33 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars, with a caveat, December 27, 2002
This review is from: Unmasking the New Age (Paperback)
I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Groothuis on a fairly recent seminary visit and had the privilege of talking with him in his office for nearly an hour about things philosophical. Contrary to what a previous reviewer intimates regarding this particular book, Groothuis is one of the elite Christian scholars in regards to worldview issues, and his treatment of the New Age in this book, while somewhat dated, is outstanding. It engages in a respectful and sober discussion about the influence of the New Age upon our culture, and even within the church. As such, it is likely to make some Christian readers unhappy since it will likely challenge such readers who might be engaging in certain New Age practices to rethink such participation in light of the potent spiritual consequences.
This book attempts to describe New Age influence in public schools, and in the fields of medicine, science, politics, and American spirituality generally. I especially appreciated Groothuis's emphasis early on that he does not subscribe to a 'New Age conspiracy' which lends solid credibility to his approach. After reading the book, one might come away thinking that indeed such a conspiracy exists, but this is not the conclusion that Groothuis himself appears to subscribe to.
Groothuis's treatment of how the New Age is impacting the fields of science and politics were especially insightful. He properly points out in the field of science that while New Age influences have actually corrected a number of erroneous presuppositions held sacred by many secular humanists and naturalists, this does not compensate for the New Age's abandonment of truth and the resulting chaos it brings to any field of study if consistently followed. Further, Groothuis brilliantly exposes how New Age influences have penetrated the American federal government, with taxpayer money being spent promoting decidedly New Age beliefs and practices. One wonders (though I confess it's no mystery to me) why the more militant church-state separatists haven't been up in arms about such a mixture of taxpayer money and religion, but that's a whole other topic. This sticks out like a sore thumb even more in light of the caveat I discuss below.
Groothuis's treatment of the New Age's contribution to American spirituality (along with its influence in medicine) are likely to be the sections that laypeople might most object to. In these two sections, Groothuis properly goes into some detail in showing how New Age medicinal/spiritual practices are not innocuous or devoid of any spiritual meaning, but in fact promote a spiritual worldview that cannot be harmonized with orthodox Christianity without severely compromising it. A number of these practices are things that all kinds of Christians from the lukewarm to the devout are engaging in today either because they don't know any better, or even worse, because they are not discerning enough to see how these New Age practices are built upon and promote a philosophy that directly contradicts the message of the Bible. Because such practices like yoga, TM, acupuncture, homeopathy, and others have become mainstream even within the church, I strongly recommend this book as an effective countermeasure against the wholesale adoption of these practices by the body of Christ without any discernment.
The one caveat I have about the book is its age. This book was written in the late '80s/1990, and as such, it is somewhat dated. Because the 'New Age' is a movement that makes it up as it goes along and is a rather fluid movement, readers looking for a current Christian critique of this movement might be a bit disappointed in this effort, although I think much of the material is still current. The date of this book is noteworthy because when Groothuis talks about the marriage of the New Age and the Department of Defense, as one example, this is what was happening 15 years ago, not yesterday. What is happening today is quite probably even more pervasive influence of the New Age with more taxpayer money being spent on New Age seminars, medicinal experiments, etc. For the Christian who has grown weary of the recent perversion of the church-state doctrine that has tried to put Christianity in an ever smaller and quieter box, this data from Groothuis makes it crystal clear the new standard of church-state separation is not being consistently followed, and that it certainly seems like we are living in an age of different rules for different faiths. Such a conclusion is formidable ammunition for the Christian seeking to expose the hypocrisy, uneven handedness, and rank bias of those who claim to cherish neutrality on this issue. As a result, I heartily recommend this book for a variety of reasons.
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14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unmasked the Deceiver of This and Every Age!, May 28, 2003
This review is from: Unmasking the New Age (Paperback)
Although dated now, this is still a proper intro to the subject. The movement as Groothius points out is complex and dynamic, yet he provides the elements to it which can be flushed out throughout the culture.
How significant to reflect back how the infiltration of this movement into media and medicine and education and government is now so fully entrenched.
More to the point and more serious is this infiltration into the church, e.g. positive thinking. The comments here alone should awaken Christ's church to get rid of this leaven which is not new, just combination of old deceit with new terminology and players.
Great source!
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8 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What does who believe!, November 15, 2000
This review is from: Unmasking the New Age (Paperback)
This is an excellent work comparing the basic assumptions and beliefs of the New Age movement and Biblical Christianity. Unequivocally written from a Christian standpoint it is a most gracious delineation of the differences between Monism and Monotheism. An excellent work for a christian person trying to understand what and where the New Age is and is going. An excellent work for a New Age person trying to comprehend just where the differences between their beliefs and purist Christianity are. Well written at a level that anyone can understand yet with enough reference material to be of great use to any serious student of philosophy or religion. Enlightening and complete.
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