God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24 (HCSB)
“This ‘habitation of dragons’ was considered too dangerous to enter because there was no way to know what you might find out there and there was always the possibility that, once you went beyond the horizon of the familiar, you would never return.”[1] In their book, The Physics of Heaven, Judy Franklin, administrative assistant to Bill Johnson (Bethel Church founder), and Ellyn Davis, Christian educator, attempt to explore this “habitation of dragons” with the “desire to bridge the gap between Christianity and the discoveries of quantum physics as well as discover God truths hidden in quantum mysticism and the New Age.”[2] No longer is the New Age Movement confined to fringe groups like Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society and Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science. Contemporary churches are now actively seeking and integrating New Age practices and theology into their churches at the highest levels.
A literature review of contemporary books and articles has shown that there are many sources that speak out and critique Christian syncretization with the New Age Movement (hereafter NAM). However, there are no books or articles that provide a rigorous academic methodology for determining the degree to which a doctrine or practice syncretizes with the NAM. This paper will develop three criteria by which church practices and doctrines can be assessed to determine if they demonstrate NAM influence. In the second half of the paper, these criteria will be applied to the following practices to determine if they rely on an underlying New Age theology: Christian yoga, enneagram, and the use of quantum physics in understanding faith. This paper will demonstrate that all three of these practices have been deeply influenced by the NAM and are not suitable for Christian engagement.
Due to the high degree of variability between the theological systems of both Christian denominations and the NAM, it is necessary to state the theological boundaries that will be utilized in the development of the criteria. The Christian position will be represented by a combination of biblical data and broadly reformed evangelical doctrine. Though this does not represent all of Christianity, this paper is being developed to instruct evangelical Christians on how to assess church practices, thus the narrow theological treatment is appropriate to the audience. To represent New Age theology, the following sources will be aggregated: self-avowed New Age teachers and organizations, books and articles that are critical assessments of New Age theology, and groups that do not identify as New Age, but openly accept New Age practices into their theological systems. While the assessments of New Age theology will not line up with any particular organization or practitioner, they will speak broadly of the NAM’s theological trends.
It can be equally difficult to properly describe and assess the various practices that Christians engage in as part of their Christian experience. First, there are attempts to Christianize the theology and philosophy behind practices that originate out of other religions and worldviews. Second, some Christians attempt to dissociate practices from their religious context, effectively sterilizing them. Third, those who teach these practices do so having Christianized them in different ways. Thus, any attempt to assess the practices will not be all inclusive. This study will utilize resources from both the original practitioners and those who have Christianized the practices. Additionally, the practice itself will be assessed for its usability in a sanitized context, only if the practice can be separated from its theology.
First, this study will develop three criteria by which church practices can be assessed. Each criterion will come with an overview of the biblical/evangelical and NAM doctrine that addresses the topic at hand. Then, a series of dichotomies will be developed that can be used to determine whether a particular practice is more aligned with New Age or the biblical worldview with regard to the criterion.
Second, the underlying theology/philosophy and their methods of personal engagement will be explained for each of the practices. The practices will then be held up to criteria grids to determine the level to which they remain biblically pure or have syncretized with the NAM. Each practice will then be given a recommendation either for church use, for Christian use, or for the cessation of use by Christians.
The grids for criteria numbers one and two will utilize a light blue highlight to indicate agreement with a particular viewpoint. If both options are highlighted, the practice is syncretistic on that viewpoint. The third criterion will be presented as a table categorizing the methods of spiritual interaction for each practice as either biblically authorized or biblically prohibited.
One of the key differences between the NAM and biblical Christianity is their understanding of God and His relationship to the world. The Bible describes God in terms of a being who is ontologically transcendent with regard to creation, yet immanent in terms of His interaction and communication with creation. The NAM sees God from a monistic perspective (all substance is one), as well as from a pantheistic perspective (God is what binds the universe together and is its source).
Transcendence
According to John 4:24, “God is spirit.” This declaration does two things simultaneously. First, it emphasizes the “incorporeality” of God: He is not matter nor part of creation.[3] Second, it also restricts acceptable worship.[4] If worship is only due to God and God is not in any part ontologically connected to matter or the universe, then worship of anything in the universe is idolatry. Along the same lines, Deuteronomy 4:12 and John 1:18 argue that God can be heard but is without “form” so much that “no one has ever seen God.”[5] This leads reformed systematic theologian William G. T. Shedd to state that God is “formless and unembodied.”[6] The ontological statements about God set the stage for the biblical doctrine of the separation of God and creation.
Norman Geisler argues that the total witness of Scripture describes God as being “above and beyond all creation.”[7] Genesis 1:1 grounds this statement in truth saying that “God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse demonstrates that God is both separate from creation and in total creative control over all creation.[8] Additionally, 1 Kings 8:27 and Psalm 97:9 both highlight how God is “Most High,” “exalted above,” and how “even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain [Him].”[9] These verses all build on what culminates in Ephesians 4:6 which states that God “is above all and through all and in all.”[10] God is the creator and sustainer of all things. He is present everywhere yet is not part of creation: “He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.”[11]
Immanence
The Bible maintains a narrow understanding of God’s immanence. He is able to interact with creation and communicate with creation, but He never becomes creation. John 1:14 states that it was “the Word” that “became flesh and took up residence among us.”[12] It was through this Word that humanity was able to see “His glory.”[13] The terminology “became flesh” does not mean that the Word has ontologically changed, but that “the Word does not exist in the flesh.”[14] God never ceases to be God; He humbled Himself to communicate to humanity through the weakness that is human flesh.[15] Additionally, this divine communication does not require a direct connection of God’s Spirit with human spirit whereby the two merge or substantially connect. Shedd argues that the spirit of mankind “resembles” the Spirit of God but is “not identical with it.”[16]
Geisler defines God’s immanence as meaning that “He is within or present to the entire universe.”[17] God sustains the universe, but it is not “part of his nature.”[18] For example, both Psalm 139:7-10 and Jeremiah 23:23-24 emphasize that it is impossible to “escape” or “hide” from God because He literally “fill[s] the heavens and the earth.”[19] Similarly, in Acts 17:27-28 it is stated that “in Him we live and move and exist.”[20] These verses are very specific in the type of interaction that they depict between God and mankind. The language utilized is that of sustenance and provision, not the language of oneness or equality. Thus, one can “exist” in God and yet not be part of God.[21] Hebrews 1:3 is a great example of where God does promote oneness: “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature.”[22] This verse clearly uses ontological language when talking about the relationship of the Son to God. This language is precisely what is missing in the other verses in order to maintain the creator/creature distinction while still demonstrating the substantial immanence God displays.
