The Significance of the

New Age Movementt

GAVIN McGRATH

Introduction
Something is seriously wrong with Western society. Pollution, crime,
the threat of nuclear annihilation, A.I.D.S., strident terrorism: these
are the apparent symptoms of our society's illness. Does anyone or
any movement hold out a potential cure for the West as it staggers
and reels into the twenty-first century? Is there any hope?
A strong, intriguing and optimistic 'yes' is coming from numerous
quarters. Many ordinary, intelligent, sensitive and searching people
are thrilled to discover answers. From film stars to lecturers in
applied physics to corporate executives to people right in your
neighbourhood, the word is out: there is a 'new age' breaking into
our world.
What is this new age? This essay is an introduction to what could be
one of the significant cultural, intellectual, scientific and spiritual
developments in Western culture since the Enlightenment. It is
significant because the different expressions of the New Age move-
ment or, as it is also called, the 'new consciousness', are not merely
part of a passing fad meriting only a passing nod. In many ways they
are a collective expression of our Western culture's intellectual,
philosophical and spiritual zig zags over the past one hundred years.
Consequently, while a number of recent articles and books on the
New Age movement have rightly called attention to the ominous
association with the occult, it will be argued below that the greatest
threat of the New Age movement comes in the various attempts to
change the way Westerners think and, thus, live in the world. In
short, it is a challenge of worldviews.
In this essay I only sketch a preliminary picture of the New Age
movement into which others will need to add finer details according
to their respective disciplines. I will begin by clarifying what is meant
by the term 'New Age movement', and present in broad terms its
worldview. With this basic definition we will then consider how and
where various expressions of the New Age movement are opposed to
Biblical Christianity. Finally, I propose some ways Christians can
respond to the New Age movement and so prevent many in our
generation from running into the painful lies and deceptions associ-
ated with the New Age.

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 The Significance of the New Age Movement

