Coming out of the Ultra Charismatic, Pentecostal, Neo-Apostolic, NAR church is not a small thing. In my case, there was so much to unlearn from those teachings. For example, what are we really supposed to understand about the “realm of the Spirit”, “new revelations” or “Christ consciousness”? If it looks and sounds biblical, then why is it not? In this post, I’d like to cover on what I’ll call a tragedy: the New Age in the church.
Let’s have a look at what the New Age movement is about and its disturbing influence on the church.
The New Age in church: an alternative spirituality
Past the prosperity gospel
One of the main, most obvious, false teaching in modern churches is the prosperity (or health & wealth, or Word-of-faith) gospel. Once we acknowledge this, we’ve already made progress. It’s a good starting point! (see the documentary American Gospel (Christ Alone) – free shorter film on Youtube ).
Now, on my way out of false teachings, I was gradually realising it didn’t stop there. It seemed there was a specific, alternative spirituality that went past the prosperity gospel, but couldn’t put my finger on it. It just seemed mystical, somewhere, somehow.
To me, the prosperity gospel and Word of Faith was part of a bigger package. It was just the tip of the iceberg and the fruit of something bigger.
I needed to go past that and dig deeper!
Interestingly, I can recall always hearing about this so-called “knowledge” and “higher revelation” in these teachings. Now, I was unto something.
The Second Coming of the New Age in the church
Jesus said: Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7). And I did! So at His perfect timing, the Lord answered my questions.
The Lord made me *unexpectantly* and miraculously (God knows what He’s doing!) stumbled upon the perfect eye-opening book: The Second Coming of the New Age by Steven Bancarz and Josh Peck. Written by two former New Agers now in Christ, this book is exposing the New Age movement and how it is creeping in Christianity.
I would definitely recommend this book.
When we understand what the New Age encompasses, it’s chilling to know how it is penetrating churches so widely today in the West. It is at the root of many unbiblical, yet popular teachings.
Defining the New Age Movement
A spiritual system aiming a enlightenment
To start with, I will simply quote Steven Bancarz and Josh Peck:
“The New Age movement is a spiritual system of thought and practice composed of beliefs, values, and traditions from various schools and religions throughout the world. ‘New Age movement’ is really an umbrella term covering a wide range of topics.”
(We will look at those “topics” in the section below). Bancarz and Peck also say:
“The ‘New Age’ is a collection of beliefs and practices aimed at bringing enlightenment.”
What is enlightenment? It’s a state of spiritual understanding, an illumination, the attainment of a special knowledge, an awakening. Doesn’t that remind you of of something – like some supposedly Christian teachings you may have heard ?
Now, the concept of enlightenment and New Age beliefs are in fact not new. They have their roots in Eastern Mysticism, a spirituality which seeks to bypass the mind. Saying the New Age movement is “new” is only in the sense that it became popular in the West in the 20th century. It managed to presented itself as a new spirituality (even though it wasn’t) and an alternative to traditional religions like Christianity. All in all, it has its roots in the Garden!
New Age vs New Thought
New Age is sometimes also called New Thought, but it isn’t. Both share similarities and are interconnected, but they do differ, hence the confusion.
New Thought centers on the power of thought and the power of our Minds. It teaches that our thoughts shape our reality and that by changing our thinking, we can change our lives.
In this post, I am focusing on the New Age movement infiltrating the churches but having in mind New Thought is part of the same problem.
Satanism repackaged
Given this understanding, the New Age movement is simply a repackage! One of the old serpent’s tricks… I like to remind myself that there is nothing new under the sun! (Ecclesiastes 1:9). It has duly been said that “the New Age movement was nothing more than a more culturally acceptable satanism repackaged with a boost of post-modernism for a twenty first century audience”.
What is the pursuit of the New Age
Let’s now look at the aims of the New Age. There is both an individual goal and a more universal one.
A new consciousness
At an individual level, the goal of the New Age is to “raise the consciousness” to a “higher density” or a “higher vibration”. The belief is that through this new consciousness (this new knowledge of self) together with certain occult practices, we can be elevated to a level of divinity. This brings us back to this notion of spiritual englightement.