Monism
One of the central beliefs of the NAM is that “the cosmos is seen as pure, undifferentiated, energy-interconnected process.”[23] The cosmos is able to both exist and create simultaneously, thus there is no distinction between divine, god substance and creation.[24] At the most fundamental level, the NAM teaches that new discoveries in physics have linked together the spiritual and the physical at the levels of light and energy.[25] This connection is vital for the NAM as it is the basis for a wide variety of their practices. For instance, Newport states that “this energy is the force believed to cause psychic healing… released in various forms of meditation and body therapies that energizes individuals mentally and physically.”[26] In order to make it palatable for Christians and those outside the NAM, practitioners use language like “holy spirit, mind, [and] healing force” to describe the “underlying reality of the universe.”[27] Additionally, this force does have intelligence even though it lacks consciousness, thus it is capable of providing information, guidance, and power to humans as they seek it out through mystical rituals and practices.[28]
Pantheism
The NAM also holds to a pantheistic view of god and the universe. In this view, god is absolute and cannot be defined nor described.[29] God is fundamentally an “ultimate unifying principle” that “binds the whole together” and infuses the universe with power.[30] People encounter god through “flow” and “wholeness” whereby they experience “the infinite kaleidoscope of life and death.”[31] NAM practitioners see god as a being who simultaneously exhibits all polarities including life and death, good and evil, positive and negative, light and darkness.[32] The pantheistic god is beyond personality and does not have a consciousness of its own; however, through enlightened mystical experience, people can encounter god.[33] In NAM pantheism, unity is achieved through a cosmically/divinely enforced “principle or plan.”[34] The primary connection by which this plan is carried out is subatomic vibrational energy that supervenes on matter.[35] Much like the monist view, this energy or light can be tapped into to unleash a wide variety of powers and is the primary way NAM adherents control themselves and the universe.[36]
Table 1.1. God and His relationship to the world Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview One God is the unique infinite Spirit God/Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal, energy-interconnected process Two God is separate from creation There is no separation between the creator and the material creation Three God’s divine spirit is analogous to mankind’s created finite spirit God and mankind are the same species of being Four God is personal God is beyond personality or impersonal Five God sovereignly sustains all things God ontologically connects all things together Six God intervenes in creation by divine command God as the underlying force makes realities occur
The Bible and the NAM have dramatically different answers to the question of how to address the general problem with humanity. These differences affect virtually every area of teaching in both theological systems. The Bible takes a pessimistic view of humanity after the original sin event. After initial disobedience toward God, mankind finds itself unable to live a holy life. The NAM sees the initial problem of man as a result of ignorance about one’s true self. Thus, NAM solutions typically involve practices that promote enlightenment, higher consciousness, and self-help.
Sin Defined
The Bible affirms that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[37] Prior to this fallen state mankind was in a state of concreated holiness whereby man’s desire was wholly for God and his actions were only good.[38] Thus, in the biblical worldview, mankind was created with all that he needed for holiness and perfection. The fall of human nature occurred in the moment that mankind (in Adam and Eve) saw that something other than God was “desirable for obtaining wisdom.”[39] Action on this desire was an act of rebellion and disobedience that brought guilt upon all of mankind in perpetuity.[40] Further acts of willful rebellion add to the guilt of each human who lives.[41] The bible ties disobedience toward God to morality. Actions that are contrary to the injunctions of God are morally wrong and lead to a variety of negative consequences for mankind and the rest of creation.[42] Fundamentally, the Bible understands sin as rooted in the desire to “be as gods.”[43]
Sin’s Effects on Humanity
The results of sin on mankind are disastrous and pervasive. As a result of sin, “there is none righteous; there is none who does good.”[44] The penalty of sin is a dual death. First, all men are destined to physically die.[45] However, mankind is also subject to spiritual death from their birth whereby they are separated from God with no hope of reconnecting by their own power.[46] Additionally, mankind is also subject to the greatest death in the afterlife: eternal damnation. This death results in the total separation from God and all of his blessings and graces.[47] It is a state of perpetual judgment from which there is no escape.[48]
Sin also has many effects on humanity’s spirituality while they live on the earth. First, sin has the effect of blinding sinners, making them unable to be conscious of “divine things.”[49] Second, sin causes the soul to be “destitute of love to God” and “no longer conscious of love.”[50] Additionally, sin results in the “pollution of reason” which leads to the acceptance of a wide variety of “foolish speculations of mythology.”[51] In summation, sin leads mankind into bondage which makes individuals unable to be “spiritual, holy, and righteous.”[52]
Sin Defined
According to the NAM, sin is ignorance of the truth that humanity is made of divine essence and is essentially god.[53] One of the NAM’s most prominent teachers, Shirley MacLaine, states that the essential problem of humanity is that “you are unlimited. You just don’t realize it.”[54] This theology proceeds directly from the monistic and pantheistic roots of the NAM. Ignorance of the true understanding of what god is and how we relate to it causes people to buy into to the suffering and problems of their lives. Humanity is also born into a state of imbalance where their personal energies are out of harmony with the universal energy of the universe.
Sin’s Effects on Humanity
The effects of ignorance on humanity are primarily restrictive in nature. First, ignorance leads to isolation from the monistic divine being.[55] In being disconnected from the divine source, one cannot actually have true knowledge of oneself.[56] Thus, many of the NAM practices are focused on recovering one’s true identity and attaining a higher level of consciousness. Additionally, NAM practitioners see ignorance as promoting self-control in one’s life.[57] Thus, freedom from ignorance will lead to freedom from self-control.
Table 1.2. The problem with humanity Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview 1 Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God Sin is ignorance of your divine nature and potential 2 Morality is defined by God Morality is irrelevant and an illusion 3 Evil is rebellion against God and led by demonic forces Evil is being out of balance with the universe 4 Sin causes isolation from God, self, and others Sin causes isolation from the universe 5 Sin causes, physical, spiritual, and eternal death Sin brings illusion that clouds the true self 6 Sin causes further rebellion and licentiousness Sin causes restriction and self-control 7 Sin blinds people to spiritual matters and love. It causes insensibility, pollution of reason, enmity, hatred, and aversion Sin causes limitation from the infinite divine self 8 Mankind is fallen and cannot redeem itself Mankind’s core is good and realizing this leads to salvation
The third criterion focuses on the different forms of spiritual engagement that are authorized and prohibited in the Bible and in the NAM. The Bible ties most anthropocentric spiritual encounters to the occult and expressly forbids Israelites and Christians from engaging with them. These are typically found under the banners of witchcraft, sorcery, and mediumship. Theocentric forms of spiritual engagement are encouraged as long as they are in line with scriptural boundaries. The NAM promotes and authorizes nearly all forms of spiritual engagement to the extent that it supports the discovery of new forms of spirituality as part of its worldview. These practices include everything from inner spiritual experiences to engaging in naturalistic rituals.