1. What exactly is meant by the term New Age

movement?
Defining the New Age movement is difficult. There is not any one
specific group or philosophy which exemplifies the New Age move-
ment. Whatever else one might say about the New Age movement, it
is not confined to a watertight compartment. It is a collective whole
which really is greater than the sum of its parts. The New Age can be
discerned in music, art, education theories, psychology, politics,
health care, sports as well as obvious spiritualities; and the intercon-
nexion between these may not be immediately apparent. Thus, more
accurate terms for the New Age are, 'movements' or 'expressions'.
Yet, a further step may be taken. The New Age movements should
be seen as loosely related expressions of a particular worldview.
Russell Chandler, journalist for the Los Angeles Times and author of
a commendable study of the New Age, Understanding the New Age,
wrote:
more than anything else, the New Age movement is distinguished by a
common vision, a shared worldview about the nature of existence and
the purpose of life in the cosmos. 2
As the issue of worldviews is central to the argument of this article a
definition is in order. James Sire offered a helpful explanation in his
definitive work, The Universe Next Door:
'A world view is a set of presuppositions (or assumptions) which we
hold (consciously or subconsciously) about the basic makeup of our
world. 3
Sire argued that a well rounded worldview incorporates an under-
standing about the following: 1. what is really real? 2. who are men
and women? 3. what happens to a human at death? 4. what is the
basis of morality? and 5. what is the meaning of human history? 4
In order to understand the significance of the New Age movement
it is essential to appreciate that these various expressions m0re or less
embrace an identifiable worldview which offers men and women
answers to the questions identified by Sire. While the various groups
and individuals may not necessarily agree with each other on every
point, six aspects of the New Age worldview can be identified.
1. All is One. This is ultimate reality for the New Age. There is no
actual distinction between material objects and persons. You, the
chair you are sitting on, a rock and a tree are of a larger whole, and
all is one. New Age thinkers and writers sometimes call this a
'consciousness' or 'life force'. The term for this is monism. The New
Age physicist and philosopher Fritjof Capra has written in his
influential book, The Turning Point,
'all boundaries and dualisms have been transcended and all individu-
ality dissolves into universal, undifferentiated oneness. 5
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Churchman
Sounds complicated, so what does it mean? The subsequent implica-
tions best clarify Capra's point.
2. All is God. This is essentially pantheism. Everything in existence
blends into a cosmic unity and everything is god. It is not that god is
person--one can not use the word he or she-rather, god is every-
thing. God is the stuff of existence and the cosmos. From this
assumption follows an important corollary.
3. You are God. It is not that you as an individual are actually
unique-for you really do not exist as a distinct and separate entity,
for all is one-rather, that humanity is part of the whole, and the
whole is god. God is not somewhere out there, god is in here, or in
you and is you. Remember, the New Age god is not, strictly
speaking, personal but a conscious force.
4. The Need for Corrected Awareness. New Age advocates realize
that many of their ideas meet initial scepticsm. To be told that you
are god comes as a rather dizzying surprise. The fact that you may
question it (Biblical truths aside for a moment) is because of
ignorance. The problem is not sin or anything remotely moral, rather
our Western perception of reality is wrong. This is one of the major
problems for Westerners, claim many New Age prophets. Our
Western concerns for logic and reason are partly to blame. We use
erroneous categories, particularly absolute or antithetical categories.
For example, I am sitting in a chair which has its own 'chairness'
distinct from my desk-the desk does not possess any 'chairness'. In
moral terms, for another example, Westerners are used to thinking
that what is good or noble cannot be at the same time also evil and
immoral (this is antithesis). According to New Age thinking, how-
ever, this thought pattern only fragments reality and, thus, we are
blind to the essential unity of all. Our problem is that we depend too
much on our right brain (or cognitive) thinking; we should defer to
our left brain (or intuitive and imaginative) thinking. Yet the real
solution is a corrected awareness, or as another prominent New Age
writer, Marilyn Ferguson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy,
Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s, has put it, we need a
'paradigm shift'. 6 A paradigm shift, argued Ferguson , 'is a distinctly
new way of thinking about old problems.' 7
There are a number of ways by which one may grow towards this
paradigm shift, or 'new consciousness'. A popular work in the United
