aboutthe New Age movement. It isour prayer that as you read youwill discover the truth that cangive your life purpose, direction,and fulfillment.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 1990,2002 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

The Search For Identity . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s The Appeal Of The New Age Movement? . . . 5

Something For Everyone. . . . . . . . . . 6

Humanity’s Spiritual Vacuum. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Need For Hope . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Spiritual Experiences . . . . . . . . . 18

Supernatural Guidance. . . . . . . . . . . . 22

A Global Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

The New Age Versus Christianity . . . . 30

Transformed!. . . . . . . . . 32

Q1103 New Age 2col pp 4/10/06 8:53 AM Page 1

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

THE SEARCH FOR IDENTITY

AAccording to newsreports, socialworkers in a U.S.

city discovered a womanwho couldn’t remember hername, where she came from,or where she was going.Authorities checked policefiles around the country for any reports of a missing person that fit herdescription. Newspaperspublished photos of her.Eventually the news storycaught the attention of somerelatives in a distant city.They came and tried to helpher remember her forgottenpast.

A growing number ofpeople believe we all are likethat woman in the sensethat we have forgotten ourtrue identity—that we aredivine, part of God. Once werealize who we are, so theysay, we will experience thepeace and tranquility of

sensing our oneness with allpeople, all nature, and all ofthe universe. Some peoplewould add that we have also forgotten our previouslives, and that we are in theprocess of experiencing onereincarnation after anotheruntil we get it right.

To assist them in theirjourney to discover “the godwithin,” many people areturning to spirit guides whoare willing to speak throughother people or directly to them as they make use of special meditativetechniques to clear theirminds and open themselvesto messages that supposedly“raise their consciousnesses”to new levels.

What is the NewAge movement? Wehave just mentioned some of its elements. It’s difficult to define because itencompasses so manyteachings and takes variousforms in different parts of ourculture. In his book A Crash

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Course on the New AgeMovement, Elliot Millerdescribes it as “an extremelylarge, loosely structurednetwork of organizations andindividuals bound togetherby common values (basedon mysticism and monism—the worldview that ‘all isone’) and a common vision(a coming ‘new age’ of peaceand mass enlightenment, the‘Age of Aquarius’)” (p.15).

Walter Martin, in The New Age Cult,states that New Agers “seethemselves as advanced in consciousness, rejectingJudeo-Christian values andthe Bible in favor of Orientalphilosophies and religion”(p.130).

Is New Age teaching new? Much of the movement is merely a redressing of old Easternreligious ideas (such as the divinity of all things and reincarnation) andoccultic practices (such as contacting spirits andastrology). Often the oldideas have been given newnames and explained indifferent terms.

Some elements of NewAge teaching are attempts to bridge the gap between a naturalistic science andsupernatural religion. Inorder to accomplish this,New Agers make sciencebecome less objective andbroad enough to be able to include mystical andnonverifiable experiences;and God is redefined tobecome less supernaturaland more a part of nature.With scientists and mediapersonalities promotingthese ideas, the movementhas gained a large following.

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A growing numberof people believethat we are all

divine, part of God.



Why should we becautious? The Bible warnsus about ideas and practicesthat are expressions ofcounterfeit spirituality. Forexample, Moses told theIsraelites:

There shall not be foundamong you anyone whomakes his son or hisdaughter pass through thefire, or one who practiceswitchcraft, or a soothsayer,or one who interpretsomens, or a sorcerer, orone who conjures spells,or a medium, or a spiritist,or one who calls up thedead (Dt. 18:10-12).Some 800 years later, the

prophet Isaiah described thesin of the Israelites this way:

They are filled witheastern ways; they aresoothsayers like thePhilistines (Isa. 2:6).The New Testament

describes sorcery, spiritism,and witchcraft as dangerous,satanic perversions. Peoplesuch as Simon Magus (Acts

8:9-11), Elymas the sorcerer (13:6-12), thedemon-possessedsoothsaying girl (16:16-18),and the vagabond Jewishexorcists (19:13-16) werecondemned. In Ephesus,new believers burned theiroccult books (19:19). Paullisted “sorcery” as one of the “works of the flesh”(Gal. 5:20), and Jesus said“sorcerers” will not be inheaven (Rev. 22:15).

New Ageism is apowerful movement. It is not a passing fad. It involves spiritual powersthat are condemned in theBible. We should view it as an enemy of true faith in Christ and oppose itintelligently. Therefore weshould understand itsmessages and why peopleare getting caught up indifferent elements of theNew Age movement.

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WHAT’S THEAPPEAL OF THE NEW AGEMOVEMENT?

HHave you ever bitten into a shinyred apple and

discovered rottennessinside—or worse yet, onlyhalf of a worm? If that’shappened to you, then youunderstand a little howAdam and Eve must havefelt when they bit into abeautiful-looking lie andended up with a bad taste in their mouth.

