New Age beliefs challenged in new book by John Newport                                                                  

by Cindy Kerr                                                                                                Vol. XI, No. 9, October 1998

Whether crystals or karma, reincarnation or Ramtha, channeling or Gaia, self spirituality or positive thinking, New Age elements are being mixed in any combination and served up on a plate to millions worldwide, who in turn are dumping traditional value systems and beliefs. Yet while many point fingers at New Age influence in today's society, few meet it head-on with substantial proof that the movement contradicts what the Bible teaches. John Newport, in his recent release, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue, does both.

Beyond teaching what New Agers believe," Newport said the book "gives the biblical approach and provides Bible teaching that answers New Age teaching." Newport is distinguished professor emeritus of philosophy of religion at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. The book, from William B. Eerdmans Publishing, provides a systematic look at the multifaceted New Age movement, with chapters addressing the New Age and ecology, health, business, education, science, the arts, history and the occult. Each chapter is an examination of New Age beliefs, as well as New Age criticism of the biblical worldview.

"In this book Christians now have an outstanding resource to help them understand the amorphous spiritual/intellectual movement known as the New Age," said Ted Cabal, dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's James P. Boyce College of the Bible and former assistant professor of philosophy of religion at Southwestern. Newport "has produced a practical volume on a topic of extraordinary importance for Christians," Cabal said. "As the Southern Baptist Convention's crown jewel of philosophers, no one is better equipped than Newport to write such a work."

This understanding of the New Age's dark side was deepened with lectures and study trips in South America, the Caribbean and Mexico, where the occult and witchcraft thrive. Newport's knowledge of Eastern religions, interwoven throughout the New Age movement, came firsthand with sabbaticals and study tours in the Middle and Far East, where he studied Hinduism at Hindu Benares University; Buddhism and Far Eastern religions in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan; and Confucianism and Taoism in China. He also gained insight through observing the Church of Satan in San Francisco and Greenwich Village, out of which the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness operated. Newport attends and speaks at numerous conferences such as those directed by J. Gordon Melton, where he dialogues with New Age leaders and critics.

While Christianity may identify with some New Age teachings that contain elements of often-overlooked truth, two things make Christianity unique: creation is in God's image and the cross is a testimony of sacrificial love. "In my book, I make a case for the fact that while Christianity is a religion always in renewal, it stands on basic principles found in the Bible, not on those we tend to create ourselves," Newport said.

Thirty-five evangelical churches in the San Francisco Bay area recently sponsored a lay-led seminar based on the contents of the book. "The success of that seminar," Newport said, "revealed how dialogue can open an avenue to a fresh understanding and appreciation of the biblical worldview. "God plows up the soil at different times. The New Age is another indication that God is plowing up our nation and world as humanity hungers for meaning and purpose.

"My personal struggle has been to help evangelicals to allow their faith to shape their understanding of the world and to show the coherence and viability of our beliefs. This latest work seeks to make certain that we not only understand Christian teaching, but that we practice those beliefs."