Authorized Interactions
There are two classes of spiritual interactions that are authorized in Scripture. The first class is comprised of those interactions which involve man connecting directly to God Himself. Going to God directly is often compared with attempting to approach either God or the spiritual realm indirectly through creation. For example, Isaiah 8:19 attests that people should “consult their God” rather than “the spirits of the dead.”[58] Authentic contact with God occurs in two forms, “Scriptures” and “the power of God.”[59] These two means of communication serve different roles in relationship to God’s communication with mankind. The power of God, or “miraculous signs,” serves the purpose of “confirm[ing]” the Word of God that was preached by the prophets, Jesus, and the disciples.[60] This Word of God was then authoritatively communicated by God in written form as Scripture. In terms of knowledge and instruction, it takes precedence over signs and wonders “for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.”[61]
Direct interaction with God can also occur through the Holy Spirit. Jesus stated in John 14 that He would “ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever… He is the Spirit of truth.”[62] The Spirit of God works in line with what God has already spoken as He “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”[63] For example, Paul asserts that the Holy Spirit “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”[64] However, it is vital to Christian communication with God that the burden of truth lay not with a spiritual interaction but with the written Word of God. When Christians receive new teaching or ritual they are to “examine the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so,” not pray to the Spirit to receive new revelation.[65]
The second way people are authorized to interact with the spiritual world is through unprovoked angelic encounters. In Scripture, humans never seek out these encounters, nor do they ask angels for power; rather, angels are “employed by God to minister to the welfare of men.”[66] For example, God regularly sends angels to communicate his message to people, or to announce great events like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus.[67] Theologian G. W. Bromiley argues that Christians should not “deal with angels apart from the biblical witness.”[68] Thus, while angelic encounters are authorized, they are only so if initiated by God.
Prohibited Interactions
The Bible places prohibitions on a wide variety of spiritual interactions. Among these, witchcraft or sorcery is often singled out.[69] In the New Testament, sorcery is called “pharmakia” or “pharmakeus” and covers drug manufacture, drug use, poison use, and “by extension a magician or sorcerer.”[70] In the ancient near east, potions were not just natural concoctions; they were “spell-giving potions.”[71] New Testament scholar Craig Keener argues that the reference to sorcery in Revelation 21:8 includes the practice of “seductive signs [and] power” and “includes any deceptive tools of demons.”[72] In Deuteronomy 18, the word “kâshaph” which literally means “to whisper a spell” correlates to “enchant[ing] or practice[ing] magic.”[73] Engaging in “kâshaph” amounted to the “use of supernatural powers that harden hearts against the truth,” thus in Israel its practice required execution.[74]
Second, Scripture also issues heavy warnings against practicing divination and fortune-telling. Micah 5:11-12 expressly forbids “ânan” which is translated fortune-telling or soothsaying. Though it is difficult to tell exactly what the word means, it is likely linked to the forbidden practice of “nâchash,” found in both Deuteronomy and Leviticus, which is a reference to prognostication, predicting the future, and “seeking forbidden knowledge.”[75] Though people could and did go to God for wisdom and knowledge, these aforementioned forbidden practices all reference alternative means of attaining knowledge.
Aside from witchcraft, sorcery, and divination. There are a number of other occultic spiritual practices prohibited in the Bible. Deuteronomy 18:10-13 provides an extensive list where the following are forbidden: “make his son or daughter pass through the fire, practice divination, tell fortunes, interpret omens, practice sorcery, cast spells, consult a medium or a familiar spirit, or inquire of the dead.”[76] These practices were considered “detestable to the Lord” and the result of practicing them was expulsion from the land.[77]
Authorized Interactions
New Age spiritual practices are focused on cultivating mystical experiences and are attempts to have “direct communication with ultimate reality.”[78] Unlike in the biblical worldview, the use of drugs like LSD is proscribed and used in order to attain communion with the divine.[79] Additionally, faith takes a back seat in New Age spirituality. With the emphasis on psychedelic spiritual experiences, it is unnecessary to rely on mere belief or faith.[80] These experiences can be modified by New Age practitioners who utilize guided imagery to facilitate deeper spiritual experiences.[81] Other New Age adherents utilize meditation to attain the spiritual state of “oneness with all things.”[82]
New Age practitioners also attempt to commune with the spiritual realm through manipulation of the physical world. For example, Yoga is a combination of breathing techniques, postures, and stretches that is believed to prepare oneself to “rid [oneself] of ‘the human condition’ and achieve divinity.”[83] Other accepted practices include the use of animals like birds and dolphins to “achieve universal love and harmony through telepathic contact.”[84] The practitioners of these rituals affirm that the separation of the practice from the spiritual component is not only impossible but recklessly dangerous as it could lead to unintended spiritual trauma.[85]
A third realm of accepted practice concerns attempts to contact dead people, spirits, and aliens. There are a variety of degrees of channeling and mediumship in the NAM. The most basic experiences involve automatic writing, trances, and hearing voices.[86] However, the strongest forms of channeling involve physical changes in the voice, attitude, posture, and actions of the person who is channeling.[87] At their peak, professional channelers have started entire religious movements around their spiritual utterances.[88] During attempts to contact the spiritual realm, many people report coming in contact with aliens from other worlds who deliver spiritual messages.[89] Overall, the NAM views such encounters positively and as sources of divine, hidden truth.
A fourth source of spiritual interaction for the NAM is ritualistic magic. Though direct wiccan and occultic language is only sometimes present, the following are three aspects of magic that have greatly influenced many New Age practices. First, there is the law of the macrocosm and microcosm. This law states that people can use things like “rituals, spells, and sex” to “control cosmic powers.” The second law of magic is that “like produces like.”[90] This principle attaches significance to items and rituals that are related to specific events.[91] One example comes from Yoga which states that positioning oneself into symbols that represent gods gives one power over the gods.[92] Finally, the law of “intensity of will” can be seen in the New Age teaching entitled The Secret whereby one can intensely visualize what one desires, and the universe will make it come to pass.[93]
Prohibited Interactions
At this juncture, there are no known practices that the NAM explicitly rejects. Though individual practitioners may favor one practice over others and may have had various bad experiences with certain practices, there is no overarching rejection of any one experience.