Sly and smooth-talkingSatan invaded their paradiseand promised Adam andEve that their “eyes wouldbe opened” and they would“be like God, knowing goodand evil” (Gen. 3:5). Theireyes were opened, to besure, but they were madeaware of the evil androttenness of their rebellionagainst an absolutely goodGod who had their best

interests at heart. Satan hadfooled them with his cheap,counterfeit, self-servingbrand of spirituality. Andhe’s been doing the samething to people ever since.

Why are people todaybiting Satan’s bait? A lot has happened since thedisaster in the Garden ofEden. Mankind has beenpursuing fulfillment in manyof Satan’s counterfeits. Andconditions today are ripe for a new form of the age-old lie.

The reason for thegrowing popularity of New Age teaching is that itoffers an answer to people’sdeep needs and desires formeaning, fulfillment, hope,peace among people,spiritual experiences,guidance, and personalworth. In the pages tofollow, we will examine thehuman needs that New Ageteaching tries to satisfy, andwe will contrast those ideaswith what Christ has to offer.

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SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Are you fascinated byUFOs? Among New Agersyou’ll find people who willgive hair-raising accounts ofcontacts with aliens. Are youcaptivated by the out-of-body experiences of thosewho were clinically dead butcame back to tell about it?What about famous peoplewho have traveled into otherdimensions of reality in their“astral bodies”? You’ll findyour interests fulfilled in theNew Age movement. What

about more serious concernslike the conservation ofwildlife or the preservationof the environment? TheNew Age is involved heretoo. A wide range of humaninterests is spanned by New Age organizations and literature.

The movement manifestsitself in a bewildering variety of ways, fromsophisticated ideas in the scientific, educational,and governmentalestablishments to “far out” occult practices.

Periodicals like The New Age Journal contain asurprising amount of bizarreadvertising, offering theservices of trance “channels”like Kevin Ryerson (one ofShirley MacLaine’s“channels” at $250 perappointment!), access tomeditation aids, healthfoods, and a variety ofoccult institutions. But they also contain highlysignificant articles by

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Something for Everyone

Spiritual Vacuum

Need for Hope

Spiritual Experiences

Supernatural Guidance

Global Strategy



leading writers and thinkers. Many influential groups

have strong New Ageleanings. For example: the Findhorn Community(Scotland), the Green Party,Greenpeace U.S.A., EsalenInstitute (Big Sur, California),The Unity-In-DiversityCounsel, the Association For Humanistic Psychology,the Association ForTranspersonal Psychology,The Forum, The Farm, and Planetary Citizens.

The wide variety ofpeople and interests in theNew Age movement showshow it offers something foreveryone. For example, well-known spokespersonsfor the New Age includefuturists Alvin Toffler,Barbara Marx Hubbard, andHazel Henderson, the lateeconomist E. F. Schumacher,historian William IrwinThompson, biologist JonasSalk, psychologist JeanHouston, consciousnessresearcher Ken Wilber,

physicist Fritjof Capra, thelate anthropologist MargaretMead, the late futuristBuckminster Fuller, retiredU.N. Assistant SecretaryGeneral Robert Muller,death-and-dying researcherElisabeth Kübler-Ross,actress Shirley MacLaine.

Is there a New Ageconspiracy? The presenceof New Age ideas in so manydifferent levels of societycould make a person wonderif there isn’t some sort oforganized plot behind it all.But if the term conspiracyrefers to a well-organized,centrally administered, secretplan that has been humanlydevised to overthrowChristianity and establish aone-world government andreligion, the answer is no—at least not one that can beproven. But the answer isyes if the term refers to aloosely organized movementthat has become increasinglynetworked for cooperationbetween a wide variety

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of New Age groups. The New Age movement

poses a serious threat tofollowers of Christ becauseconditions are ripe for itsdevelopment. And whenconditions are ripe, a secretconspiracy is hardly needed.Most New Agers haveadopted their viewpointlargely because to them itseems to be the mosteffective response to theserious problems facingmankind. And theirmotives—at least on thesurface—are largely good.

Just as the frequentevangelistic meetings and congresses held byevangelicals do not indicatethat we are secretly plottingto take over the world, sothe mere fact that NewAgers are interested inpromoting their viewpointand winning converts does not imply that theirmovement is conspiratorial.Both evangelical Christiansand New Age disciples are

openly dedicated to winningconverts to their point ofview.

The New Age movementis powerful and dangerouslydeceptive. Because of theserious threat it poses,Christians need tounderstand it and work to counter its effects. But it’s going too far to implythat New Age sympathizersare consciously seeking todestroy Christians and setthe stage for the reign ofAntichrist.

Although Satan’s goalsfor the New Age movementwould undoubtedly includethe suppression of thegospel, the persecution of Christians, and theestablishment of a world government under Antichrist, mostcontemporary New Agershave no such consciousaims. To the contrary, theyprobably have very littleawareness of the logicaloutworking of their point

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of view, and they usuallyhave little understanding of genuine Christianity.

