![]() ![]() Instead of condemnation, show compassion. Our very lives must demonstrate the supernatural, lasting power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Acts 17:28 says, “For in him we live and move and have our being.”Ĭhristians need to show more of this experience of God - this relationship - to the outside world. He is the creator of the universe, and he wants a relationship with us. God is not some impersonal energy floating out there somewhere. In Acts, we are told of how Paul spoke to the Athenians about their altar “To an unknown god.” Paul tells them that the God they worship as unknown, is “the God who made the world and everything in it” and who “himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” ( Acts 17:23-25). Representing Christīut what of others in the New Age movement? How are we presenting Christianity to those earnestly seeking spiritual fulfillment? Slowly I let the Holy Spirit seep back in and fill me up. I attended workshops, read Christian books, and took the time to sort out my faith. Occasionally at first, and then every Sunday. I wanted to know more about Christ, not what I had done wrong.įortunately, I kept on going back. I realize now that I should have talked to someone at this point, but I felt that if other Christians knew about my involvement in New Age, I would be spurned, or worse, lectured to. I thought myself fickle and wondered if Christianity would be “just another phase” for me. It took me a very long time to admit that I had been traveling down the wrong path. I also struggled long and hard with pride. I wanted to know more about Christ, not what I had done wrong. I struggled deeply with what I thought I believed in. It would have been all too easy to walk out the door again. On my first attempt, I cried during the service and felt very alone. They all sounded the same and I was slowly realizing that none of this was filling me up. There came a day when I simply could not read yet another New Age book. Though the power found in many of these experiences is real, it is often short-lived and fails to satisfy. “New Agers” often move from one technique to another, one guru to the next, seeking the next better spiritual high. I was constantly moving from one practice to another, reading the latest book, seeking the latest “experience.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but the further I got into the New Age movement, the farther I got from God, whom I was desperately seeking. New Age also seduces in its worship of self (God is within you) and its apparent freedom from guilt (there is no such thing as sin). On the surface, who would question its apparent values of love, compassion, and unity? It promises utopia. New Age gains its appeal by emphasizing the importance of experience and spirituality. On my quest, I read tarot cards, collected crystals, and studied Buddhism, meditation, visualization and Wicca. It is an eclectic mix of practices involving Eastern mysticism, occult, meditation, humanism, nature religions, and various self-improvement techniques. With a deep desire to know something more than what I was getting out of my occasional Sunday attendance, I began to look elsewhere. I knew of him, but I didn’t really have a relationship with him. Although raised, baptized, confirmed, and married in the church, I did not really know God. Even Christians who have allowed their faith to dry up can fall victim to seeking to fill that spiritual vacuum elsewhere. Many of those taking an interest in New Age are seeking deep, spiritual experiences and meaning in their lives. In his book, Searching Issues, popular theologian Nicky Gumbel quotes a survey that estimates that 25% of Americans are involved in some form of New Age practice. The New Age movement is growing rapidly and gaining influence in our modern society. ![]()
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