The New Age doesn’t teach that we can become divine, but that we are already divine. Enlightenment is reached by realising that the inner self is ultimately God. The aim is so that people can be liberated from the limitations and sufferings of their self-consciousness and live from a state of “universal consciousness”.
As you can see, the New Age is totally self-orientated, aiming at glorifying oneself, contrary to Christianity which is all about glorifying God (Isaiah 47:8-15).
A global awakening
At a global level, the New Age has a sort of ecumenical agenda. It is to bring about world peace by reconciling the religions of the world under an impersonal, universal god. It seeks to restore the lost, or hidden wisdom of ancient traditions and integrating them into our civilization. As we “awaken” spiritually and individually, mankind will finally reach a heightened state of consciousness, and the world will be a world of peace and unity.
What Doctrine is the New Age built on?
In terms of doctrines and practices, the New Age is broad in scope.
New Agers can chose and pick from various disciplines or topics and will draw from any principles they feel can benefit them. In fact, there is no official set core of doctrine in the New Age. Christianity has the Holy Bible -the authoritative and inerrant Word of God, and other faiths have their sacred scriptures too, but the New Age movement doesn’t have an authoritative book, scriptures, or set of rules.
Therefore, this movement accepts everything under the sun, from the mystery teachings of Ancient Babylon and modern day occultism to the famous New York Times best-selling spiritual or psychology books.
Now, although accepting and open to practically everything, the New Age belief system does not blend with Christianity! Ironically, its “openness” cannot tolerate a belief that claims to be the exclusive way to Eternal life (John 14:6). For New Age thinking, this exclusivity is irrational and dangerous.
Furthermore, the New Age is also very much experience orientated. It goes beyond simple beliefs and practices, as there must eventually be an experience to it. This is important to keep in mind as we observe that the modern church tends to now need and preach a spiritual experience to make Christianity valid.
Topics, practices, and disciplines of the New Age
As mentioned above, the New Age movement is an umbrella term covering a wide range of topics. Let me list here are some of the beliefs, practices, and disciplines included in the New Age (in alphabetical order):
- Astral projection
- Buddhism
- Channelling
- Divination (including astrology)
- Esotericism
- Gnosticism
- Hermetism
- Hinduism
- Mediation
- Mind Science
- Mysticism
- Occultism
- Paganism
- Pantheism
- Psychedelics
- Reincarnation
- Sorcery
- Spirit Science
- Spiritual psychology (law of attraction, manifestation, etc)
- Transcendentalism
- Ufology
- Witchcraft
- Yoga
While all these topics are well within the frame of the New Age movement, not all are practised at once. There are far too many! Rather, New Agers will combining bits and pieces of some of those topics. Or, they could simply focus on one topic without exploring any another.
>> For a more detailed breakdown of those practices, see my post
New Age practices, teachings, and disciplines <<
New Age jargon in churches
Now, the tragedy is to see traits of those New Age practices making their way into the church! The satanic agenda of enlightnement (or awakening) has been subtly pushed to Christians in the very place where they should be guarded from it!
Truly, we need discernment. We must know God’s Word for ourselves to be able to identify the New Age or any other kind of false doctrine in Christian teachings. It can be subtle. We may not always get it immediately, especially if we are new in Christ or don’t have any understanding of the occult or New Age practices.
Here are some New Age terms and ideas that you may possibly hear in churches (in no particular order):
- Consciousness, higher level of consciousness, Christ consciousness, universal consciousness
- The realm of the spirit, the spirit realm, the prophetic realm
- A higher truth, new revelation, higher revelation
- A hidden knowledge, secret knowledge, special knowledge
- Coming in to a new level, a higher realm
- Taking control of your destiny, creating your reality
- Taking possession of your future
- There’s power in your mind
- Channelling the power, harnessing the power, activating the power, being infused with the power
- Inner healing
- Dominion, taking territories in the spirit, commanding angels
- Oneness, one with the divine, the divinity in you
- The divine feminine, the feminine aspect of God, God is female, feminine deity
- Mother earth
- Visual meditation
- Thoughts emit vibrations and frequencies
- Getting to know your inner self
- Developing your spirit, exercising your spirit
- Taping into the anointing
- The impartation of the spirit
- The four elements
- supernatural life, a higher life
- material manifestation
- quantum power
- positive thinking, the law of attraction
- sacred sound, spirit sounds
- divine force
- spiritual plane
If you regularly hear these jargon in your church or whoever you listen to, run! You are not hearing the true Gospel!