New Age insider MarilynFerguson has written a bookchronicling the movement’sgoals and activities. The titleThe Aquarian Conspiracymay suggest to a casualobserver that New Agers are highly organized in theirefforts to dominate cultureand replace both secularismand traditional religion. But Ferguson and otherswould deny that the whole movement is beingcontrolled by a few humanleaders. In fact, a few NewAge writers like Alice Baileyand Benjamin Creme refer toa hierarchy of spirit beings—not humans—who arecoordinating all the activitieson earth, and who will oneday manifest themselves inbodily form to the world.

Those who read andbelieve the Bible wouldagree that the trueconspiracy is being directed

by spiritual forces/beings.But we would label thoseforces as evil and demonic.According to the Bible,Satan and his cohorts standbehind all anti-Christ andanti-Christian activity. That’swhere the real battle istaking place. Ephesians 6:12states, “We do not wrestle

against flesh and blood, butagainst principalities, againstpowers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of

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“We do not wrestleagainst flesh andblood, but against

principalities,against powers,

against the rulersof the darkness

of this age.”Ephesians 6:12



wickedness in the heavenlyplaces.”

How can followersof Christ respond? Weneed to show our world thatwe have what they aresearching for. People aregobbling up the variety ofNew Age ideas because theyare starving for something to fill their spiritual needs.As they shop around forvarious religious options,what do they see? Do theyfind faithful believers whocare enough to live forChrist and to communicatethe biblical message topeople who need it sodesperately? In the Bible we have the answers to theirquestions. Satan will deludethem if he can, but we havethe truth and Christ’s Spiritwithin us, and He is farmore powerful than Satan (1 Jn. 4:4). God canpenetrate the spiritualdarkness with the light of the gospel.

HUMANITY’SSPIRITUAL VACUUM

What happens when youpull your foot out of a tub ofwater? Does a foot-shapedhole remain? No—the waterrushes in to fill the void. Asimilar thing happens whentrue beliefs about God nolonger occupy a person’sthoughts and activities. Anemptiness demands to befilled. And the vacuum tendsto draw in all the false viewsand notions that come along.

The popularity of NewAge ideas in this scientific

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Spiritual Vacuum

Need for Hope



Global Strategy



age is amazing. Whatmoved out—or was pushedout—so those ideas couldmove in? In part, because ofperversions of true biblicalfaith and practice, somepeople have gotten a warpedview of what it means to bea follower of Christ. As aresult, they have turnedaway from Him.

Another force behind therise of New Ageism is adisillusionment with godlesshumanism, which offers nohope or purpose. This, alongwith humanity’s inclinationto reject the truth (Rom.1:18-32) and the power ofSatan to delude people’sminds (Gen. 3:1-5; Jn. 8:44;2 Cor. 11:14-15), has createdideal conditions for New Ageideas to flourish.

What’s wrong with the followers ofChrist? What the apostlePaul saw occurring in theearly church has continuedto happen up to the present.In 2 Corinthians 11:2-4,

Paul told the Corinthians: I am jealous for you withgodly jealousy. For I havebetrothed you to onehusband, that I maypresent you as a chastevirgin to Christ. But I fear,lest somehow, as theserpent deceived Eve byhis craftiness, so yourminds may be corruptedfrom the simplicity that isin Christ. For if he whocomes preaches anotherJesus whom we have notpreached, or if you receivea different spirit which youhave not received, or adifferent gospel which youhave not accepted—youmay well put up with it!During most of its

history, the church has been anything but the“chaste virgin” of Christ that God intended her to be (2 Cor. 11:2). The first-century church in Ephesusleft her “first love” (Rev. 2:1-7). The church in Sardisbecame spiritually dead

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(Rev. 3:1-6). The church inLaodicea became lukewarm(Rev. 3:14-22).

In addition, from the timeof Constantine onward, largebranches of the church haveoften maintained an unholyalliance with the state. Thiscorrupt institutional churchhas encouraged such evils asthe horrors of the Crusades,the wars of the Reformationperiod, the Inquisition, andthe witch-hunting craze.

Because officialChristendom has often been on the side of injustice,atheistic ideologies such ascommunism and secularhumanism have attractedmillions who otherwisewould probably not havegiven them a hearing. Even in our day, officialChristendom can seem more interested in buildingsand bank balances than incaring for the spiritual andphysical needs of the world.Such practices have hurt thereputation of Christ and

given people an excuse tolook for a more satisfyingalternative.

Aren’t manybelievers faithfullyliving out their faith?Yes, they are. Butunfortunately, mankind’srebellious, fallen naturewould rather focus on thefailures of those who claimto follow Christ. It’s easy tooverlook the role that devoutbelievers have played inscience, the abolition ofslavery, the emancipation of women, and thepromotion of human dignity. Unbelievers

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“I will build Mychurch, and thegates of Hadesshall not prevail

against it.”Jesus (Mt. 16:18)



would rather criticizeimperfect Christians thanacknowledge their personalguilt and need of a Savior.