Kingdom and the United States, A Course in Miracles, employs
Judea/Christian terms and redefines them in a singularly novel
fashion in order to correct our understanding; so the atonement, for
example, has nothing to do with reconciliation between God and a
human but 'the correction of perception.'s A corrected awareness
could come through a 'channeler'. A channel is one, who, for a fee,
can contact spirit-time travellers who provide spiritual insight and
illumination-as was the case for actress and now New Age high
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 The Significance of the New Age Movement
priestess, Shirley MacLaine. One may arrive at 'it' through an est
(Erhard Seminars Training) session. These emotionally, intellectually
and physically tense experiences have led many, including Carly
Simon, Yoko Ono, and John Denver, to realize that:
You're part of every atom in the world and every atom is part of you.
We are all gods who created our own worlds. 9
The human dilemma, therefore, is not moral at all, we are simply not
tuned in and aware.
5. All religions are one. This is syncretism. In New Age thinking no
one religion has all the answers, in fact any religion which claims
exclusivity is abhorrent. New Age teachers and leaders, however,
draw quite heavily upon Eastern philosophies and spiritualities. The
New Age expressions are often based on Hinduism, Buddhism,
Taoism and lesser known sects but wrapped up in Western garb.
Through the influence of certain Eastern religions there are strong
emphases on reincarnation and karma and the Taoist concept of yin
and yang.1o Yet it must be clearly noted that within many New Age
expressions Eastern philosophies are adjusted to accommodate cer-
tain Western biases. For example, a man or woman working in a City
firm really cannot wear Eastern fashion. They can, however, take a
transcendental meditation break to ease tension and feel their
creative forces flowing once again. Does this attraction to the East
only suggest an Occidental revolution? It is not that Christianity is
rejected altogether for Jesus is acknowledged. Jesus, however, is one
of many guides. He points the way to 'Christ-consciousness' which is
really just another way of saying oneness with the All. This blend of
East and West feels a bit more comfortable than embracing a new
Eastern name and appropriating a new fashion.
6. Things are progressing positively. Here the New Age expressions
are appealing to those longing for an alternative to the tired hag_.:.the
Christian worldview-and are keen for an optimistic answer for our
modern world. Whereas there are prophets of doom in our day, many
in the New Age are calling us to hope. On the basis of an
evolutionary optimism, derived in part from such writers like
Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit writer and scientist, proponents of the
New Age see, through mystic eyes, a cosmic progression towards
unity and complete consciousness. 11 Humanity might not know it,
but things really are improving. This is why reference is made to a
'New Age'.
These are the essential characteristics of the New Age worldview.
We must appreciate, however, that the New Age worldview is not
one monolithic movement-there are differences and adjusted varia-
tions. Still, observers of the New Age expressions notice these
common elements. In addition to, and complementing, these six
themes are strong associations with the occult, pagan religions of
Celtic and North American Indian origin, and popular psychology.
33
Churchman
Who is responsible for this worldview? The influential individuals
are numerous and come from diverse backgrounds, and not all would
agree with the way their thinking has been used. New Age followers
have drawn upon such diverse sources as the quantum physics of
Einstein and others, the teachings of numerous gurus from the East
who have come to the West, the psychology of Carl Rogers and
certain advances in the study of human kinesiology. There are
sociological and philosophical themes originating in the counter-
culture movement of the 1960s. Yet, significantly the New Age
movements are the counter-culture come of age, taking into account
the situation of the 1980s and 1990s. The primary difference is that
whereas the 1960s counter-culture played down the importance of the
'spiritual' and transcendent (the mystical images of hallucinogens not
to the contrary), in the 1980s and 1990s humanity's spiritual longings
are proving quite insatiable.
This is in part because the New Age movements are responding to
the void created by a secular humanism which has run out of steam.
Secular humanism, pronouncedly atheist and reductionist, has of-
fered humanity little hope. Secular humanism can deny humanity's
spiritual longings but they are unavoidable. Modern men and women
are desperate for hope and still possess mystical and spiritual
longings, which secular humanism could not satisfy. Nevertheless,
the New Age shares one thing at least with earlier secular humanism:
the God of the Bible is not desired or considered; the optimistic
answer exists within humanity itself. The New Age worldview can be
described, therefore, as 'cosmic humanism.'

