You are surrounded by new age beliefs. Don’t believe me? When is the last time you were in the airport or the grocery store line? You were likely surrounded by magazines that have headings that seem almost impossible to miss making claims such as, “Top 10 new holistic health tips to live longer” or “What to do if your boyfriend is a Gemini.” Now this might seem like an exaggeration, but the point is that new age beliefs have molded themselves into the fabric of our society. New age spirituality is found underlying the entertainment we consume, health fads we follow, and even many of the religious beliefs that we possess. PEW Research center conducted a study saying that 60% of professing Christians have at least one new age belief! All this begs the question, why is the new age spirituality so popular? There are several factors that contribute to the popularity of the new age movement, but two of the main ones we are going to discuss are the movements emphasis on the individual and their vision for the world.
The New Age religion offers a fundamentally new way to be religious in the Western world. In the past as previously discussed (see blogs on History and Beliefs) spirituality in the west has been closely linked to institutions such as the Church. However, millennials have become disenchanted with the notion that experience of the divine must come through an institution. The Church has been perceived as holding people back from experiencing a meaningful encounter with the divine. What the new age offers is a version of religion that is customizable to fit an individual’s personal preferences and provides direct access to “god”. New age ideology sees itself as liberating people from doctrine and commitment by allowing people to fully express themselves and begin their own journey to spiritual enlightenment. A simple way to think about the new age movement is that it presents a way for all the supposedly good elements of religion such as community, purpose, and joy to be experienced without any of the restricting or prohibiting commands. It is religion at the individual’s personal convenience and is adjusted based on their wants and desires.
The other primary reasons that the new age movement has become popular is because of its care for the world. The whole concept of a world where all people are united and transformed into a state of enlightenment gives people a vision for a future where there will be peace and harmony. With the 20th century being characterized by bloody and violent wars, people are yearning for a day when there will be global peace and security with all people coexisting with each other and the universe.
As Christians, we can deeply resonate with this desire to experience God in a meaningful way and live in a world where the earth is functioning properly. This was the vision that God outlined for humanity in Genesis 1-2, and ultimately what will happen in the last days as portrayed in Revelation 21-22! We were meant to be in harmony with one experiencing new creation in the presence of God. While we deeply identify with this desire that new ager possess to live in this utopian reality, we must understand that only through faith in the Gospel and the work that Jesus’s accomplishes will this reality of new creation actually be experienced.
Written by Grant Gobezie