The church founded byChrist (Mt. 16:18) is stillalive today. It continues to manifest vibrant faith—especially in places wherebelievers have beenpersecuted. The factremains, however, that thefailings of the church havebeen an important cause forthe rise of New Age teaching.

What has happenedto secular humanism?The other prominent optionfor modern mankind hasbeen secular humanism. It can be defined as thephilosophy of life thatassumes that God and the spirit world are myths,that the physical, materialuniverse is all there is, andthat mankind and the entireuniverse are the chanceproduct of evolution.According to this view,humanity is nothing more

than a complicated machine,life is ultimately purposeless,and terms like right andwrong become relative. Theinsufficiency of this andother atheistic ideologies hasbeen an important factor inthe rise of New Age thinking.

Although secularhumanism and atheisticcommunism have beenpowerful forces in the 20thcentury, they have alsohelped to create a spiritualvacuum. By teaching thatmankind is the product ofchance evolution, they have convinced severalgenerations to think ofthemselves as hopelesswanderers on a fearfulvoyage through an immenseand indifferent universe.

These atheistic idealistshave tried to conceal theultimate hopelessness oftheir worldview by stealingsome of the terminology andtrappings of biblical faith.They speak, for example, ofthe “rights” of man and of

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the “purpose” of life. But modern people arebecoming increasinglyconscious of theshallowness and emptinessof these philosophies.

What difference canwe make? Humanismcannot fill the spiritualvacuum that every humanbeing is born with. Neithercan the religions of the Eastas practiced in the past. NewAge teachers claim to holdthe answers, but only peoplewho know Jesus as Saviorand Lord have the trueanswers. We cannot affordto be silent. We need toproclaim the biblical truthabout God, spiritual realities,and the meaning of life.

The apostle Paul spokeout when he met with theleading thinkers of the first-century city of Athens (Acts17:16-34). The city was fullof idols and altars, includingan altar “to an unknowngod.” Paul presented theGod of the Bible as the One

true God, the Creator. Hetold them that God hadrevealed Himself throughJesus Christ.

If we are to help oursearching world today, wetoo must boldly proclaimChrist. We must takeseriously the instructions ofJesus to be the salt of theearth and the light of theworld (Mt. 5:13-16). If

people are going to listen toour message, we must putour Christianity into action,living truthfully, exhibitingtrue joy, making a differencein our world by improvingconditions, battling injustice,and proclaiming the truegospel of Christ.

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“You are the light ofthe world.A city

that is set on a hillcannot be hidden.”

Jesus (Mt. 5:14)



THE NEED FOR HOPE

In a world torn by war,famine, economic instability,family conflict, disease, and disaster, people need hope. When we have hope, our lives havemeaning and purpose, andwe can overcome incrediblehardships.

A brilliant psychiatristand observer of humannature, Victor Frankl was a Jewish survivor of theGerman concentrationcamps. As a prisoner living

for many months on theknife-edge between deathand life, he witnessed timeand again the essentialhuman need for meaning.He noted that survival in thecamps wasn’t as dependenton physical strength as itwas on the possession of adeeply felt reason to live. He observed that prisonersusually died if they lost hope and had no purposefor carrying on.

What hope doesour world have? Formost modern people, hopecan’t be separated from adream for a new age.Humanity is facing so many crucial problems thatonly a radical break fromthe destructive ways of thepast seems capable ofoffering solutions.

Francis Schaeffer wrote,“People are hungry forsomething which will givethem hope in life. . . . Theyare also afraid. Things reallydo seem hopeless, even on

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Spiritual Vacuum

Need for Hope



Global Strategy



the level of everyday lifewith its threats of a lowerstandard of living, . . . offamine and ecologicaldisaster, of devastating war. And they are looking for any answer” (WhateverHappened To The HumanRace? p.148).

People who do not puttheir hope in God have noalternative but despair asthey think of the future formankind on planet earth.New Agers, however, areusually optimistic. Althoughthe object of their faith maybe vague, their faith isstrong. Biblical Christians are also hopeful, but in adifferent way and fordifferent reasons.

What is the NewAgers’ hope? They areconvinced of the goodness of the “evolutionary lifeforce” and “the evolution ofconsciousness.” TraditionalEastern pantheism (thebelief that God and theuniverse are one and the

same), seen in Hinduismand Buddhism, is fatalisticabout the future, believingthat mankind has alreadypassed through its “goldenage” and is on its way todestruction. But New Agethinking borrows theoptimism of Christianity and Western science whilerejecting the Judeo-Christianview of God on which bothhistorical optimism andmodern science are founded.The hope of a new age, then,is wrapped up in a view ofmankind that sees humanityas progressively evolving to ahigher spiritual state, withcorresponding progress inthe world at large.

