The New Age Movement: Spiritualism, Peace, or What? | John 1:1-2, 14
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:1-2
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
A funny Ann Landers column once collected kids’ mishearings of the Lord’s Prayer—“Howard be thy name,” “Give us this day our jelly bread.” Cute, yes—but also a warning. It’s possible to recite spiritual words without grasping their meaning. Peter urges us to go deeper: “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense…” (1 Peter 3:15). Few moments demand clear answers like ours, especially as the New Age movement grows. Many believers are not prepared to discern it.
Cults inevitably distort Jesus. They redefine Him, stripping His eternality, deity, and lordship. John confronted this in his day. Writing near AD 100, with Gnostic errors spreading, he anchored the church in eyewitness truth (1 John 1:1–4):
“From the beginning.” Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem; He is eternal God. “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God” (John 1:1; cf. 1:14). In Jesus, eternity entered time.
“Seen with our eyes.” The apostles physically saw Him—no phantom, no metaphor.
“Looked upon.” They examined Him closely and concluded: This is God in the flesh.
“Handled with our hands.” Like Thomas, they touched the risen Lord. Christianity rests on historical, tangible facts.
Against that backdrop, consider the New Age movement. Apologists have called it a “fast-growing spiritual cancer,” not because it wears one label but because it networks many: The Age of Aquarius, New Consciousness, Cosmic Humanism, New Globalism, and more — often signaled by rainbows, pyramids, crystals, concentric circles, rays of light, and unicorns. Estimates suggest tens of millions of sympathizers, with ideas embedded in education, business creativity seminars, health practices, and pop culture. Old occult words are rebranded—séances become “channeling”—but the content remains.
What is New Age? A spiritual-political-social phenomenon seeking personal transformation via mystical enlightenment and power—power to transcend limits, bend moral and physical laws, even “become a god.” Common paths include:
Meditation: not biblical meditation on God’s Word but techniques aimed at altered states and self-deification.
Healing/holism: visualization, energy balancing, and crystals as supposed conduits of cosmic power.
Channeling: mediums claim messages from “guides” or “entities,” popularized through books, TV, and seminars. Scripture warns that such practices invite demonic deception (Eph 6:10–11; 4:27; 2 Cor 11:14).
Where did it come from? New Age ideas synthesize Hinduism and Buddhism (via 19th-century Transcendentalism), mind-science healers, spiritualism (e.g., the Fox sisters), ecological spirituality, and more. The core foundations are:
Monism: all reality is one undifferentiated “force.”
Pantheism: all is god; god is everything. “Atonement” gets redefined as “at-one-ment” with an impersonal divine essence.
Points of agreement (bridges for witness): care for creation (Ps 24:1), desire for peace, moral concern in public life, hunger for spirituality, and human dignity (imago Dei). These common concerns open doors for conversation.
Crucial disagreements (gospel essentials):
God: Not an impersonal force or inner “higher self,” but the triune, holy Lord—distinct from creation (John 4:24; Exod 15:11).
Jesus Christ: Not an office of enlightenment but the incarnate God-man—virgin-born, sinless, crucified, risen, ascended, and returning.
Humanity: We are not “gods in embryo.” We are fallen and separated from God, needing new birth by the Spirit (John 3:3).
Creation: Not divine; it is created by God and distinct from Him.
Redemption: Not achieved through mystical techniques or self-realization, but by grace through faith in Christ’s finished work.
Two major errors:
Reincarnation. Borrowed from Hinduism, often blended with karma. Scripture flatly contradicts it: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27).
Channeling. Invites spiritual entities contrary to God’s command (Deut 18:10–12). We resist the devil, we do not consult him (Eph 6:10-11; 4:27).
How do we witness to a New Ager?
Remember the spiritual battle; cover conversations with prayer and Scripture. Mature, grounded believers should engage. Recognize the spiritual vacuum driving the search—then lovingly point to the living Christ who forgives, heals, and satisfies. Know your Bible well enough to expose the errors of reincarnation, pantheism, monism, and mediumship—and to exalt Jesus.
John wrote to preserve joy by anchoring the church in the real Jesus (1 John 1:4). Do the same today: test the spirits, cling to the Word, and lift high the Lord who was from the beginning, who was seen, examined, and touched—and who still saves.
Discussion Questions
What was the purpose of 1 John? Why did John feel a desperate need to write this letter?
What is the all-consuming quest of the New Age movement? How do they think they will meet this goal?
What religions and individuals have had the greatest impact on the beliefs of the New Age movement? How are their teachings reflected in the teachings of the New Age movement?
How is a person saved according to the New Age movement?
In what areas do Christians agree with the New Age movement? How can we use these points of common interest in witnessing?
How has the New Age movement changed Hinduism’s teaching on reincarnation?
Why is the New Age movement so fascinated with channeling? What does the Bible say about trying to contact dead people?