2. How and where does the New Age movement

come into my life?
The gravity of the New Age worldview is all the more alarming when
one considers that most of us need not look very hard or far to find it
in our daily life. Hopefully, we do not have any direct contact with
the overtly Satanic; yet other New Age expressions may be closer to
home than we might appreciate. It is also worth noting that the
various guises in which the New Age may appear are not all
necessarily 'weird' or alien to us. The New Age is promoted by
people who know marketing skills and their society. 12 I will identify
only five of the more apparent points of contact.
1. Holistic Health Care. Alternative medicine is increasingly con-
sidered in this country. A growing number of people come close to
despair with traditional medicine and so venture to an acupuncturist,
osteopath, hypnotist or herbalist. While Christians need not dismiss
these practices entirely, certain New Age assumptions about the body
and its relationship to the rest of reality are endorsed by some
alternative medicine practitioners. A number of holistic health
practices are based on eastern views of the relation between body,
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 The Significance of the New Age Movement
mind and spirit. Axiomatic to natural medicine is the idea that the
human body is capable of healing itself, it possesses its own intrinsic
power. Traditional Western medicine would agree with this, but only
up to a point; yet some New Age theories go even further, however,
and stress the unity of our minds with a cosmic whole, and, thus, we
have the capability of tuning into a recreative power which comes
through a unity with the 'All'. Practices like yoga and biofeedback,
which may be profitable to a degree, may also be taught with an
approach predicated upon the New Age worldview identified earlier.
Undoubtedly our generation needs urgent help with the problem of
stress, but are the various forms of meditation and relaxation
techniques free from the subtleties of the New Age worldview? One
must certainly exercise prudent discretion. Check out some of the
advertisements and books in your local health food shop or herbalist
and you will discover some interesting, if not alarming, publications.
2. Certain expressions of radical Feminism. It would be great
injustice to suggest that all feminism was either unjustified or part of
the New Age: some expressions are legitimate, and Biblical Chris-
tians could well find common agreement. Yet within many New Age
groups there is an apparent strident feminism. It is argued that as
society encounters itself away will go the 'false' and 'oppressive'
distinctions between male and female. The crucial point is that since
reality is all one such differentiation is quite unhelpful. Instead it is
better to speak of androgenous humanoids. Some would claim that its
better to speak of the planet earth and life in female terms: all life
springs from that which is feminine. Far more serious is the tendency
of some extreme New Age feminists to be attracted to ancient pagan
goddesses and even white witchcraft ( wicca).
3. The Ecology Movement. There is no doubt that the ecology and
'green' issues will be a dominant theme of the 1990s. Biblical
Christians may rightly refer to an ecological theology. Intriguingly,
however, there are some elements within the ecological movement
proposed by New Age advocates which are pronouncedly pantheistic.
In a slightly different manner some identify the planet as our mother.
Through her we are in relationship with every living thing, for we are
united in a fundamental unity.
4. Quantum Science. Since the early 1900s with the findings of Max
Planck, Einstein and others, quantum mechanics has shaken the old
Newtonian worldview. Einstein's famous observation that matter
gives off energy has challenged the Newtonian distinctions between
mass and energy, thus suggesting a greater metaphysical unity than
previously considered. Werner Heisenberg's 'uncertainty
principle'-namely that an atom cannot be observed without affect-
ing the observation-has been used by New Age advocates to stress
the unity of the cosmos. In fact, no actual scientific observation is
possible, for the observer and the object are all part of the 'whole'
35
Churchman
and thereby indistinguishable. Accordingly, empiricism is dubious.
These assumptions have led physicists like Capra, lecturer at the
University of California, Berkeley, to blend science and mysticism.
In his The Tao of Physics he has written,
The further we penetrate into the submicroscopic world, the more we
shall realize how the modern physicist, like the Eastern mystic, has
come to see the world as a system of inseparable, interacting and ever-
moving components with man being an integral part of the system. 0
Add to this the suggestion that time is relative and there is a unity to
all existence, then the mysticism of Zen Buddhism and Tao gains a
greater apparent validity. With this, however, one must accept, to be
consistent, the indistinguishableness of the external world and the
impossibility of objective measurement. By implication one scientist
could not pass on his or her findings to another!
5. Global Unity. According to New Age thinking gone are national
distinctives and, by all means, national pride. Instead international-
ism rules. World peace and social transformation can only come
when geographic boundaries are erased and the human consciousness
is unleashed. What is needed, say some New Age political advocates
like Mark Satin and former 1960s radical Jerry Rubin, is a global
unity and spiritual reordering. We are told that the planet is moving
towards Teilhard de Chardin's 'omega point', an evolutionary de-
velopment which will enable the global community to unite for good
and well being. With reference to Teilhard de Chardin, Marilyn
Ferguson anticipated an eventual, 'conspiracy of men and women
whose new perspective would trigger a contagion of change.'14 In
distinctly mystical tones, advocates of this planetization speak of the
transformation with references to Messianic figures.1s
It should be apparent to most readers that the New Age movement
is not in some isolated corner: if one considers the five areas
identified above it is obvious that they touch on a number of the 'hot'
topics of our day and relate to some of the issues which interest many
thoughtful and sensitive people who are concerned with the quality of