Table 1.3. Authorized ways of interacting with the spiritual world Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World Method Bible Auth N.A. Auth Method Bible Auth N.A. Auth Witchcraft N Y Psychics N Y Fortune-telling N Y Call forth spirits of the dead N Y Sorcery N Y Magical Charms N Y Interpretation of Omens N Y Astrologers N Y Spells N Y Stargazers N Y mediums N Y Divination N Y Direct spiritual encounters Y Y Meditation N Y LSD / Drugs N Y Physical Manipulation N Y Guided Imagery N Y Channeling the dead or spirits N Y Visions Y Y Spiritually connecting with animals N Y faith Y N Alien/Spirit Encounters N Y Access universal energy or force N Y Rituals Y Y Magic (general N Y Macro/Micro N Y Like produce Like N Y Intensity of Will N Y Prayer Y Y Use of physical material to question God Y Y
Though there have been many attempts at Christianizing yoga, this study will use Brooke Boon’s “holy yoga” as a test case. This selection was made for the following reasons. First, she is one of the few Christian yoga writers who does not turn yoga into a wholly physical experience; rather, she attempts to add Christian theology to yoga to redeem it for Jesus. Second, she provides answers to a number of common arguments against Christian yoga that will be vital to include in the critique portion of the study.
Description of Christian Yoga
Boon engaged with standard yoga practices prior to becoming a Christian.[94] After her salvation experience, she continued to find good in yoga, but became uncomfortable with the Hindu philosophy surrounding it.[95] In her book, she attempts to redeem yoga through Christian theology. She admits that she is not a theologian or trained seminarian and focuses on “weaving the Word into [her] personal yoga practice.”[96] Her methodology is decidedly anthropocentric as she emphasizes how she “invite[s] God to be part of this practice.”[97]
She opens her description of her yoga practice by stating that it is an entirely new type or field of yoga: “holy yoga.” Boon takes her definition of holy from Webster’s Dictionary which states that to be holy is to be “dedicated or devoted to the service of worship of God, the church, or religion.”[98] Thus, to make yoga holy is to take the movement forms and couple them in worshipful practices that are focused on Jesus.[99] She argues that yoga increases her “ability to pray” and strengthens her “connection to Christ.”[100]
Her version of yoga is a combination of Hatha yoga and Bhakti yoga.[101] Unlike other Christian yoga forms, Boon’s yoga fully embraces the fact that yoga is “designed to increase spiritual growth.”[102] She describes holy yoga as the “practice of bodily alignment, mindful breathing, and purposeful reliance on God.”[103] This experience brings Christians into a place where they can be their “most authentic, real, whole selves,” because people need to put themselves in a position “for [God] to work in and through us.”[104] This is needed because the root of humanity’s problem with connecting to God is the “schisms between mind, body, and spirit” are preventing people from “worship[ping] Him completely.”[105]
In order to justify the utilization of yoga in the Christian life, she makes two assertions. First, she argues that the yoga positions are not Hindu. They were co-opted by Hinduism but originated more than “five thousand years” ago prior to “written history.”[106] The website that she uses to defend her position is no longer accessible, but there is a similar site from the same organization arguing her points.[107] She states that the yoga positions were passed down through “collective experiences” for centuries and that originally they did not have a religious connotation.[108] Along these lines, she argues that “no single religion or cult can claim to ‘own’ the ways we move our bodies and use them to worship our God.”[109]
One of the primary aspects of yoga that she deems potentially demonic is the use of music with “low and heavy and dark” tones along with “ohm” repetition and “chanting.”[110] She personally felt uncomfortable with the continued use of these practices after becoming a Christian. In her version of holy yoga, she only utilizes music that is marked by “light, joy, [and] peace.”[111] She also admits that the music she uses in yoga classes is “designed to bring the brain into an alpha state, a deeply relaxed and calm condition.”[112] She argues that this allows Christians to relinquish “control” and become “dependent on Him.”[113]
Critique of Christian Yoga
There are a number of issues with Boon’s “holy yoga” that stem from the core of her theological convictions. First, her defense of the human origin of yoga as opposed to the Hindu origin of yoga is severely anemic. Though her sole source is no longer available, the American Yoga Association firmly asserts that yoga philosophy and Hinduism are deeply connected.[114] The association even affirms a Hindu worldview in its explanation of the origins of yoga. Additionally, professor Subhas Tiwari of Hindu University of American with a master’s degree in yoga philosophy asserts that the fundamental principles of yoga are Hindu in origin and that to remove Hinduism from yoga “runs counter to the fundamental principles upon which yoga itself is premised.”[115] He argues that yoga is “an instrument which can lead one to apprehend the Absolute, Ultimate Reality, called the Brahman Reality or God.”[116]
Second, Boon recognizes that the Hindu understanding of unity is different than the Christian understanding of unity but fails to demonstrate how practices designed for pantheistic unity can be utilized for generating biblical unity. Boon states that by changing one’s perspective from unifying “body, mind and spirit” to unifying “body, mind, and His Holy Spirit that dwells within us” the yoga practices will shift what they accomplish.[117] However, there are several reasons to reject her understanding. One, Hatha yoga works by corralling “two sets of currents and, by making them unite, to still both body and mind.”[118] This “energy is pushed down to the base of the spine” where it is stored until the yoga poses release it upon which “spiritual life [becomes] all at once much easier.”[119] This procedure is thoroughly Hindu/pantheistic and is not an authorized means by which one may commune with God. Hatha yoga is focused on “liberation” of the body so that the “Kundalini-power… can “regain its lost empire” and gradually rid itself of “the human condition” and achieve divinity.”[120] The practice itself is what accomplishes this task, not the mental beliefs behind it. Additionally, by incorporating Bhakti yoga into her philosophy, she buys into the false teaching that “attachment to material things” is one of the reasons people are unable to properly connect with God and that yoga helps one focus on God and not the world.[121]
Third, there is strong reason to suspect that people who practice yoga are opening themselves up to “demonic power regardless of whether [they] want it or not.”[122] For example, Yoga instructor Nora Isaacs readily admits that practicing yoga can lead to “a psychotic break, where practitioners go through altered sleep cycles, changes in identity, or depression.”[123] Additionally, other sources report that yoga can cause “pressure in the head, visions, whole-body sexual stimulation, pains in back and neck, intense feelings of head, and involuntary jerks and movements.”[124] Thus, the practice of yoga is not easily separated from what it was designed to accomplish in the spiritual realm.
