Join Benjamin and Christina this week as they discuss the New Age. What exactly is the New Age, where did these practices come from, and how should Christians think about practices like yoga, horoscopes, Reiki, tarot cards, crystals, and the Enneagram? Benjamin and Christina explore how New Age spirituality has been absorbed into everyday Western culture and ask whether Christians can separate these practices from their spiritual origins.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The New Age
  • What is the New Age?
  • How has New Age spirituality been absorbed into everyday Western culture?
  • How is the New Age fundamentally different from Christianity?
  • What happens when New Age ideas and Christianity are combined?
• Yoga
  • Where did yoga come from?
  • What was its original purpose?
  • Can Christians separate yoga's physical practices from its religious origins?
• Horoscopes
  • Where did astrology come from?
  • What are horoscopes supposed to tell us?
  • Should Christians know their star sign?
• Reiki & Chakras
  • What is Reiki?
  • What are chakras?
  • What is "spiritual energy"?
  • Can Christians participate in practices involving spiritual energy?
• Tarot & Mediumship
  • Where did tarot cards come from?
  • What is mediumship?
  • What does the Bible say about communicating with the dead?
• The Enneagram
  • Where did the Enneagram come from?
  • What are the problems with the Enneagram?
  • Can personality assessments become a source of identity?
• New Age & Christianity
  • Are all New Age practices equally problematic?
  • Can we separate a practice from its spiritual origins?
  • Why is the New Age so attractive?
  • What does the Bible say about divination and occult practices?
  • How should Christians think about prayer and meditation?
  • Are New Age spirituality and Christianity fundamentally incompatible?

Resources

• Cultish Podcast

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