Some people, like the late mathematician BertrandRussell, seem to be able toaccept the thought ofcomplete extinction at death.Most people, however, sensethat faith in some kind ofongoing existence isnecessary to give their lifeultimate meaning. The

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teachings of both the NewAge movement and biblicalChristianity reassure peoplethat death is not merely the absurd ending of ameaningless life. There is nevertheless a greatdifference between theirteachings and ours regarding immortality.

New Agers believe that our essential being isimmortal and that wecontinue to exist in spiritform. Many find evidencefor this in their contacts with“spirit teachers” or “guides.”They also conclude that wewill be reincarnated in anendless series of lives. Theyteach that the process ofreincarnation purifies us and allows us to reach everhigher levels of spiritualenlightenment andfulfillment. This optimism,however, is based only onambiguous personalexperiences.

What is the reasonfor biblical hope? Biblical

optimism is founded on faith in a personal God whois in ultimate control of theuniverse and who givesmeaning to history. Although

it maintains that the presentearth can never be entirelypurged of evil, it looksforward to the time when itwill be replaced by a flawlessnew heaven and earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21–22).

The Bible also teachesthat life in this world isworthwhile. The apostlePeter was writing toChristians who wereexperiencing persecutionand anticipating worse times

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Biblical hope isfounded on faith in a personal Godwho is in ultimate

control of theuniverse.



ahead. He encouraged themto be good citizens, to becompassionate and humble,and to keep alive theexpectation of better timesin this life (1 Pet. 3:8–4:19).

The Christian faithpromises everlasting life tothose who believe in JesusChrist. The personal God wemeet in Genesis 1:1 as theCreator of all things made usin His image (Gen. 1:26-27).He loves us so much that Hebecame man in the person ofJesus Christ, lived a flawlesslife, died an unjust andshameful death to makepossible the forgiveness of our sins, and broke thepower of death through Hisbodily resurrection. Thishappened in history.

The apostle Paul, writingat a time when many whohad seen Jesus were stillalive, declared that believerscan be confident of thereality of their own personal,bodily resurrection becauseof the concrete fact of

Christ’s resurrection—a factHis readers knew to be true(1 Cor. 15:1-8,12-20).

SPIRITUALEXPERIENCES

Out-of-body experiences.Astral travel. Contact withspirit beings. Channeling.Meditation techniques toreduce stress and heightenpersonal consciousness.Mental telepathy. Psychichealing. Levitation.Clairvoyance. Automaticwriting. These and otherexperiences are found in the

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Spiritual Vacuum

Need for Hope



Global Strategy



New Age movement—andthey are causing people toreconsider their views ofreality. And in the end, theexperiences become theirultimate judge of reality,their way of finding andmeasuring truth.

What makes NewAge experiences soappealing? These intenseexperiences tantalize theNew Ager with a seeminglyendless variety of magicaldoorways, each offering todeepen still further his senseof excitement, personalfulfillment, and power.People today have come tomaturity in a world that isvoid both of faith and ofintense experience, a sterileworld of spiritual plastic andcardboard. This makes thefeelings of personal powerand fulfillment offered by New Age paganismextremely attractive.

How can a desire for spiritualexperience lead

people into error?Believers in New Agereligion seldom attempt to win a convert throughintellectual arguments.Instead, they win convertsby first encouraging them totake part in an experience,such as attending a seminarin transcendental meditationor visiting an astrologer or aspirit channel (medium).

Elliot Miller gives us agood description of howthese experiences can alter a person’s thinking. In ACrash Course On The NewAge Movement, he writes:

First, an altered state ofconsciousness (ASC) isinduced in the potentialconvert with the hope thatit will trigger a mystical or psychic experiencepowerful enough to causehim to doubt his previousunderstanding of reality. Ifthe subject’s belief systemhas been shaken, he willbe far more disposed toembrace a new worldview

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than he would have beenbefore submitting to this“nonreligious” exercise.Then he is exposed toNew Age beliefs thatsupply him with aseemingly profoundexplanation of hisexperience. Since themonistic worldview (“all is One”) is derived fromand closely related tomystical experiences, itwill seem to fit the newway of viewing realityperfectly (p.91).What is the role of

spiritual experiences in biblical faith? For thefollower of Christ, religiousexperiences are not to be thedeterminers of truth, nor arethey the goal of life. The NewAger, in contrast, transformsintense experience into agod. Because he places sucha high value on experience,the New Ager is likely toemploy dangerous andimmoral means to achieve it.As a result, he often becomes

addicted to the experience or the means of achieving it.

Commitment to Christ may not result inexperiences that are as

immediately intense as the “altered states ofconsciousness” experiencedthrough New Age magic arts.After all, commitment toChrist requires no mind-altering drug or technique.For the Christian, the mindisn’t altered, it’s transformedby God’s grace. Through thepower of the Holy Spirit, the

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“What about the growth of

occultism, witchcraft,and astrology? . . .People are looking

for answers—answers they

can experience.”Francis Schaeffer



mind of Christ progressivelytakes control of theChristian, who experiencespeace, assurance, wisdom,and harmony with God and His purposes.

