With more than half of American adults accepting at least one New Age belief, according to the Pew Research Center, it’s no wonder adjacent New Thought ideas are creeping into the church.
There are, though, very distinct differences between the doctrines of the New Age and New Thought.
While the New Age movement — a product of the 20th century — merges a myriad of Eastern religions and a pantheistic view of divinity, New Thought beliefs arose in the 19th century and are rooted in early Christian ideas and view Jesus as the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment and achievement.
Melissa Dougherty, a Christian apologist who once subscribed to the tenets of New Thought, appeared on the most recent episode of CBN’s “Faith in Culture,” where she warned against the dangerous doctrines many believers might be tempted to accept as part of the Christian faith.
“I believe that New Thought will deceive Christians before the New Age will, because it’s made to look and sound Christian,” she said, going on to concisely define New Thought as “the positive thinking movement in America with Jesus as its mascot.”
The “core belief” of the New Thought movement, Dougherty explained, is human beings are — in and of themselves — “divine.” But that is not what is found in the pages of Scripture.
Dougherty is the author of “Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World,” and she approaches the New Thought movement from an interesting vantage point: as one who once unwittingly adopted its dangerous doctrines.
Some of the Bible verses that, on the surface, might seem to align with New Thought ideas are (NLT):
- “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” — Genesis 1:27
- “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” — John 14:12
- “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” — Proverbs 18:21
In the first passage, being made “in the image of God” means human beings possess certain attributes — like souls, personalities, the ability to reason, a desire for truth and purpose — that, unlike animals, help humans relate to their Creator. It does not mean, however, that humans are co-creators on par with God.
The second passage, in which Jesus said His followers will do “even greater works,” is not an indication human beings will surpass the Son of God in the quality of their works, like performing more impressive or robust miracles or supernatural phenomena. Rather, Jesus was explaining those who succeed Him as His disciples will perform a greater quantity of works in Jesus’ name than He did over the course of His three-year ministry on earth.
In the third passage, when Solomon asserted that the words humans speak “can bring death or life,” the author was highlighting the real and significant consequences that accompany what people say. For example, sharing wisdom with friends can set healthy trajectories for their lives, while withholding critical information from them in times of need can result in serious harm.
Dougherty said the context of Scripture — rather than the readers’ feelings — should determine how it is interpreted.
“What I should be asking is: ‘Who wrote it? ‘Why did they write it?’ ‘Who did they write it to?’ ‘What is the actual purpose of this message?’” she said. “And then draw [lessons] from [the Scripture].”
You can watch the rest of our conversation in the video above or check out the extended “Faith in Culture” Podcast, where Dougherty spoke at length about her personal testimony and how the New Thought movement is infiltrating the Christian church.
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