Table 2.1.1. Yoga and criterion #1 Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview One God is the unique infinite Spirit God/Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal, energy-interconnected process Two God is separate from creation There is no separation between the creator and the material creation Three God’s divine spirit is analogous to mankind’s created finite spirit God and mankind are the same species of being Four God is personal God is beyond personality or impersonal Five God sovereignly sustains all things God ontologically connects all things together Six God intervenes in creation by divine command God as the underlying force makes realities occur
Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity
Table 2.1.2. Yoga and criterion #2 Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview 1 Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God Sin is ignorance of your divine nature and potential 2 Morality is defined by God Morality is irrelevant and an illusion 3 Evil is rebellion against God and led by demonic forces Evil is being out of balance with the universe 4 Sin causes isolation from God, self, and others Sin causes isolation from the universe 5 Sin causes, physical, spiritual, and eternal death Sin brings illusion that clouds the true self 6 Sin causes further rebellion and licentiousness Sin causes restriction and self-control 7 Sin blinds people to spiritual matters and love. It causes insensibility, pollution of reason, enmity, hatred, and aversion Sin causes limitation from the infinite divine self 8 Mankind is fallen and cannot redeem itself Mankind’s core is good and realizing this leads to salvation
Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World
Table 2.1.3. Yoga and criterion #3 Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World Authorized Unauthorized Prayer Meditation Direct Spiritual Encounters Physical Manipulation Access Universal Energy or Force
Boon is to be commended for presenting a version of yoga that truly does not accept the Hindu worldview or philosophy of god. That she passed criterion #1 with few syncretistic assertions follows in line with her desire to present a truly Christian version of yoga. However, her assertions that “schisms between mind, body, and spirit prevent us” from experiencing God coupled with her belief that yoga deepens one’s relationship with God is syncretistic with Hindu thought.[125] These beliefs go against the idea that sin is the reason for mankind’s broken relationship with God and that Christ’s death on the cross is the only and perfect way to repair that relationship. Thus, her version of holy yoga failed criterion #2 due to not having a biblical understanding of human anthropology and sin.
She should also be commended for working prayer and Scripture into her yoga practice, but her use of unauthorized means to interact with God causes her to fail criterion #3 as well. She encourages the use of meditation coupled with the manipulation of the physical body in order to achieve “new levels of intensity” with regard to spiritual experiences.[126] Additionally, though she would deny it, the sources previously mentioned affirm that yoga is designed to interact and manipulate the universal force uniting the world. She has not demonstrated any method detaching yoga from that result, thus it is part of her system whether she accepts it or not. Overall, Boon has done a phenomenal job at attempting to create a Christian yoga system, but it is impossible to escape the soteriological, physical, and phenomenological implications of yoga. Thus, her brand of “holy yoga” and other types of Christian yoga should be rejected by the church as syncretistic and unauthorized forms of worship.
Unlike yoga, the enneagram has a smaller base of official teachers. For this study, two of the most popular books on the Christian version of the enneagram will be used: The Road Back to You by Cron and Stabile and The Sacred Enneagram by Heuertz. These books provide both an overview of the enneagram as well as responses to critics of the enneagram.
Description of Enneagram
Most lay descriptions of the enneagram state that it is a personality tool. However, enneagram teacher Christopher Heuertz states that the enneagram is “often misunderstood as simply a personality tool.”[127] Enneagram teachers Cron and Stabile argue that it is “an ancient personality typing system… [that] helps people understand who they are and what makes them tick.”[128] The enneagram is focused on answering the question “Who am I?”[129] The help it provides is based on an anthropology that assumes that people do not understand themselves, lack self-knowledge, and are “asleep.”[130] The enneagram asserts that there are “nine ways we get lost, but also… nine ways we can come home to our True Self.”[131] These are then paired with the “nine ways we can find our way back to God.”[132] Each of these ways is associated with a number that comes with a personality type, a “Holy Virtue,” and a “Holy Idea.”[133] By “facing the temptations and fears” of a person’s innate type, he or she can unleash his or her “true identity.”[134]
One of the key principles behind the enneagram is its understanding of sin or error. The enneagram teaches that sin is fundamentally “ignorance,” particularly ignorance of our “Holy Idea.”[135] For example, Heuertz explicitly rejects the idea of original sin and rebellion against God in favor of this understanding.[136] Additionally, the enneagram completely realigns what sin actually is in terms’ of passions. The enneagram teaches that passions are essentially good things but can become unbalanced at which point they lead to wrong actions.[137] For example, lust is no longer an evil, rather it is only wrong when it is not directed at understanding one’s True Self.[138] Ultimately, the enneagram is not about purging sin or passions from one’s life, but about realizing that “everything belongs – the good, the bad, and the ugly.”[139]
The enneagram also makes use of a number of numerological axioms. First, the “Law of One” is the universal principle of “eternity, unity, wholeness, and the inclusivity of all things.”[140] This law draws heavily from a monistic and pantheistic understanding of God as its “oneness contains all that is and was and will be.”[141] The “Law of Three” presupposes that there are “three forces that guide everything in motion: active, passive, and neutral.”[142] Heuertz argues that the number three is present in multiple religions because it reflects this universal law. Finally, the “Law of Seven” is the belief that things which have spectrums are such because they are interconnected.[143] Heuertz includes light, sound waves, and energy chakras as examples of things governed by the “Law of Seven.”[144]
Those who teach the enneagram assert that its origins are as old as mankind, that it has been “a work in progress for a long time,” and that it is not attached to any one religion in particular.[145] Cron holds that the enneagram has been used by a “Christian monk named Evagrius,” the “desert mothers and fathers of the fourth century,” and adherents of Sufism and Judaism.[146] However, all enneagram teachers trace the modern incarnation of the enneagram to Oscar Ichazo.[147] Enneagram teachers also affirm that it is not occultic in origin.[148]
Critique of Enneagram
The origins of the enneagram are less positive than some of its teachers would like to admit. First, Cron and Stabile admit that the enneagram has “sketchy origins” and is “archaic, historically questionable, [and] scientifically unsupported.”[149] Catholic priest and scholar of occult, Mitch Pacwa, holds that the enneagram is based on Sufi “numerology” and “divination.”[150] He also asserts that “there is no evidence that the enneagram of personality types goes back any farther than Ichazo in the 1960s”[151] He also notes that Ichazo was under the influence of occult (“Zen, Andes Indian Thought, psychedelic drugs, shamanism, yoga, [and] hypnotism”) from a very young age and that those influences form the background of his philosophy on the enneagram.[152]
The enneagram also has serious theological issues. For example, the doctrine of man promoted by the enneagram is not representative of Christian anthropology. Enneagram philosophy denies the presence of original sin and affirms that there is good in the human personality that can be discovered and affirmed to make progress toward finding the True Self. Enneagram philosophy holds that people “are born into our essence but fall into our ego trips as a response to society’s expectations.”[153] Thus, the fall of mankind was not from holiness to unholiness, nor from a state of communion with God to separation from God; instead, it was a fall from the true self. Additionally, rather than affirming sin as “disobedience by humans with a free will against God’s freely given commandments,” the enneagram teaches that the fall is a matter of ignorance and that hidden knowledge will lead to its form of salvation.[154]
The enneagram also promotes an occultic and numerological basis for salvation. For instance, the enneagram chart describes the ways by which people can improve their personality or get worse by “following the arrows” toward different numbers.[155] Followers of the enneagram are not saved by Jesus nor are they sanctified by the Spirit; rather, they “destroy the ego trip described by their number and return to their essence.”[156] Ultimately, the enneagram rejects the standard understanding of sanctification which is mortification of sin and moral pollution for a model that is focused on dispelling “illusions” and the promotion of “self-liberation.”[157] Additionally, the enneagram asserts that in order to be happy in this life people must attain “an appropriate amount of power and control, affection and esteem, and security and survival.”[158] This runs directly contrary to how Christ lived His live and how Christians are encouraged to live in this world but not of it.
Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World
Table 2.2.1. Enneagram and criterion #1 Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview One God is the unique infinite Spirit God/Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal, energy-interconnected process Two God is separate from creation There is no separation between the creator and the material creation Three God’s divine spirit is analogous to mankind’s created finite spirit God and mankind are the same species of being Four God is personal God is beyond personality or impersonal Five God sovereignly sustains all things God ontologically connects all things together Six God intervenes in creation by divine command God as the underlying force makes realities occur
Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity
Table 2.2.2. Enneagram and criterion #2 Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview 1 Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God Sin is ignorance of your divine nature and potential 2 Morality is defined by God Morality is irrelevant and an illusion 3 Evil is rebellion against God and led by demonic forces Evil is being out of balance with the universe 4 Sin causes isolation from God, self, and others Sin causes isolation from the universe 5 Sin causes, physical, spiritual, and eternal death Sin brings illusion that clouds the true self 6 Sin causes further rebellion and licentiousness Sin causes restriction and self-control 7 Sin blinds people to spiritual matters, love, causes insensibility, pollution of reason, enmity, hatred, and aversion Sin causes limitation from the infinite divine self 8 Mankind is fallen and cannot redeem itself Mankind’s core is good and realizing this leads to salvation
Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World
Table 2.2.3. Enneagram and criterion #3 Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World Authorized Unauthorized Prayer Numerology
Ultimately, the Christian versions of enneagram rely heavily on numerology and an occultic form of a personality assessment. This practice is expressly forbidden by Scripture and thus the enneagram is not fit for Christian use. Additionally, it is directly opposed to the Christian doctrine of finding one’s identity in Christ as exemplified by the principle that “if we died with [Christ], we will also live with him.”[159] Salvation and spiritual growth is not about understanding oneself; it is about living in Christ. The enneagram is also at theological odds with Scripture on a significant number of points including virtually all of anthropology and soteriology. Thus, Christians who practice the enneagram are at risk of becoming theologically syncretistic. Finally, those who engage in the enneagram run the risk of going to the enneagram for spiritual guidance rather than the Bible.
Brief Explanation of the Principles of Quantum Physics
Modern theoretical physics is being developed at two ends of the material spectrum. At one end is the macroscopic realm of spacetime in which scientists are attempting to understand back holes, gravity, and the universe as a whole. On this level, Einstein discovered that “all observers, regardless of their state of motion, may proclaim that they are stationary and “the rest of the world is moving by them,” so long as they include a suitable gravitational field in the description of their own surroundings.”[160] This discovery was seen as important because it described gravity as the “grand force permeating the cosmos.” At the other end, the microscopic realm, scientists are trying to understand the nature and fabric of subatomic particles and the fundamental building blocks of the universe. One of the primary discoveries at this level is the wave-particle duality of light.[161] This discovery led to string theory, which states that matter is also made up of waves.[162] It is the combination of these two discoveries that have lead some churches to redefine faith in terms of the underlying reality of the universe.
Explanation of the Church’s Use of Quantum Physics
Engineer David Van Koevering argues that the fabric of the universe is wave-like in nature and that matter can spontaneously pop into existence as sub-atomic particles under certain conditions.[163] He postulates that the fabric of existence is nothing more than the “voice of Jesus” and when He sings, He brings things into existence.[164] He states that “you can see or observe a God qwiff (something God shows you that is not yet real in this dimension) and, by observing, or popping that qwiff, cause that potential to become your reality.” To defend this understanding, he uses 1 Corinthians 1:28 and quotes it as follows: “God (has) chosen…things which are not (the invisible) to bring to naught things which are (the visible).”[165]
This theology is then used to justify the idea that faith is a “spiritual force.”[166] By accessing this “faith force” one can “think” and “modulate” and “move” spiritual “information… through the connectedness of all atomic structures.”[167] Under this view, exercising faith is equivalent to visualizing what one desires. Christians are then encouraged to access this unseen realm to bring about “healing… deliverance… [and] miracle[s].”[168] As one understands his or her ability to manipulate faith and the underlying fabric of reality, one gains “a new cosmic consciousness” by which one can “pop those God quiffs and cause upper bandwidth to change your reality.”[169] In other words, people can shape their reality though the power of their own consciousness.[170]
Critique of the Church’s Use of Quantum Physics
First, there are substantial issues with how Christian teachers have utilized scientific finds in their works. For example, the wave-particle duality of matter is a purely theoretical construct.[171] There is little to no evidence that vibrational strings make up matter and there are some scientists that are calling current string theory research programs a dead end.[172] To base a theology around an unproven science is irrational and does justice to neither science nor theology. Additionally, their use of the scientific conclusions is wishful extrapolation at best. String theory and the theory of general relativity are specific mathematical descriptions of natural phenomena. These laws cannot be applied outside of their intended field. To use them to explain the existence of miracles or the spontaneous generation of large-scale matter is an abuse.
Second, there are substantial theological issues with the use of quantum mechanics in describing faith. The reduction of faith to an elemental force, coupled with the description of the universe as the voice of God, heavily blurs the line between the creator and the creation. If, as John 1:1 states, “the Word was God,” then what does that make of God’s voice? It would seem that God’s voice must also be God and thus creation is God. The other possibility is a denial of creation ex nihilo by understanding creation from what is not seen to mean creation from the eternal vibrational energy of the cosmos. This theological shift would call virtually all of the supremacy attributes of God into questions and lead to a God who is at best coeternal with the universe and at worst just one finite god among many.