Biblical faith requires an active commitment thatwill lead a believer into thereality of supernatural life inChrist (Mt. 10:37-39; 16:24-28; Jn. 12:24-26). UnlikeNew Age commitment,which leads deeper into a realm of spiritualdelusion and addiction, totalcommitment to Jesus Christis the pathway to a deeperspiritual life and freedom(Mt. 16:24-25; Jn. 8:32).

Jesus said that we must become like littlechildren (Mt. 18:3). To dothat, we must lay aside our prejudices and adopt an attitude of openness,honesty, curiosity, and faith in God. Such childliketrust leads to supernaturalassurance, answers toprayer, awareness of God’s

presence, and an innerpeace that can’t be humanly explained (Mt. 7:7-11; 28:20; Phil. 4:6-7). Christ’s Path To Fulfillment• Believe in the personal,

holy God of the Biblewho is distinct from His creation.

• Recognize that you arespiritually helpless andlost apart from God’smercy.

• Experience God’sforgiveness and love by accepting Christ’s offer of salvation.

• Admit your struggles with sin and depend onGod’s Spirit to enable you to do what is right.

• Grow spiritually bytrusting and obeyingwhat God has saidthrough Christ and the Bible.

• Experience the joy offellowship with God nowand anticipate completefulfillment in heaven.

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The New Age Path To Delusion• Believe in the impersonal

God/Force who is onewith the universe(pantheism).

• Deny the reality of sin,evil, and judgment.

• Believe that “salvation”occurs when you becomeconscious of your deityand aware of youroneness with theGod/Force.

• Deal with the anxietyand responsibility of your godhood byresorting to fantasy and even mysticalexperiences.

• Eventually encounter and submit control ofyour life to spirit guidesand alien beings.

• Anticipate fulfillment in this life and in future lives throughreincarnation, butactually become a victim of satanicdelusion.

SUPERNATURALGUIDANCE

Many people who aresearching for answers to life’sbig questions of meaning,purpose, and goals, areconcluding that humans arenot the only beings in theuniverse. And these otherbeings supposedly can helpus to make the most of ourlives on planet earth.

Some of these creaturesare said to ride in flyingsaucers. Or they may take avery different form, appearingas spirit guides to prominent

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Global Strategy



people like Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Shirley MacLaine.They instruct best-sellingauthor and anthropologistCarlos Castaneda. Theyattribute strange powers toIndian sorcerers. They areinvolved in astral travel withDr. John C. Lilly and otherswho vividly describe out-of-body experiences.

Who are thesestrangers? Because of the bizarre nature of thesereports, it would be easy todismiss them. But to do this,one would have to overlookboth the fact that many ofthese witnesses are famous,highly respected people, andthat there are thousands of similar testimonies byrespected, “mainstream”modern people.

These eerie life-formshave been identified inmany different ways. Somepeople hold that they aresuperior creatures fromother solar systems, whileother people seriously

maintain that their originsare other “dimensions” ofreality. A large number of those who say theycommunicate with them on a regular basis describethem from the perspective of spiritism, believing thatthey are wise, temporarilydisembodied spirits whohave passed through manyprevious incarnations.

Some people, likeElisabeth Kübler-Ross andShirley MacLaine, use theterminology of Spiritism,although today’s “channels”(mediums) apparently nolonger rely on darkenedrooms or the traditionalseance setting.

The viewpoint oftraditional sorcery isrepresented by the famous, highly acclaimedanthropologist CarlosCastaneda, to whom a NewYork Times reviewer refers as“a godfather of the New Agemovement.” Drugs (potions)and ancient magic allegedly

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put Castaneda in contactwith “allies” and other eeriebeings in this and in otherworlds.

Space-age sorceryemploying high technology isused by others, like famousdolphin researcher John Lilly,who designed a sensorydeprivation tank that helpspeople drift off into other“spaces,” and RobertMonroe, a multimillionairecable television pioneer whodeveloped a technology forinducing lucid dreaming,out-of-body experiences, andastral travel. Both of thesemen take very seriously theircontact with beings fromother dimensions.

Are these spiritbeings demonic?Possibly. It is important torealize that not all “aliens” or“entities” may be the directmanifestations of evil spirits(fallen angelic beings, ordemons). Some may behallucinations as a result of mental illness, drugs,

or projections of thesubconscious mind. (Weshouldn’t forget how all of ushave extremely vivid dreamsfrom time to time, with all ofour dream images projectedby our subconscious.)

Still, we can safely saythat all contact with entitiesand aliens of the New Agetype are demonic in theireffect, since they will alwayslead us into dependence onthem. In fact, those who seek such encounters maydiscover with horror that it may be very difficult toterminate occult relationshipsonce they are established.

Although these spiritbeings claim that they wantto help people, it would benaive to accept their word.The Bible tells us that“Satan himself transformshimself into an angel oflight” (2 Cor. 11:14). He isthe father of lies (Jn. 8:44)and will mix truth and errorin order to trap people.