Are you hearing anything about sin and repentance (the core of the Gospel)? I’d doubt it. In my former church, preached the gospel of prosperity, the Word of Faith and Gnosticism, the “Man of God” was presumptuously saying: “I don’t preach about sin. I don’t need to be preaching about sin, sin has been dealt with on the cross”. What a false teaching, to completely omit the very thing that’s the very core of the Gospel!
New Age types of false Christian movements or practices
Infiltration of the New Age in Christianity will result in heresies, false teachings, and even create false pseudo-Christian movements or practices, such as (in no particular order):
- Christian Science
- Christian Cabbala
- Esoteric Christianity
- The New Apostolic reformation (NAR) -or Neo Apostolic movement
- The Charismatic movement
- Pentecostalism
- The Emergent Church
- Schools of supernatural ministry
- Prophetic ministries
- Gematria
- Guided meditation
- Sozo ministry, Sozo prayer
- soaking prayer, contemplative prayer, prayer labyrinth
- obsession with the ministry of angels, demonology, and deliverance ministries
- end time ministries
- NDE (near-death experience): claims of death and alledged trips to Heaven or hell
- Christalignment
- Yoga in church
New Age in the church is the antichrist spirit
Christianity and the New Age are like oil and water : they don’t mix!
The old lie about our divinity
The New Age is an antichrist movement that wants YOU to reach enlightenment (or divinity) through any practice possible.
Isn’t this what the old serpent tried to convince Eve to do?
In the New Age, it’s about you making it happen. Man, not Christ, is at work and at the centre: he seeks to be awaken to his own inner divinity through whatever means he chooses. It is therefore works-based and doesn’t earn you any salvation. That’s the devil’s scheme, in total opposition to God’s way. God’s salvation is operated by Christ alone, by grace, through faith.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Opposing Christ in the guise of Christ
On the contrary, Christianity is about knowing the Eternal God, and even more: be known by Him (1 Cor 8:3, Gal 4:9, John 10:14-15).
In Christianity, you cannot make it happen. You cannot make a way to God by your own means: God has made a way. Jesus Christ is THE Way. God the Father through His mercy, reveals the way, washes our sin and draws us in. It’s all His work, His plan, for His glory. You cannot earn your salvation, neither can you make it happen, it is a gift and privilegde of God (Eph 2:8).
1 John 2:18 says: “…it is the last time (hour, the end of this age). And as you have heard that the antichrist [he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ] is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, which confirms our belief that it is the final (the end) time.” (AMPC)
All the New Age trends infiltrating the church oppose Christ while disguising themselves as Christian teachings. This for the sole purpose of deceiving the masses and the elect if it were possible (Matt 24:24). We must stay vigilant!
The New Age in church can’t deceive true believers
There’s a lot more to develop on this topic and my aim is to gradually link more articles and definitions to expand on this whole topic.
I believe it is crucial to understand various movements and doctrines and where it all comes from.
Saying all this, if you realise you have been exposed to, loved and lived by New Age teachings, it means the Lord has opened your eyes. You can turn back to God’s Word and like the Bereans, study the Bible thoroughly. Ensure to read the Scriptures in context, examine everything under the light of His Word. Ask Him to reveal you the Truth, and guide you into all Truth, by His Spirit of Truth.
There’s a time for trial and testing to prove who will follow the Lord. We must pray thatr true believers, even if in confusion or darkness for a time, will be saved out of this deceit. May their heart long for the truth and the Lord is gracious to show them His true Word. May the true Church of Jesus Christ be washed pure from the teachings of the New Age.
Sadly, on the other hand, others will persist and follow the desires of their flesh and forsake the Word of truth.
– Check this article on Gotquestions.org for more on the New Age movement
and a summary of the New Age thinking. –