Third, the methods by which people are encouraged to utilize faith undermine God’s role in salvation and the universe by placing mankind in a position of nearly unlimited power. Under this paradigm, people are able to manifest into reality whatever they visualize. If a person wanted to be saved from their sins, he or she would simply have to visualize all of their guilt and shame away. If a person wanted to create his or her own universe, all he or she would have to do is visualize it and wait for the unseen realm to bring it into being. God is the only being who has the capability to bring material into being by divine creative fiat. To attribute that power to humanity is to deify humanity. It is not difficult to see how pantheism could result from this doctrine.
Finally, the assumption of an underlying reality that connects all things reflects a monistic understanding of the universe. According to quantum physics theology, all things are essentially the same substance that is vibrating at different frequencies. If this is the case, it would demolish any justification of the special place of mankind in the universe and in God’s plan. It would also render any justification of mankind bearing the image of God impossible. If mankind is a vibrational energy, then all that man is can be found within the vibrational energy force of the universe. Under this view, there is nothing unique to mankind except a unique vibrational energy,
Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World
Table 2.3.1. Quantum physics and criterion #1 Criterion #1: God and His Relationship to the World Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview One God is the unique infinite Spirit God/Cosmos is pure, undifferentiated, universal, energy-interconnected process Two God is separate from creation There is no separation between the creator and the material creation Three God’s divine spirit is analogous to mankind’s created finite spirit God and mankind are the same species of being Four God is personal God is beyond personality or impersonal Five God sovereignly sustains all things God ontologically connects all things together Six God intervenes in creation by divine command God as the underlying force makes realities occur
Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity
Table 2.3.2. Quantum physics and criterion #2 Criterion #2: The Problem with Humanity Dichotomy Biblical Worldview New Age Worldview 1 Sin is disobedience and rebellion against God Sin is ignorance of your divine nature and potential 2 Morality is defined by God Morality is irrelevant and an illusion 3 Evil is rebellion against God and led by demonic forces Evil is being out of balance with the universe 4 Sin causes isolation from God, self, and others Sin causes isolation from the universe 5 Sin causes, physical, spiritual, and eternal death Sin brings illusion that clouds the true self 6 Sin causes further rebellion and licentiousness Sin causes restriction and self-control 7 Sin blinds people to spiritual matters and love. It causes insensibility, pollution of reason, enmity, hatred, and aversion Sin causes limitation from the infinite divine self 8 Mankind is fallen and cannot redeem itself Mankind’s core is good and realizing this leads to salvation
Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World
Table 2.3.3. Quantum physics and criterion #3 Criterion #3: Authorized Ways of Interacting with the Spiritual World Authorized Unauthorized None Guided Imagery Access to the universal energy or force
The use of quantum physics in the church has less to do with spiritual enlightenment and salvation than the other two practices assessed in this paper. Thus, it is less concerned with issues of sin and the problem of humanity and accommodates the Christian worldview on those topics. However, the assimilation of quantum mechanics into the underlying nature of the universe as the voice of God heavily distorts classical Christian theism and the creator-creature dichotomy. The theology undergirding this practice is pantheistic and monistic. It also promotes a view of God that makes him a servant of mankind rather than sovereign over the universe. Finally, the use of quantum physics promotes methods of interacting with the spiritual world that are not authorized by the Bible. Thus, the use of quantum physics in determining theological doctrine should be avoided. Additionally, the church should forbid any attempts to treat faith as a force that can manifest whatsoever you imagine in your mind.
In conclusion, this paper articulated three criteria that are suitable for assessing church practices for the presence of new age syncretism and applied them to yoga, the enneagram, and quantum physics. The criteria were used to assess these practices’ views of God and creation, sin and the problem of humanity, and authorized and unauthorized means of interacting with the spiritual world. It would be beneficial in further papers to develop more criteria around the following topics to create a more robust analysis system: justification, sanctification, glorification, eschatology, spiritual gifts, and anthropology. All three practices assessed were found in violation of one or more of the criteria mentioned and as such they are unsuitable for Christian use in the church. It is recommended that these criteria be used in further papers to assess more church practices.
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Boon, Brooke. Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul. New York City, NY: Hachette Book Group, 2007.
Bromiley, Geoffrey. “Angel.” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
Byrne, Rhonda. The Secret. New York City, NY: Atria Books/Beyond Words, 2007.
Capps, Charles. Faith and Confession: How to Activate the Power of God in Your Life. England, AR: Capps Publishing, 1987.
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———. Moody Monthly. Vol. 85. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1985.
Heuertz, Christopher. The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017.
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———. The Doctrine of Endless Punishment. New York City, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1886.
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———. “4151 – Pneuma.” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004.
———. “5172 – Nâchash.” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004.
———. “5332 – Pharmakeus.” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004.
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[1] Judy Franklin and Ellyn Davis, The Physics of Heaven (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2012), Kindle, 222.
[2] “Ellyn Davis,” Heaven’s Physics, n.d., accessed July 2, 2019, http://heavensphysics.com/ellyndavis/.
[3] James Strong, “4151 – Pneuma,” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004).
[4] Edward W. Klink, John, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), Kindle, 6786.
[5] Deuteronomy 4:12; John 1:18 (NIV).
[6] William G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, ed. Alan Gomes, 3rd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003), Kindle, 4698.
[7] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology: God and Creation, vol. 2 (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2003), 518.
[8] Kenneth Mathews, Genesis 1-11:26, vol. 1A, The New American Commentary: New International Version (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1996), Kindle, 2702.
[9] 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 97:9 (HCSB).
[10] Ephesians 4:6.
[11] Colossians 1:17.
[12] John 1:14.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Klink, John, Kindle, 2922.
[15] Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Kindle 4713.
[16] Ibid, Kindle, 4652.
[17] Geisler, Systematic Theology: God and Creation, vol. 2, 527.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24.
[20] Acts 17:27-28.
[21] Geisler, Systematic Theology: God and Creation, vol. 2, 527.
[22] Hebrews 1:3.
[23] John Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 4.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time (New York City, NY: Penguin Group, 1980), 180-187.
[26] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 5.
[27] Ibid, 5.
[28] Ibid.
[29] David Clark and Norman Geisler, Apologetics in the New Age: A Christian Critique of Pantheism (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990), 227.
[30] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 5.
[31] Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our TimeI, 423.
[32] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 5.
[33] Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time, 410.
[34] Michael Levine, Pantheism: A Non-Theistic Concept of Deity (London, U.K.: Routledge, 1994), 40.
[35] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 5.
[36] Ibid, 5.
[37] Romans 3:23.
[38] Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Kindle, 17687.
[39] Genesis 3:6.
[40] Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Kindle, 17643.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Genesis 3:17.
[43] Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Kindle, 17678.
[44] R.C. Sproul, Chosen By God (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986), 81.
[45] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Public Domain, 1949), Kindle, 5184.
