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COMMENTARY • September 2005 |
Beware of dangers of the new ‘supernatural spirituality’
By Jan Markell
CHRISTIAN EXAMINER- Opinion |
Good people of faith are playing with matches. An endless array of deceptive and “spiritual-sounding” religious experiences are flourishing today. Some call it the new “pop spirituality” and, because so many Christians don’t fully understand it or its origins, “people are perishing for a lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
A lot of this new phenomenon is “feelings based” and fits in well with “comfortable Christianity” and the “feel good” longings 21st century people seem to hold now. Here are some examples that might illustrate how there has been a “death of discernment” today among good people of faith.
Legions from all faiths—Catholic and Protestant—are devouring Dan Brown’s novel “The DaVinci Code,” a conspiracy thriller based on the theory that the Catholic Church concealed the central role of Mary Magdalene and her sexual relationship with Jesus.
What about Harry Potter? Why are Christian parents letting kids read about a “hero” who practices sorcery? Why are they allowing their kids cheer for Harry, who is a wizard and who engages in dozens of practices forbidden in the Bible?
And why are notable Christian authors writing books in defense of Harry, one claiming that you can actually find God in Harry Potter, and another saying Harry is “a Christ-like figure?” Excuse me, he’s a sorcerer!
“Christian yoga”—an oxymoron to me—is making giant inroads into churches today. A pastor’s wife in North Carolina recently said, “I started a class in ‘Christian yoga’ because we wanted to open the doors to people who were afraid. We call it Christian because we wanted Christians to feel OK about it.”
An expert on such things, Doug Groothius, recently wrote in ChristianityOnline.com that, “Overstretched Americans (and Christians) are increasingly turning to various forms of Eastern practices in search of relaxation and spirituality. Underlying these meditative practices is a worldview in conflict with biblical spirituality.”
Some call this the new “supernatural spirituality.” This mysticism began in the Garden of Eden when Eve was told that “her eyes would be opened.” Since she didn’t need glasses in that perfect environment, the Devil meant she would be able to “see like God.” In the past 20 years that longing has exploded so that today more “enlightened Christian leaders” have a huge following.
The Bible speaks about an end-time falling away from truth in 2 Timothy 4. There will come a generation—probably at it’s height in the 21st Century—when people will not “give heed to sound doctrine,” will want “their ears tickled,” and will even chase after “the doctrine of demons.”
This new “pop spirituality” can destroy more than one’s spiritual health and one needs to have a “buyer-beware mentality” concerning discernment and faith issues.
Mysticism is the longing to get closer to God through means that aren’t all that godly. For the sake of those you love, be careful of many of the “pop-theology” options now so rampant and available at church.
Jan Markell is founder/director of Minnesota-based Olive Tree Ministries. To learn more about spiritual deception and other current issues visit her Web site olivetreeviews.org or call (763) 493-3010.
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