By Hank Hanegraaff

Not everyone who wears a cross is a Christian. Like- wise, not everyone who owns a crystal is a New Ager. To accurately identify New Agers, we must move beyond superficial symbols such as crystals, unicorns, and rain- bows to identify their beliefs and practices.

First, New Agers hold to pantheistic monism: in their view, God is all, all is God, and all is one. Additionally, they believe that the universe operates under the law of karma and its corollary, the doctrine of reincarnation.

Furthermore, the goal of New Agers is to spiritually evolve and tap into their human potential through the help of “ascended masters” or spirit guides. To attain such enlightenment, New Agers engage in occult practices such as astrology, magic, psychic healing, out-of-body experiences, and meditation. In New Age meditation, the goal is to stamp out the self and to become one with the impersonal cosmic consciousness of the universe. In sharp contrast, biblical meditation calls for centering one’s self on the personal Creator of the universe through a singular focus on Scripture (Joshua 1:8).

Finally, New Agers share the vision of a coming “age of Aquarius” that will be marked by global peace, prosperity, and planetary transformation. Their ultimate goal is encapsulated in such catchphrases as global village and planetary consciousness. Far from being a monolith, however, the New Age movement is a multifaceted amorphous network of organizations such as Planetary Initiative for the World, Divine Light Mission, and Self-Realization Fellowship, loosely linked yet autonomous.

 

When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 18:9–13 NKJV

For further study, see Douglas R. Groothuis, Unmasking the New Age (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986); for a comprehensive work, see Elliot Miller, A Crash Course on The New Age Movement (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).

***Note the preceding text is adapted from The Complete Bible Answer Book: Collector’s Edition: Revised and Expanded (2024). To receive for your partnering gift please click here. ***