It is true that there are 24



good angels who haveappeared to peoplethroughout history,especially at importanttimes. This is undoubtedlywhy John warned us to “test the spirits” (1 Jn. 4:1).Nevertheless, we have nobiblical warrant for believingthat the redeemed who havedied will ever appear inspirit form to relay messagesor offer comfort and counsel.

Why are people looking forsupernatural guidance?The spiritual vacuum of ourage is rooted in man’s senseof loneliness, isolation, and insignificance in theface of the cold, impersonalvastness of time and space.Most people find it verydifficult to accept theatheistic conviction that weare alone in the world, andthat we have only our ownimagination and strength ofwill to lend meaning to anotherwise absurd existence.

The Bible teaches that

man was created with a need that can find fulfillmentonly as he is in properrelationship with his Creator.Like the rest of us, NewAgers have a deep longing to be related to a greaterSomeone, a heavenly Father.

Even though NewAgers—in the fallenness oftheir human pride—declaretheir equality with God, deep within them remains a realization that they arenot capable of bearing the burden of freedom they so arrogantly claim.Subconsciously they long fora Savior-God, a God like theGod of the Bible. Like littlechildren who have thrown a tantrum and run awayfrom home, they find thatthe world is a much greaterand more dangerous placethan they imagined, andthey soon look around for an authority figure to replacethe one they have rejected.Tragically, the authorityfigures that offer help to

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runaways are seldomtrustworthy.

A GLOBALSTRATEGY

Our world faces many crises:the threat of terrorism andnuclear conflict, revolutionin governments, racial andethnic tensions, economicinstability, competingpolitical and religiousideologies, drug and alcoholaddiction, AIDS, childabuse, crime, homelessness,pollution and exploitation ofthe environment, and a

host of others. The types of problems we face in ourworld demand cooperationamong people of diversebackgrounds. But humanity’scompetitive and selfishnature has created hugebarriers to unified action.Selfish living, greed, andcutthroat competitionbetween nations andcorporations are outdatedluxuries that cannot beencouraged indefinitely.

What’s right andwhat’s wrong with theNew Age strategy?One problem with thecurrent movement towardtoleration and unity is thatNew Agers are taking it astep—many steps—too far.In their commendable desirefor human unity, they havecalled for unity on theirterms—which means theyreinterpret God, redefinespiritual realities, and throwout absolute standards ofmorality.

There is general 26


Spiritual Vacuum

Need for Hope



Global Strategy



agreement among NewAgers that God is not a self-conscious, moral being whohas revealed absolute moralstandards to mankind. Theyalso agree that while lifeshould be as pleasant aspossible, truth is subjectiveand a wide range ofviewpoints regardingmorality and values should be tolerated.

This tolerant point ofview is appealing to peoplewho are tired of political and religious controversy.Unfortunately, it is alsoappealing to people who arein rebellion against the clearmoral guidelines laid downin God’s Word.

Many groups that hold toNew Age religious ideas havegoals that followers of Christshould be working toward as well—but for differentreasons. It’s also true thatsome aspects of New Agephilosophy promoteunbiblical solutions.

Christians and New

Agers can agree on the need for fighting pollution,preserving the environment,eliminating racial tensions,making peace amongwarring people, controllingcrime, eliminating worldhunger, and working foreconomic and social justice.

Hard-core New Agersalso believe that personaltransformation leads toglobal transformation. In thisview, New Agers reflect aview similar to the Bible inthat personal change mustprecede cultural change—but the process and end goal are very different.

For the New Agers,personal transformation isthe process of mysticallyexperiencing oneness withthe universe. It is to come to the conclusion that yourconsciousness is one withGod and that God is thesum of all the parts of theuniverse. This pantheistic(everything is part of God)view of the universe

27



pervades New Age thinkingand profoundly affects itsagenda for the world.

A person who reads theBible will discover a verydifferent view of God, adifferent path to personaland global transformation.

What is the biblicalstrategy for the world?The strategy outlined byJesus Christ and followed byHis apostles was to proclaimthe good news and live itout day by day. The churchdid not receive a mandate to become a political force.It was not designed to beinvolved in political intrigue,not even for worthy ends.The task of promoting social justice and other goodcauses is given to individualChristian citizens.

Shortly before Jesusascended to heaven, Hesaid, “All authority has beengiven to Me in heaven andon earth. Go therefore andmake disciples of all thenations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father andof the Son and of the HolySpirit, teaching them toobserve all things that Ihave commanded you” (Mt.28:18-20). The book of Actsrecords the story of themanner in which the firstfollowers of Jesus made thegospel known. They spreadthe good news of salvationin Christ with such zeal and

conviction that within a fewyears millions of people—Jew and Gentiles—becamedevout Christians.