our life. Thus, with complexity, it is precisely at these major points
that the New Age worldview enters into our day-to-day existence.
Stated baldly, wherever contemporary man is questioning his exis-
tence in relation to the whole of reality there is the New Age.
It is necessary to add that the worldview is entering through
Madison Avenue advertising; certain educational curricula in the
United States; management training programmes run by some dis-
tinguished and respected companies in the United States and United
Kingdom; the influence of 'Space' music in which there is a blend of
chanting, Celtic tones and repetitive phrasing; and the various
transpersonal psychologies and human potential movements (seen in
Eric Fromm and Carl Rogers) in which the paranormal and the
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 The Significance of the New Age Movement
psychic are exalted and moral values are dismissed. Finally, the
attested rise in occult activities and neopagan religions suggests that
no longer are these restricted to the cranks of society but becoming,
frighteningly, fashionable.
3. In what ways does the New Age movement
challenge Christianity?
At this point one can see the rather obvious and blatant ways in which
the New Age worldview disagrees with Biblical Christianity. Yet this
is not to say that Biblical Christians should dismiss outright some of
the arguments of the New Age. To the extent that the New Age
movement is attempting to discover why men and women love,
appreciate beauty and how they relate to the whole of creation,
Biblical Christians can say, 'Oh yes, these questions really do matter;
you are right to wonder and search, but you are looking in the wrong
direction for you are denying the truth of your creator God.' (See
Romans 1.18-23). Furthermore, on the premise that all truth is
God's truth, then whether it is ecology, feminism, health, inter-
national relations or psychology one should not be afraid to look for
elements of God's truth in some of the New Age movement's
manifestations. It needs to be added quickly, however, that such an
examination demands the spiritual discernment which only comes
through the bard work of Biblical thinking; for the worldview of the
New Age movement, along with the occult and pagan overtones are
seriously and dangerously used by Satan in our generation.
As suggested at the beginning of this article, only when modern
Christians are prepared to think with a biblical worldview (and at the
local, congregational level) will they be able to offer a proper
response-free from both extreme panic and foolish syncretism.
Accordingly, a number of points in which the New Age worldview
and Biblical Christianity's worldview differ can be suggested.
1. The nature of God. New Age advocates claim that we are God.
This is at the heart of what the Bible defines as human rebellion. The
fall account in Genesis describes this vividly. Equally the Biblical
worldview argues that God is not within creation but is the creator.
He is distinct from his creation; pantheism is quite mistaken. God is
knowable not by looking inside ourselves, but by looking up and
receiving His propositional revelation. God is not a force; God is
personal, within the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God,
however, is not in our image. He is infinite and transcendent. He is
wholly other.
2. The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ. New Age spirituality acknowl-
edges Jesus but puts him on a par with numerous other emanations
from the godhead. Such thinking, however, is wrong. In the historical
person of Jesus of Nazareth, God became fully incarnate. Supremely,
Christianity does not see Jesus as just one of the world's great
37
Churchman
spiritual leaders. In the New Testament there is the disturbing and
challenging exclusivity of Jesus. He alone is Lord over all. He alone is
the one who can restore our relationship with our Creator through his
death, resurrection and ascension. He alone has been given all
authority as judge of the living and the dead and will come again in
history.
2. The Nature of Humanity. New Age prophets will have nothing to
do with the Biblical doctrine of sin. They claim our fundamental
problem is ignorance, cured by a change in thinking, or a paradigm
shift. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that our fundamental
problem is rebellion. It is not our thinking which needs correction
(although it too is profoundly affected) so much as our moral
character. At the same time the Bible insists that men and women
have an intrinsic dignity: they are unique in the created order because
they are made in the image of God. To be sure, humanity is not to
ignore the integrity of the created order-Christians also take
ecological issues seriously-yet you and I are not on an equal footing
with a tree or a squirrel up in that tree.
3. The nature of the cosmos. We need not dismiss quantum physics.
All the facts and information, however, are not in, and we best
refrain from too hasty approval. The Biblical worldview insists that
there is a created unity but also a metaphysical diversity. Equally, our
understanding of time and its relativity may need further examina-
tion. One thinks, just for an example, of C.S. Lewis's treatment of
time in The Chronicles of Narnia stories. Still, the Bible tells us that
there is a goal (telos) to human history and even the cosmos. Time,
and therefore history, has its intrinsic importance.
4. Knowledge is possible. While some New Age proponents would
not go so far as to dismiss logic and reason, many give far greater
emphasis to the intuitive and the irrational. In a rather fascinating
way the New Age worldview claims to be the answer yet consistently
maintains that one cannot depend upon reason and logic. Yet the
Christian must ask, how else can one accept and believe something
unless it is also reasonable and rational? The Biblical worldview,
while quite supernatural, does not nullify what is reasonable and
logical. There are many mysteries which our finite minds cannot
begin to fathom but, as created beings in the image of God, we
perceive and acknowledge that the fundamental realities are know-
able and verifiable. Take this away and humanity is progressively
dehumanized; however compelling the mystical experiences of
Shirley MacLaine and others, we must be allowed to ask them, 'Yes,
but how do you know this is the truth?'