[46] Ibid, Kindle, 5195.
[47] Ibid, Kindle, 5231.
[48] William G. T. Shedd, The Doctrine of Endless Punishment (New York City, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1886), Kindle, 557.
[49] Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Kindle, 18093.
[50] Ibid, Kindle, 18109.
[51] Ibid.
[52] Ibid, Kindle, 18410.
[53] Steven Bancarz and Josh Peck, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches (Crane, MO: Defender Publishing, 2018), 54.
[54] Shirley MacLaine, Dancing in the Light (New York City, NY: Penguin Random House, 1986), 133.
[55] Douglas Groothuis, Confronting the New Age (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016), 23.
[56] Ibid.
[57] Ibid.
[58] Isaiah 8:19.
[59] Matthew 22:29.
[60] Mark 16:20.
[61] 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
[62] John 14:16-17.
[63] John 14:26.
[64] Romans 8:15-16.
[65] Acts 17:11-12.
[66] Berkhof, Systematic Theology, Kindle, 2694.
[67] Genesis 19:1-22; Luke 1:26-38; John 20:12.
[68] Geoffrey Bromiley, “Angel,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 61.
[69] Revelation 21:8; Galatians 5:19-21; Micah 5:11-12; 1 Samuel 15:23; Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10-13; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Nahum 3:4-5.
[70] James Strong, “5332 – Pharmakeus,” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004), 2172.
[71] Ibid.
[72] Craig S. Keener, Revelation, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 490.
[73] James Strong, “3784 – Kâshaph,” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004), 1887.
[74] Ibid.
[75] James Strong, “5172 – Nâchash,” Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004), 1918.
[76] Deuteronomy 18:10-13.
[77] Ibid.
[78] Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time, 410.
[79] Ibid, 415.
[80] Ibid.
[81] Douglas Groothuis, Moody Monthly, vol. 85 (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1985), 20.
[82] Walter Martin, The New Age Cult (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1989), 61.
[83] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 73.
[84] Ibid, 181.
[85] Ibid, 73.
[86] Bancarz and Peck, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches, 18.
[87] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 168.
[88] Ibid, 169.
[89] Bancarz and Peck, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches, 270.
[90] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 255.
[91] Ibid, 226.
[92] Ibid, 74-75.
[93] Rhonda Byrne, The Secret (New York City, NY: Atria Books/Beyond Words, 2007).
[94] Brooke Boon, Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul (New York City, NY: Hachette Book Group, 2007), Kindle, 68.
[95] Ibid, Kindle, 68.
[96] Ibid, Kindle, 75.
[97] Ibid, Kindle, 75.
[98] “Holy,” Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary (New York City, NY: Random House, 2001), 912.
[99] Boon, Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul, Kindle 89.
[100] Ibid, Kindle, 82, 89.
[101] Ibid, Kindle 218.
[102] Ibid, Kindle, 89.
[103] Ibid, Kindle, 89.
[104] Ibid, Kindle, 190, 335.
[105] Ibid, Kindle, 190.
[106] Ibid.
[107] “Sources of Yoga,” American Yoga Association, January 23, 2012, accessed July 6, 2019, http://www.americanyogaassociation.net/?page_id=93.
[108] Boon, Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul, 178.
[109] Ibid, Kindle, 584.
[110] Ibid, Kindle, 615.
[111] Ibid, Kindle, 615.
[112] Ibid, Kindle, 626.
[113] Ibid, Kindle, 626.
[114] “Sources of Yoga.”
[115] Subhas Tiwari, “Yoga Renamed Is Still Hindu,” Hinduism Today, n.d., accessed July 6, 2019, https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1456.
[116] Ibid.
[117] Boon, Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul, Kindle 178.
[118] Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, 72.
[119] Ibid, 73.
[120] Ibid, 73.
[121] Ibid, 74.
[122] Bancarz and Peck, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches, 316.
[123] Nora Isaacs, “Is a Kundalini Awakening Safe?,” Yoga Journal, April 6, 2017, accessed July 6, 2019, https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/safe-awaken-snake.
[124] Bancarz and Peck, The Second Coming of the New Age: The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America and Its Churches, 316.
[125] Boon, Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul, Kindle, 190.
[126] Ibid, Kindle 75.
[127] Christopher Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), Kindle, 468.
[128] Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016), Kindle, 55.
[129] Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth, Kindle, 358.
[130] Cron and Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Kindle, 125.
[131] Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth, 468.
[132] Ibid.
[133] Ibid, Kindle, 665.
[134] Ibid, Kindle, 1391.
[135] Ibid, Kindle, 1282.
[136] Ibid, Kindle, 1190.
[137] Ibid, Kindle, 1269.
[138] Ibid, Kindle, 1282.
[139] Ibid, Kindle, 679.
[140] Ibid, Kindle, 742.
[141] Ibid, Kindle, 745.
[142] Ibid.
[143] Ibid, Kindle, 755.
[144] Ibid.
[145] Cron and Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Kindle, 67.
[146] Ibid.
[147] Ibid.
[148] Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth, 874.
[149] Cron and Stabile, The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Kindle, 78.
[150] Mitch Pacwa, Catholics and the New Age: How Good People Are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology, the Enneagram, and the Age of Aquarius (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1992), 112-113.
[151] Ibid, 114.
[152] Ibid, 114.
[153] Ibid, 122.
[154] Ibid.
[155] Ibid, 115.
[156] Ibid, 123.
[157] Heuertz, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth, 494, 573.
[158] Ibid, Kindle, 447.
[159]2 Timothy 2:11 (NIV).
[160] Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory (New York City, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2003), Kindle, 1046.
[161] Ibid, Kindle, 1656.
[162] Ibid, Kindle, 1775.
[163] David Van Koevering, “Keys to Taking Your Quantum Leap,” in The Physics of Heaven (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2012), Kindle, 1719.
[164] Ibid, Kindle, 1719.
[165] Ibid, Kindle, 1719. For comparison the HCSB translates 1 Corinthians 1:28 as follows, “God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,”
[166] Charles Capps, Faith and Confession: How to Activate the Power of God in Your Life (England, AR: Capps Publishing, 1987), Kindle, 112.
[167] Van Koevering, “Keys to Taking Your Quantum Leap,” Kindle, 1807.
[168] Ibid, Kindle, 1770.
[169] Ibid, Kindle, 1831.
[170] Franklin and Davis, The Physics of Heaven, Kindle, 1568.
[171] Geraint Lewis and Luke Barnes, A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2016), Kindle, 4219.
[172] Lee Smolin, The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next (New York City, NY: First Mariner Books, 2006), Kindle, 151, 440.
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