Tag Archives: New Age

A New Earth, an Old Deception

Book Review Richard Abanes takes a thorough and critical look at Eckhart Tolle’s latest book, in his 2008 Bethany House book, A New Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart Tolle’s #1 Bestseller. It’s a study primarily aimed (through most of its length) toward Christian believers, drawing on Christians’ shared trust in …

September 30, 2008 – 9:00 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged , | Comments (4)

A World of Stone, A “New Earth,” or Something Better?

There’s a growing realization that materialism and the rational, empirical worldview that comes with it has reached its expiration date. So says Daniel Pinchbeck, in a NY Times Magazine article entitled “The Final Days” by Benjamin Anastas. Pinchbeck wrote an “alternative-culture bestselle4,” 2012, The Return of Quetzalcoatl. He is part of a movement that looks …

September 24, 2008 – 8:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged | Comments Off

New Age “Evolution”

Here’s a good example of how not to marry science with a worldview: the so-called Evolutionary Manifesto. There are lessons here for Christians who want to understand origins both in relation to the teachings of science as well asto alternate religions. This Evolutionary Manifesto is not the product of science, but of a New Age-oriented …

July 30, 2008 – 7:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age, Origins and Science | Tagged , | Comments (6)

“Many Paths To What You Call God”

A close friend of the family brought this up: another video of Oprah Winfrey as theologian. The video begins with Oprah in dialogue with an unidentified woman representing Biblical Christianity (as far as I can tell). Note the use of language here. Oprah says, There are many paths to what you call God. Her [another …

July 26, 2008 – 6:00 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged , | Comments Off

“We Honor All Faiths”

Christ Church Unity, Kansas City, MO, says, “We honor all faiths.” This affirming and inclusive statement stands near the heart of a minor social movement: the Complaint Bracelet (“21 days to a complaint-free life”), invented by the church’s pastor, Rev. Will Bowen. Bown has been featured on The Today Show and Oprah, and, more than …

July 19, 2008 – 5:45 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged , , | Comments (9)

The Cross: Not One of the Universe’s “Nice” Ideas

Dallas Willard writes in The Divine Conspiracy (p. 335), “God,” Paul said, “makes clear the greatness of his love for us through the fact that Christ died for us while we were still rebelling against him” (Rom. 5:8). The exclusiveness of the Christian revelation of God lies here. No one can have an adequate view …

July 16, 2008 – 8:05 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age, Thinking Christianly | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

New Age and Its Contradictions

I lived in Southern California for 13 years, where it was a regular occurrence to run into New Age spirituality almost anywhere I went. My wife and I were talking a walk in the hills above Anaheim one day, and were intrigued to hear the sound of a drum and voices, out of sight among …

May 20, 2008 – 10:23 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age, The Faith | Tagged , , , | Comments (96)

The Church of Oprah?

Someone sent me a link to this YouTube video on “The Church of Oprah Exposed.” Oprah Winfrey has launched a series of webcasts in partnership with New Age author Eckhart Tolle, and claims viewership of 2 million people. I invite you–Christians, in particular–to view the YouTube video. I think it’s pretty persuasive, especially for those …

April 15, 2008 – 6:17 pm | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age | Tagged , , , | Comments (16)

Knowing the True God

Several commenters have raised questions about God and spirituality from a New Age perspective in the past two weeks. Anna’s is the most trenchant: Who is God? Good question. Who really knows? I believe God to be overall consciousness. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Bereket Teka had already offered an opinion: Man …

April 8, 2008 – 11:24 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age, The Faith | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

The Secret Things of God: Interview with Henry Cloud

Dr. Henry Cloud’s DVD on The Secret Things of God has been available for just a few weeks now. It’s a teaching DVD, based on a book of the same name. It’s well worth viewing. It’s worthwhile on one important level, in that he’s an entertaining speaker–he has a sense of humor and a long …

April 4, 2008 – 8:25 am | By Tom Gilson | Posted in New Age, The Faith | Tagged , , | Comments (7)