A Theological Analysis of the Use of New Age Practices by the Church
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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL PURGING THE NEW AGE: A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF NEW AGE PRACTICES BY THE CHURCH A DISSERTATION Submitted to the DOCTORAL DEGREES DISSERTATION COMMITTEE of Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEOLOGY AND APOLOGETICS By Chris Berg Lynchburg, Virginia i RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY AT LIBERTY UNIVERSIRTY DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THEOLOGY AND APOLOGETICS The undersigned certify that they have read and recommend to the Doctoral Degree Committee of Rawlings School of Divinity at Liberty University for acceptance, a Dissertation entitled Purging the New Age: A Theological Analysis of the Use of New Age Practices by the Church, presented by Chris Berg in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Apologetics. Committee Members: Chair: Dr. Ronnie Campbell Signature:_________________________________ Reader #1: Dr. Kevin King Signature:_________________________________ Reader #2: Dr. Robert Talley Signature:_________________________________ Date: May 1, 2021 ii DEDICATION I wish to dedicate my dissertation to all those who have experienced personal loss or persecution for resisting false doctrine and refusing to engage or permit the practice of syncretistic spiritualism. It is one thing to stand for the truth in the face of the world’s religions, but quite another to stand for the truth against those one considers to be fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. May we all hold fast to the Word of God as given in Scripture and reject syncretizing with the world’s wisdom, which can only lead to the destruction of our souls. iii ABSTRACT This dissertation sets out to demonstrate that Yoga and the Enneagram are not compatible with orthodox Christianity. Additionally, this dissertation will show that all possible attempts at Christianizing these practices ultimately fail due to incompatible underlying philosophies and theologies. In order to accomplish this task, assessment criteria will be developed through a comparison of a subset of evangelical Christian theological topics with their New Age counterparts. These criteria will be used to assess the level of syncretization in each practice as presented by the most popular and prolific Christian practitioners. After assessment, a recommendation will be given concerning each practice’s use in the church. For future study, the criteria developed through this dissertation will be able to be used by others to discern New Age syncretization in any practice under examination. iv Copyright © 2021. Christopher Michael Berg. All rights reserved. Liberty University has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the University, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my wife, Anna Berg, for the support she has shown me throughout my years in graduate school. She has been invaluable as both an editor and as a sounding board for my ideas. I could not have done this without her. Second, I would like to thank my parents, Gordon and Sue Berg, for their continual support throughout my life and without whom my graduate studies would not have been possible. Third, I would like to thank Dr. Ronnie Campbell for taking the chance on chairing a potentially controversial dissertation. His guidance has proved invaluable in my study of the New Age Movement. Fourth, I would like to thank Dr. Kevin King for his deep devotion to orthodox doctrine, his strict adherence to proper exegesis and hermeneutics, and his defense of divine revelation. Fifth, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Talley for his dedication to apologetics, the purity of divine revelation, and his desire to see the church operate along scriptural lines. This dissertation would not have been possible without the financial support and encouragement of those who have been part of my ministry team for the last-two-and-a-half years. I would like to thank my wife’s parents, Tom and Denise Marin, Joe and Brandi Mendenhall, Walt and Terri Mendenhall, Brian Miller, Luke and Marty Oltmans, Jason and Gemma Jones, Ben Schwabauer, David and Tara Stremic, Brittany Patton, Ray and Karen Parrish, Justin and Amy Thomas, Austin Gentry, Kelsey and Hannah Ostoj, Ron Britton, Molly Bell, Bob and Barbara Stewart, Jonathan and Holly Roser, Rachel Tarwater, Amy Cadwallader, Moriah Webster, Tom and Vaughn Walton, Matt and Jessica Jones, Will Mack, Curtis and Karen Hrischuk, Jason Deramo, Stuart Graydon, Ben LaCorte, Roy Lewis, Anni Li, Lynn Parker, Michael Pham, First Christian Kernersville, and Dan Magan. vi I would also like to thank my Ph.D. cohort colleagues whose bountiful discussions have been one of the highlights of the program. Josh Parrott, Joe Easterling, Brian Chilton, Mark Ragsdale, Billy Camp, Deanna Huff, Kevin Kroitor, Michelle Johnson, Andrew Prout, Jimmie Evans, Sherene Khouri, Scott Reynolds, Andrew Hillaker, and Daniel Sloan. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page………………………………………………………………………………..…………i Signatures…………………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………….……………..iii Abstract………………………………………………………………………..………………….iv Copyright………………………………………………………………………...………………..v Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………….……………vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. viii TABLES ....................................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Research Purpose and Statement of Intent.................................................................................. 3 Research Significance ................................................................................................................. 4 History of Christianity and the New Age ................................................................................... 5 Origins of the New Age Movement ........................................................................................ 5 Infiltration of the New Age Movement into Christianity ..................................................... 13 Current Landscape of Apologetic Refutation of NAM Syncretism...................................... 30 Chapter 2: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 39 The Qualitative Paradigm ......................................................................................................... 39 Qualitative Research Design – Content Analysis ..................................................................... 39 viii Research Procedure for Data Analysis ..................................................................................... 40 Development of Criteria ....................................................................................................... 40 Analysis of Results ............................................................................................................... 40 Assumptions .............................................................................................................................. 40 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 41 Delimitations ............................................................................................................................. 42 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................................................. 42 Plans for Presenting the Results ................................................................................................ 42 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 3: Development of Assessment Criteria for Church Practices ........................................ 44 A Comparison of Christian Theology with New Age Movement Beliefs ................................ 44 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 44 Doctrines Concerning Divine Revelation ............................................................................. 44 Revelation Criteria ................................................................................................................ 66 Doctrines Concerning God and Creation .............................................................................. 69 God and Creation Criteria ..................................................................................................... 93 Doctrines Concerning the Nature and Purpose of Humanity ................................................ 96 The Nature and Purpose of Humanity Criteria ................................................................... 118 Doctrines Concerning Sin and Salvation ............................................................................ 120 Sin and Salvation Criteria ..................................................................................................