We as Christians arecitizens of two worlds—thisone as well as the one to

28

Many New Agegroups have goalsthat followers of

Christ work towardas well—but fordifferent reasons.



come. The Old Testamentprophets and the apostleJames cried out for socialjustice (Amos 5–6; Jas. 5:1-6).We believe in the God whoinspired the writing of Psalms127 and 128, which extol theblessings of human love andfamily relationships.

Why bother with aworld that is passingaway? A misuse of biblicalprophecy has sometimesfueled the misconceptionthat we should think only interms of the world gettingworse and worse, and thatwe will not experience timesof improved conditions.Some Bible students haveconcluded that the Lord will surely come during the present generation. This scenario presents noincentive to work for justicenor to preserve our beautifulplanet, which the Creatorhas put into our care.

The coming of JesusChrist is imminent: It canhappen at any time. But the

Scriptures give us no groundfor date-setting, no groundfor looking at the currentscene and concluding thatChrist will surely come verysoon. Jesus made it clearthat His coming will surprisepeople (Mt. 24:36-51).

We should therefore live with practical concernand optimism, planning forthe well-being of futuregenerations. Although every day should be livedwith the realization that itmay be the day of Christ’sreturn, we should also bewise and unselfish in ourGod-appointed stewardship.

Our hope rests solidly on our confidence in thepersonal God who provedHis love supremely in JesusChrist (Rom. 5:8). It isshameful, therefore, whenNew Agers—who have afaith without a foundation—seem to be more effectivethan Christians in promotinginternational peace and thepreservation of our planet.

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NEW AGEVERSUSCHRISTIANITY

GODNew Age: God is animpersonal, amoral, creativeevolutionary force within theuniverse.Christianity: God is a moral, personal Being, who is the all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-presentCreator of the universe.

CREATIONNew Age: The universehas always existed as thematerial manifestation of the creative God-Force.Christianity: God createdthe universe out of nothing;it is distinct from Himself.

MANNew Age: Humans are the apex of earthlyevolution, having unlimitedpotential, giving self-awareness to the Divine

Force, and capable ofguiding the universalprocess of evolution.Christianity: Man was created by God in His image as a personal,rational, moral being.

REVELATIONNew Age: We canmystically become aware of the divinity of all things,and we can experienceunion with the divine LifeForce. “Guides” from otherdimensions assist in this.Christianity: God hasrevealed Himself throughnatural revelation (natureand conscience) and specialrevelation (theophanies, theprophets, the Scriptures,Jesus Christ).

JESUS CHRISTNew Age: He was anincomparable spiritualteacher who was aware ofHis deity and was dedicatedto helping each of usbecome aware of ours.

30



Christianity: He is the Son of God, the eternal second person of the Trinity, both God and man, and Redeemer of the human race and theuniverse.

SINNew Age: Sin is a failure to recognize one’sown deity. Both “good” and “evil” contribute to theevolution of consciousness,the Life Force.Christianity: Sin is moral evil, a willful violation of God’s absolutemoral law.

SALVATIONNew Age: Salvation isdeliverance from fear andguilt through awareness ofour own deity.Christianity: Salvation isdeliverance from the penaltyand power of sin throughfaith in Jesus, whose deathon the cross paid thepenalty for sin.

JUDGMENTNew Age: Since evil and sin are illusory and no personal Judge exists, we will be purified through an endless series of reincarnations, attainingever higher levels ofconsciousness.Christianity: Believerswill be rewarded in heaven according to their faithfulness, andnonbelievers will bepunished in hell accordingto the degree of theirrebellion against the Creator.

ANGELSNew Age: Angels in thebiblical sense do not exist.However, there are manyspiritual beings in theuniverse who are morehighly developed than manand are eager to guide ourspiritual evolution.Christianity: Angels arespirit-beings, created by God.Some of them (Satan and hisdemons) rebelled against

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God and are enemies of Himand His creation. The restremained faithful andcontinue to serve Him.

TRANSFORMED!

NNew Age teachers are right on oneimportant count:

In order to reach our highestpotential as humans, weneed to be personallytransformed. But New Ageteaching leads people astrayin two crucial areas: howthat transformation shouldoccur and what we aretrying to become.

Jesus said that we can bespiritually reborn as we putour faith in Him (Jn. 3:1-21).Our need is not to realizeour imagined godhood but to be reconciled to the realGod. Our aim should be toexperience the joy of apersonal relationship withthe One who made heavenand earth (1:12; 17:3).

Jesus is the true source

of personal transformation,fulfillment, purpose, andmeaning. We must rejectSatan’s counterfeit forms ofspirituality. We need toaccept the truth that wedeserve judgment for sin, andthat Jesus Christ, the one andonly Son of God, died for us.

If you have never doneso before, put your trust inChrist and come to knowthe personal God. Jesuswants to transform you,fulfill you, and prepare youfor His coming eternalkingdom.

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“This is eternal life,that they may know You, the only true God,

and Jesus Christwhom You have sent.”

John 17:3



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