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 The Significance of the New Age Movement

4. How should we respond to the New Age

movement?
I want to offer some brief and perhaps obvious concluding com-
ments. First, while many of us may have read the rather sensational
fiction of Frank Peretti which describes New Age conspiracies taking
over small towns and villages in the United States, his work is
fiction. 16 Thus, undue panic and unbridled censoriousness could
prove counter-productive. Above all we must not forget that Jesus is
the sovereign Lord. Challenges to Biblical faith have always been
around-there are parallels between second century gnosticism and
the present New Age movement. Of course we must not be compla-
cent either. Whether there is a human New Age global conspiracy or
not, surely Satan is involved in a global and heavenly conspiracy.
Responsible prayer and action are required.
Secondly, there must be an appreciation that some elements of the
New Age movement reflect the deep pains and confusion of modern
men and women. These are people created in the image of God who
are deeply disturbed about much in our society and world. They are
fed up with the empty secular humanism of the past decades, burnt
out with an exploitative and destructive material society and are
seriously searching for spiritual realities.
Thirdly, while compassion and practical witness are essential there
is an urgency for Christians to view the totality of life with a Biblical
worldview. We are to love and show compassion but we must also be
prepared to challenge the sophisticated and attractive New Age
worldview.
Fourthly, in some contemporary quarters of the Western church
there is an attraction to the irrational and anti-intellectual. At the risk
of being polemic, theories of evangelism which minimize the rational
presentation of the gospel in favour of the irrational will not counter
the New Age insistence on the non-logical and non-objective.
Equally, meditation techniques which imply emptying ourselves in
order to be open to God could not only be harmful to ourselves but
assist in the displacing of orthodox Christianity. Liturgies which hope
to have a 'green' sensitivity could replace the revealed character of
God with a quasi-pantheistic or mother earth kind of deity.
In the end, while confident in our sovereign God and the certainty
of his victory, we must rally to the breach which has developed in the
wall of Western culture and thinking. The New Age movement is
ultimately based on a lie: one need not consider the God who has
revealed himself-or as Francis Schaeffer put it, the God who is
there. New Age thinking misconstrues what is true and real. Accord-
ingly, it actually minimizes the dignity of men and women. It blinds
them from the truth, which in turn leads them into immorality and
culminates in further rebellion and rejection of the one true God.

39
Churchman

Biblical Christians out of obedience to the Lord Jesus and compas-

sion for our generation must respond. If we fail to respond, or return
with an insipid piety, then such failure could well prove to be a fatal
appeasement.
GAVIN McGRATH is Associate Vicar of Christ Church, Fulwood, Sheffield.

NOTES

Based in part on a lecture given at Christ Church, Fulwood, Sheffield on

24 May, 1990.
2 Russell Chandler, Understanding the New Age (Dallas, London, Sydney,
Singapore: Word Publishing, 1988), p. 27.
3 James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door-A Guide to World Views
(Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), p. 17.
4 Ibid., p. 18.
5 FritjofCapra, The Turning Point (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982),
p. 371 quoted in Douglas R. Groothuis, Unmasking The New Age-Is
There a New Religious Movement Trying to Transform Society? (Downers
Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1986), p. 19.
6 Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy-Personal and Social Trans-
formation in the 1980s (London: Paladin. Grafton Books, 1982), pp. 26-
34 offers an intelligible explanation of this paradigm shift.
7 Ibid., p. 27.
8 A Course in Miracles (Penguin/Arkana), Volume I, p. 73.
9 Quoted in Groothuis, p. 24.
10 Chandler, op.cit., p. 44.
11 Groothuis, op.cit., p. 29.
12 See Chandler, op.cit., p. 130.
13 Quoted in Chandler, op.cit., p. 188.
14 Ferguson, op.cit., p. 26.
15 See Groothuis, op.cit., pp. 119-20.
16 Frank Peretti, This Present Darkness. (Westchester, Illinois: Crossway
Books, 1988) and Piercing The Darkness. (Westchester, Illinois: Cross-
way Books, 1989).

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