The New Age Movement combines various components of secular humanism, Eastern mysticism and the occult. One strong emphasis of the New Age Movement is upon the God that is within us, or the Christ within. We must believe in and actualize the spiritual power each of us possesses. Each of us has this universal life force within us, waiting to be tapped.
Christians, on the other hand, believe that spiritual power is available by drawing upon the power of the Holy Spirit, Who resides in all people who have repented before God, renounced sin and disobedience, and have trusted in Jesus Christ, Who died in order to reconcile us to God, cleanse us of the guilt and power of sin and disobedience, and Who has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us to empower us to live lives pleasing to Him.
The New Age Movement emphasizes the healing of ourselves and of the earth by turning inward to get in touch with our own disowned energies or life force. We must contact and trust our own intuitive guidance by getting in touch with the higher self, which is a part of a higher power of the universe which can be considered God, spirit, source, or the universe itself. We are each a part of this mass consciousness of the universe, and "there is no split between `spiritual' and `unspiritual,' good and bad. All aspects of life are elements of the life force and facets of the divine."1
This acceptance of everything as facets of the divine, whether good or bad, is akin to pantheism, which accepts good and evil equally, since both are found in nature and since, according to this view, everything that exists is a part of the divine. This understanding is diametrically opposed to the Biblical world view, according to which: (1) God exists completely apart from that which He created, and (2) although He created everything good, there was a fall at which time mankind rebelled against God and did evil, ushering in the curse and all those aspects of life which we would consider bad, such as sickness, aging, and death.
Nevertheless, according to Christianity, the earth and all that is within it must be treated with deep reverence and respect because it is a part of God's creation. Because men and women have been created in the image of God, they, especially, must be treated with the utmost love, care, and respect. According to Christianity, the wrath of God abides upon sin, which often involves a violation of this reverence and respect for creation, and for humanity. According to Pantheism, however, good and evil are equally acceptable, since they are both a part of what is. Or, as Francis Schaeffer has said, there is no real basis for any essential distinction in Pantheism between cruelty and non- cruelty, since both are encompassed in what exists, and there is therefore no basis for morals of any kind within its framework.
The New Age Movement generally encourages seekers to tap into or flow with the all-pervasive, morally neutral life force. Through channelling of this type and other experiences, one can learn from spiritual masters who lived at earlier times. Jesus, on the other hand, acknowledged the existence of such spirits, but treated them as hostile forces, and gave us power over then in His name. For a Christian, there is only one acceptable spirit guide, the Holy Spirit. All that He teaches is consistent with the Judaeo-Christian Scriptures, and He does not require trances to manifest Himself.2
Some New Agers believe that Jesus was not always Christ, but that he earned the right to this title by the life that he led. However, the word "Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah." As we have seen in our examination of the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, even the circumstances of the birth of Jesus were unmistakably indicative of His Messiahship, for many of the details of this event were given hundreds of years earlier. Moreover, the salvation of mankind was dependent upon the sinlessness of Christ from the time of His birth, which was made possible only by His virgin birth.
In any case, the idea that Jesus earned His Messiahship would imply that others could also conceivably earn such a title. This contradicts the consistent teaching of Jesus concerning His uniqueness as the only begotten son of God. If we say that He was a good teacher then we are forced to accept His teachings about Himself. He alone had the authority to forgive sins because He alone was begotten as the Creator in human flesh.
Many people in the New Age Movement feel that dogmatism with respect to religion is morally objectionable. According to this viewpoint, one must accept the opinions of others. In other words, it shows a lack of humility and a lack of graciousness to reject the opinions of others because they are not one's own. A few observations should be made about this viewpoint. First of all, if Christianity is not true, and if God has not spoken to us in the Bible, then there is really no final basis for morality. If Christ's single-mindedness about Himself is morally objectionable, then we must ask by what standard this judgement is being made, and whether the standard is reliable. Can there be any epistemological basis for such a moral judgement? Secondly, the position is inconsistent. It is thought to be objectionable not to consider the opinions of others, yet neither are the Christian claims seriously considered. New Age thought is thus dogmatic about the immorality of dogmatism. Thirdly, if all religions are to be accepted as true, then what we are really saying is that none of them can be true, because, although they advocate similar moral principles, they all nevertheless contradict one another, not only in peripheral matters, but in their central affirmations. For example, if Jesus is God, then Islam collapses. If Christ was not raised, then Christianity collapses. If Jesus is the Messiah, then Judaism as it is currently understood collapses. To "accept" all of the religions of the world, is, in reality, to pick and choose among the beliefs of these religions, discarding what one finds displeasing and accepting whatever seems pleasing. Within the context of such a methodology, there would be no ultimate standard by which to determine what aspects of each religion are "acceptable" and which ones are unacceptable.
1 Shakti Gawain, "A Turning Point: You Can Help Transform the World," Science of Mind (January 1990): 40.
2 Karen Howe, "New Age Channels Spiritual Darkness," PRRM Renewal News (January-February 1990): 5-6.
